1.9 TDI (BXE engine) Single Mass Flywheel Review

[TDiBoraSam]

For anyone that's interested, I thought I'd post a quick review of the Valeo SMF conversion on the above engine. 15k miles since doing the conversion, and so far, absolutely no problems. There was a slight rattle under moderate/heavy acceleration for the first couple of weeks, but that has completely disappeared. Clutch pedal feels exactly the same as before, and if anything, the engagement of the transmission feels smoother than with the DMF - no 'lag' at biting point, just a nice crisp bite. If anyone is torn between DMF and SMF, I'd recommend SMF every time.

[zollaf]

nice to hear a positive review.
my audi has had a smf for 312k miles now, but thats how it left the factory as dmf's wern't about then. i have no problems with it and do wonder why the dmf is so popular.

[TDiBoraSam]

Yes, a DMF does seem like overkill on light diesel engines used in cars. For me, I simply wasn't prepared to pay a load of money out for a new DMF, with everyone saying they're so unreliable and could fail again at any time. On an SMF there's nothing to actually break, and the clutch plate has heavy springs in it to dampen vibration, so no issues there either.

[TDiBoraSam]

Haha, I think me posting this review was a complete jinx for my SMF.

Expensive lesson learnt - stick with what the manufacturer installed. if it wasn't needed, it wouldn't be there in the first place.

[adamss24]

I have fitted a SMF and performance clutch to a 1.9Tdi AWX 5 speed audi a4, all was well for about 3000 miles then the gearbox stripped the syncro in 3rd gear and locked in 1st altogether ! There was rattle at iddle but i could live with it, only way for me was to go SMF as the engine was tuned and ran a bigger turbo and custom remap ! the clutch was a heavy duty stage 3 Southbend clutch and TTV Racing single mass flywheel ! I would stick to DMF as well if i was you, later VAG gearboxes are made of chalk and cheese and is the bearings inside that "rattle" ! I now have a v6 tdi with a slipping clutch and still debating what clutch should i go for, i could use the Southbend clutch and pressure plate but i would get a Sachs DMF in there for good measure...

[TDiBoraSam]

Converted back to DMF yesterday. Soooo much quieter and smoother than the SMF it replaces. No rattling or knocking, no shunting when on/off the accelerator.

The SMF lasted approx 17k miles. 15k trouble free, then the problems started. Glad I went back to DMF before I ended up with a smashed gearbox. Expensive lesson learnt - the DMF is there for a reason.

[turpal]

My mate who is a taxi driver has his one done 3years and about 86,000 miles ago and had no problems.

[TDiBoraSam]

I read lots of taxi driver reviews before going down the SMF route. As I said above, approx 17k miles, and all was fine, then the problems started.

I kept the SMF out of interest, and upon close inspection I noticed small fatigue cracks developing on the friction plate in the corners of where the springs sit. No doubt, in time, this would've allowed the springs to move out of position, and is porbably why things suddenly became noisier.

Interestingly, I asked a leading SMF kit manufacturer for some info about their SMF kit and whether it could potentially cause problems. They claim that problems will only ever develop if something else is wrong with the car...ie: if someone fits a SMF and it causes problems, it's never the SMF's fault, it's your car in a poor state of repair. Having seen the evidence of my SMF destroying itself, I'm extremely glad to have gone back to DMF.

SMF's can work, but be warned, they are just too harsh for some cars, and it would seem the friction plate springs aren't up to the job of damping vibration anywhere near to the level of a DMF. All in all, not worth the risk.

I am also lead to believe by various people in the motor trade that later generation DMF's have been greatly improved over earlier ones, and should offer much more longevity.