Clutch change at Audi and now Judder, please help! :(

[Melissa]

Hi,

Apologise but I have a problem with my car.

I purchased my Audi A4 1.9 TDI Avant on a 06 plate two weeks ago, the last owner had the clutch assembly changed at Audi on 25/3/09 when the mileage was 83000. The car was also fully serviced by Audi at 89000 miles ( 3 weeks ago) and is presently reading 90100 miles. I purchased the car at 89700 miles and have found that the car seems to judder when pulling away at a standstill - sometimes causing me to stall. There is also a slight vibration when the car is in neutral and switched on (idle)? Lastly theres a strong smell of clutch burning (what my neighbour describes) after I got back from a heavy traffic drive yesterday.

All the above work was done by Hull Audi. I called Hull Audi and asked them whether they advised or told the previous owner to change the dual mass flywheel when the clutch was changed some 3 months back and they said they did not advise changing the flywheel and only changed the clutch.

I now live in West London and having rang West London Audi, they say that there isnt much I can do because the clutch was changed for the last owner and also they say that the flywheel can fail anytime(??) I am very upset because it could well have failed due to negligent fitment of the clutch and more so they should have atleast advised to change the flywheel when the clutch was changed?

I have not contacted Hull Audi yet and told them what has happened to avoid being put in a place where I dont want to be.

Can anyone please please help me on what I can do and what options I may have??

Many Thanks,
Meli

[a8 tech]

Its unlikely the dual mass was damaged when changing the clutch and as there is no evidence supporting its failure at the time of the clutch replacement so its unlikely Hull will contribute to its replacement if it is in fact found to be the cause.The only way to tell for sure is to remove the gearbox and inspect the clutch and flywheel if a new centre plate was fitted with the old cover then depending on the manufacturer sachs/luk the cover requires resetting otherwise clutch judder may occur.Most clutch failures are down to operator error or over the top remaps

[soldendave]

Just thought i would let you know when i bought my b7 05 a4 1.9tdi at 64000 miles i found the same problem with the clutch. After a lot of reading through the post on vwaudi forums i came to the conclusion that this is just an inherent characteristic of vw, audi group clutches. most noticeable on audi a4's.

I have done over 100k now and have had no problems with the clutch and just got used to putting on a few more revs when pulling away. The engine juddering at idle is due to the electronic engine mounts which counteract vibrations which would normally travel through the chassis. this can sometimes get a bit out of sync and cause a wobble now and again but is totally normal for the car.

Anyway hope that cheers you up a bit.

Search through the threads if you want more accounts.

dave

[John140]

I've had a B7 Avant from new with 31K now. The clutch has always juddered on cold damp mornings for the first couple of changes. It is a characteristic of these cars I think. Mine has been judder free lately in the hot dry weather, but I'm sure it will come back in the autumn. I dont expect any clutch problems personally I just intend living with it.

[c4a5er]

Why on earth should you put up with it. You pay good hard earned money for an Audi. The clutch operation should be smooth on any car. It's a known issue which can be cured, get it replaced if your covered.

[Flakmunky]

What is the fix for this 'known issue'?

[a8 tech]

Modified centre plate and resetting the cover depending on the manufacturer of the clutch

[alogbe]

I have the same problem, i.e. not just engine or transmission vibration but a real judder that shakes the car, and can be felt by the passengers. Unfortunately I didn't make enough fuss about it when it first appeared, and now it's well out of warranty.

If it can be cured by fitting the modified clutch plate that's been mentioned, can anyone give me an idea of the likely cost?

[rr1]

HI - I have been through a mare with similar issues. A few things that may help

1. Heavy vibration probably is the DMF - spings in the dmf break and / or the unit runs off balance.
2. Early morning judder in the damp fairly normal but should stop after a few presses of the clutch pedal.
3. Random judder with a warm engine - ... I had new gearbox, dmf and clutch x 2 - in the end and after both me and the dealer pulling each other's hair out I spotted an article on this site about an AUDI TPI for a squeaky clutch pedal (which i didn't have) TPI ref 2021653/4 which basically replaces 3 minor parts in the clutch actuator assembly. Well yesterday I got the car back and the difference is amazing. The clutch travel is smooth at last. ( Apparently the clutch momentarily sticks causing a judder as it lets itself back in after your foot comes off the clutch pedal)

Your problem, if it doesn't get better or disappear after a while probably is the dmf but sometimes even that has to be rotated through 120 degrees to get the thing to balance properly. (LUK who make the audi dmf/clutch has / is being dropped by ford and audi probably won't be far behind according to my amazingly helpful dealer who stated - "yes the LUK" clutches/dmfs are S**t")

Dont be tempted to go for a solid clutch conversion (gets rid of the dmf) as some people have had major problems with damage to gearboxes as a result.

I really hope this helps you and anyone else avoid a near coronary trying to get the problem fixed. PS - my car only has 21 k on it so these problems ar sometimes by design not through wear...)