2011 V60: premature clutch wear

[VR4Pedro]

I am hoping someone out there can help me...

We have a March 2011 Volvo V60 D5 with 36k miles on the clock and I have now realised that the clutch is worn: at around 2000 revs with foot down, it rises to 2600 then drops back down to 2200.

This is the first time we have gone all out and spent a fortune on a fairly new car, as I wanted to keep it for years. I have had Hondas with no issues for 250k miles so this is pretty annoying!

Can anyone offer any advice? The Volvo warranty ran out two months ago but I had purchased an extended warranty from Arnold Shark when I bought the car. I was told that this was an identical Volvo warranty but that was another lie: it's their warranty.

So I think I'm screwed?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice you can give.

[cheshired5]

I'll hesitate a little with this suggestion as I don't know much about clutches but I'm assuming yours is hydraulic.
I'm wondering if a full bleed and change of the hydraulic brake/clutch fluid and a pressure test of your hydraulic system (easier than it sounds) may restore normal behaviour.
I don't know how much of a factor fluid quality has on the correct engagement/disengagement of the clutch plates but at 3 years old, if it hasn't been done before, the fluid will be a little tired.
Has your brake pedal started to feel more spongy?

[tem]

http://www.arnoldclark.com/servicing.../autocare.html

Not sure what cover you bought, but the clutch seems to be covered in this policy.

tem.

[VR4Pedro]

Thanks guys, appreciated - I did get the brake fluid changed a few weeks ago actually, although along with an oil and filter change, that's all I got done (it was between services - I like to change the oil more often than 18,000 miles!). The brakes weren't spongy before and they're obviously not now. I wish it were this so it's maybe worth a look regardless.

Tem - thanks very much - they were very negative and making out nothing would be covered and I would just have to pay the £102 and deal with it from there! That's the policy so I need to have a look.

Thanks again, it is appreciated.

[thanosgr]

Originally Posted by VR4Pedro

I am hoping someone out there can help me...

We have a March 2011 Volvo V60 D5 with 36k miles on the clock and I have now realised that the clutch is worn: at around 2000 revs with foot down, it rises to 2600 then drops back down to 2200.

This is the first time we have gone all out and spent a fortune on a fairly new car, as I wanted to keep it for years. I have had Hondas with no issues for 250k miles so this is pretty annoying!

Can anyone offer any advice? The Volvo warranty ran out two months ago but I had purchased an extended warranty from Arnold Shark when I bought the car. I was told that this was an identical Volvo warranty but that was another lie: it's their warranty.

So I think I'm screwed?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice you can give.

Ηad the same problem with my clutch two months ago with the same symptoms.
I change the clutch with the slave cylinder.
There is no obvious reason why it did it.

[MikeIOW]

Always tricky when a warranty has run out: even though it seems ludicrous for such a low mileage car to have the clutch go :-(
If it has a main Volvo service history, I guess the best you could hope for might be to contact VolvoUK and ask for a goodwill contribution towards costs.
Mind you, is it really only £102 for a new clutch ? I've only had one go....on my first car, an Alfasud.....down a hill, I literally rolled into a clutch specialist in Northampton....I'm *sure* it cost more than that, & I'm talking about 1985 !!!

cheers

[VR4Pedro]

Sorry, didn't explain myself well enough! I need to pay them £102 just so they can have a look at it. That's the galling bit. It looks like £440 plus labour (and the labour is a lot - looking like around £600 if I'm lucky). However, my mate can do it and would always be cheaper (although I'm not that tight - I've told him to charge me the same as I would much rather pay him than them!).

[wimorrison]

I would call Volvo UK as clutch wear this early in the life of a car is highly unusual, even someone sitting with their foot riding the clutch is unlikely to cause a failure such as you describe.

I would however confirm that it is definitely the clutch that has failed before contacting them - perhaps you mate could confirm this for you?

[steve m]

firstly, when did you buy the car ?? how much did you pay?? what mileage have you done since you bought the car

[volturb40]

Originally Posted by wimorrison

I would call Volvo UK as clutch wear this early in the life of a car is highly unusual, even someone sitting with their foot riding the clutch is unlikely to cause a failure such as you describe.

I would however confirm that it is definitely the clutch that has failed before contacting them - perhaps you mate could confirm this for you?

I agree with above, i've an 11 XC60 which sometimes does this when i'm accelerating hard, which i suspected might be a slipping clutch but i'm led to believe when a clutch slips it usually goes away up the revs and the only way to stop it is back off the throttle, until the clutch plate and flywheel match up the same speed?.

I tried a few things just to check like picking fourth up a steep hill and flooring it with four up the clutch was not slipping, trying to pull away in 3rd the car stalled. I observed the rev counter rising again and there wasn't any rise in engine speed to confirm what i was being told, so i'm blaming the electronic supplied rev counter giving me duff readings at times