Do I need to change my clutch before it fail?

Question

My car have 69,000 miles on it. And I am STILL using the original clutch. Do I have to change it before it fail on me, or go by the first law of mechanic "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Answer 1

Standard shift, right?
You can tell when your clutch is bad. When you go up a hill, stick it into a higher gear than you normally do and step on the gas. If you hear the motor speed up (or see the tach speed jump up)but you can't feel the car speed up-its a bum thing- then the clutch is starting to slip. If however the car starts to shudder(cause you are in too high of a gear and it doesn't like it) clutch is fine. You have been driving it right up to this point - shifting down when you were suppose to and driving in the proper gear. You can do over a 100,000 miles on a clutch, it all depends on what demands you have been putting on it.
Towing a trailer or always carring a heavy load (or dropping the clutch to spin the tires)is more demanding of a clutch as you have to slip the clutch more so that will wear it out sooner.
A clutch does not fail suddenly in most cases. You are given plenty of notification. It starts to feel more like a soft automatic.

Answer 2

no don't change it a clutch isn't cheap, some clutches last longer than the car you will now if it needs changing it will start to make a noise when changing gear and then it probley will only need the clutch plates changing not the whole clutch. I have had 9 cars and run them all into the ground but never changed any clutches and i drive like a madman ,so save your money do a gear box oil change that will keep it in good condition for longer .

Answer 3

Just drive the car until the clutch slips! Dont wait too long to do the clutch after than and make sure thay machine the fiywheel at the same time !

Answer 4

Depending on your driving habits, that clutch can last 5000 miles or 200,000 miles.

My M3 has 128K on the original clutch, but the Cobra Mustang I owned as a youngster consumed 7 in one year and less than 40,000 miles. :) Some would say I've "learnded me some drivin' manners"

When it starts to slip under heavy acceleration in top gear, it's time for sure.

Answer 5

Clutches, in general, don't just up and quit working. They'll start slipping while in gear or vibrating really bad or just be hard to shift. If you're not having any of these symptoms, I'd keep on truckin'. It'll let you know when to change it.

Answer 6

clutches last very differently on how they are used. If you have been nice to it, not rabbit starts, etc. it can last 100k or more, but have it looked at by a mechanic you trust. It is relatively easy to check, there is always an inspection hole to visually see the parts.

Answer 7

You can if you want. But it will let you know when it is worn out. It will begin to slip or it will be hard to shift gear and will cause your gears to grind a litle bit. It s around $700.00 to have it done at a shop. If you mess something else up by letting it go to long i can be very costly. I've always changed them myself for the cost of parts around $150.00. I usually let them wear out. Sometimes its just your throw out bear you can tell its this when your driving down the road and it just pops out of gear.

Answer 8

just wait until it starts slipping. you will notice this when going up hills, the engine will rev higher while the car itself will not be going any faster. If you dont have any sign of this, dont worry about it right now.

Answer 9

a well driven manual transmission can go for 150K or better if the driver is of soft foot. Save your money.

Answer 10

It's preventative maintenance. If you do a lot of city driving, then it's not a dad idea.
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