04 Passat clutch judders when cold

[JasonC]

My 2004 TDI also judders quite badly when the weather is cold and damp.

Is this something that should be fixed under warranty (I have a VW All Component Warranty). I am worried that the severe vibrations will cause consequential damage elsewhere.

Thanks,

Jason

[guyg]

I am worried that the severe vibrations will cause consequential damage elsewhere.

If it's that bad there must be something more amis. If you have a warranty that covers all components, I would present the car at it's worst and press for a full replacement clutch...

It's a big job and you won't have to worry about it again unless you do some really daft mileage. I sold my old A6 with 180k on the clock on it's original clutch.

Cheers

Guy

[ChillOut]

I have a 2005 130 TDi and it too has intermittent clutch judder, especially under heavy load and when towing or even hard acceleration when taking into 2nd gear.

I try to be as gentle as I can with it and have variously tried spending less time on the clutch in case I was slipping it too much or more time to make it smoother. The more I try to blend the acceleration, the worse it gets.

Its been reported at each visit to VW, but naturally they say its fine.

Also, when towing (at 80% of the towing limit for the car), I get the most awful clutch burning smell if I manourvre any distance, even on the flat. On inclines its even worse.

NB: the judder was there long before I towed with the car - its not that I have buggered the clutch with too heavy a load.

With only 8 months to go on the warranty I am getting concerned.

Any advice on persuading VW to do what Audi did? It seems the problem is the same, just I did not pay the extra for Audi customer care.

[ChillOut]

I took it to an independent VW specialist and he says it needs a new clutch. Standing outside the car I could see the wheel was vibrating!

So back to the main dealer with more resolve now - I won't let them fob me off so easily again.

Also a colleague has the identical car and says the clutch is sweet. If yours judders and its under warranty, stand firm and get it sorted.

[ChillOut]

VW now confirm that the clutch is faulty.

[kev]

vw judder problems, twin mass flywheel, seams to be givin lots of problems, i've also seen the diesel pump on the head do the same thing, you should get pressure checked,

[ChillOut]

Kev - when you say the Diesel pump, do you mean it gives poor supply causing engine judder, or somehow affects the clutch itself?

If its any help, I can get the clutch to smoke quite easily if manoevring a caravan for more than a few metres, even on the flat. And that smell is apparent under the car all the time now. I think its an oil leak and that is burning oil, but I could be wrong. If you abuse a clutch enough it will smoke anyway. Although I did not feel I was abusing it. (I don't claim superior skills, but I have been driving "a few years" and am in the IAM and have never smoked or gone through a clutch before, so I don't think its me.)

By the way, the problem started BEFORE I got the caravan - its not that I have buggered it towing too much, but that did really highlight the problem.

[guyg]

I can get the clutch to smoke quite easily if manoevring a caravan for more than a few metres, even on the flat.

If you have managed to get the clutch to smoke, it is either contanimated with oil or similar or it is overheated. Either way it will need replacing. The heat not only damages the friction linings, but can also damage and/or warp/weaken some of the metal components. The persistant smell is burnt clutch lining!

If you are upto 80% of the max towing weight, I would fit an uprated or competition clutch or there's a good chance your new one will suffer the same fate as the one you have now. I have also read somewhere that the clutches on 6 speed Passats are weaker than the 5 speeds - which do you have?

I know someone who smoked his clutch badly on a hill start whist towing, he thought nothing much of the incident until he started the car the following day. As he pulled away [and this was without the caravan] he suddenly found himself with no drive - the garage later showed that the centre of the friction plate had parted company with rest of the unit after being weakened by excessive heat; and they could tell by looking [and the smell] that he had smoked the clutch...

Cheers

Guy

[ChillOut]

Hmm. Doesn't sound promising. It really was a stench - worse than normal for friction lining smell. And quite a lot of blue smoke.

Its a five speed.

I just hope that the reason it got smoked in the first place was due to a fault that was present before I got the caravan and that will be the end of it. As its on lease at the moment I don't have a choice to upgrade the components (but I may ask the garage now you mention it - but do VW fit uprated clutches?

I spoke to the service manager today and he assured me that it would get comprehensive parts replacement whether its warranty or lease company that pay because the labour involved is so high its false economy to do otherwise.

Serves me right for buying a caravan (better say it before someone else does !)