Help diagnosing problem with fiat

[Sophieeleanorx]

Hello! My car is going to the garage on Monday but just wanting some advice as this is my first car and I'm dreading the bill.
I purchased a fiat grande punto few months ago 2006 plate and everything seemed fine with it until I was in slow moving traffic one day up a hill. I was lifting my clutch up and there was literally no power coming from it at all so I had to rev the hell out of it. Then I noticed it was smoking from the front and the smell was awful so I got over the roundabout quickly and parked up. I left the car there until the evening and went back to get it and the smell was still coming from the front of the car. My clutch seems to be very high the moment I let go of my clutch and go to accelerate it judders.I didnt drive it since this but I took it for a short trip today 10 minutes to the shop and the burning smell was back I noticed it as soon as I got home and parked up and it's coming from the front. I dread using the clutch whenever I get to traffic lights because I know it takes ages to even move off and I have to lift it so high Does this just sound like a clutch problem or something more?
I have a £500 budget on getting it fixed I don't want to bother if it's going to be problematic.
I know I will have the answers on Monday but just want to prepare for the worst lol!

Thanks

[r11co]

Sounds like the standard symptoms of a worn clutch. New clutch plate and pressure plate should cure it. Should come in inside your £500 budget including labour. Only complication is if the car has a dual-mass flywheel (cannot say for certain unless you specify the model and engine size/type) in which case this may need replaced too if it has gone out of balance and is responsible for the juddering and premature wear.

[simonr100]

Yep, deffinately sounds like the clutch has gone.

[r11co]

Just checked your posting history! Seems your car had 97k miles on it when you bought it 3 months ago, so I'm pretty confident that you have a worn clutch and nothing more sinister.

[spookly]

Yep. Get you clutch fixed then you can Fix It Again Tomorrow

[Sophieeleanorx]

Ok thank you! Not planning on keeping it long anyway

[sorin1987]

Definately the clutch. Just changed the clutch on a e90 330 BMW and it was 550. Should be cheaper than that for a Punto.

[Mave]

Hope you get it fixed quickly and for not much money.
As an aside, you said you were in slow moving traffic on a hill; were you constantly slipping the clutch? If so, that may have contributed significantly to the failure. I know you said you're not keeping the car long, but you don't want to wreck the clutch on whatever you replace it with.

[anonymous-user]

easy to check you can do this or you BF.

'You can also check it out in a parking lot. Stop the vehicle but leave the engine running, and then put the car in second or third gear. Let the clutch out. If the car doesn't stall, the RPMs go up, and the vehicle remains in place, you have a slipping clutch'

[john2443]

My daughter had her Panda brought home on a lorry a few weeks ago cos the clutch had gone, must have been on its way and a slow drive across south London finished it off.

Cost £460 for clutch and MOT.

Don't take it to a main dealer though or it'll probably be very much more expensive!

[Tryke3]

Think a clutch is sround £80 quid

[daemon]

After reading the title i was going to say "its because they make crappy cars that nobody wants to buy", but it turns out you meant YOUR Fiat, not the manufacturer.

My bad.

[Andyjc86]

A clutch at an Indy should cost around £300-£350 unless you live in London. Make sure they put fresh gearbox oil in too, some clowns like to reuse the old stuff.