2.0 TDi Clutch judder.

[thedktor]

Recently bought a low miles 2L, and the dreaded clutch judder is apparent, something I should have researched!

It was very bad on a mild damp morning recently, then goes after a few starts. Now its colder it seems to do it less from cold but it is still there at times once good an hot just not so bad.

The clutch feels like its had an easy life, and not worn at all. Keeping the revs up helps, but why should I when it has plenty of low-end power!

Having searched it seems there is no recognised cure which seems strange. Does heavier use help i.e an "Italian tune"?

Opinions and advice welcome! Thanks...

[Whippy53]

As you say, well known problem. There is no cure short of a new flywheel although even then there are reports of it persisting I'm afraid. If it's not too bad I would just live with it for a while.

[Crasher]

It is a very odd design, I have even seen the coupling shear and it’s not a nice job either.

[thedktor]

An update on this. Because of the lockdown I left it about a month then contacted the dealer who, without hesitation, took the car in to investigate. Long story short they changed the clutch and DMF with genuine Audi parts, all at not cost, which was quite a result I thought!

They showed me the DMF which had a good couple of inches slop in it - it was well and truly ****** after only 23k miles.

The clutch now felt lovely, though I did notice a tiny bit of vibration when pulling away at lower revs, and I wonder if the in-line engine’s natural torque-twist and vibrations give the DMF a bit of a workout ultimately leading to a short life?

Anyway, a few days later I noticed a smell of gear oil from the engine area, then the clutch started to slip!!! It didn’t need much to figure out what was happening and I crawled under the car to find the under tray saturated in gearbox oil!

Back to the dealer, and yes they had damaged the gearbox seal. Got the car back and unfortunately they had only cleaned the clutch and not replaced it, and the clutch action was now all wrong with the bite point right on the floor, presumably where the friction plate had swollen slightly.

Long story short, they decide they can’t fix it and give me a complete refund on the car after 3 months ownership!

Which wasn’t ideal but no point having a fairly expensive car that doesn’t drive properly…