Treat your clutch right
VALUABLE TIPS: CHANGE GEARS CORRECTLY AND DON’T RIDE THE PEDAL
It’s an expensive replacement job now and you can prolong its life very easily.
You use your clutch every time you change gears, so it’s easy to take it for granted. The good news is that the clutch can be maintained quite easily.
“If your clutch fails, you won’t be able to change gears,” explains Barend Smit, marketing director of MotorHappy, a supplier of motor management solutions and car insurance options.
“Just like any other car components, your clutch may wear out over time. In the old days, people would often replace their clutches themselves at home on a Saturday but with today’s cars becoming increasingly complex it’s more difficult to do that.
“Usually a clutch replacement is quite costly, depending on the make, model and year of your car. If your motor plan has expired, shop around for the best quote. Be sure you’re using a reliable RMI (Retail Motor Industry organisation) approved dealer.”
Smit points out that most vehicle maintenance plans cover wear and tear parts such as clutches and clutch cables. “Having a maintenance plan for your car covers you for these unexpected repair and replacement costs with an easy and more affordable monthly payment plan.
“A maintenance plan is far more inclusive than a service plan and includes the cost of replacing car parts that get damaged or worn out. Generally, a maintenance plan will include brake pads, wiper blades, globes and fuses, engine, clutch, gearbox, electrical components, exhaust systems and clutch repairs. However, it’s important to shop around for the best quote and understand what coverage you’re getting.”
It’s difficult to say how long a clutch should last, but it’s a given it will wear out before your car does.
Smit outlines five ways to increase your clutch’s lifespan:
Clutch riding on a hill climb is hugely detrimental to the clutch and should be avoided at all costs. The answer is to use the hand brake instead.
The clutch is meant to be operated either completely engaged or completely disengaged.
Keeping the clutch pedal slightly depressed (known as “clutch riding”) should be avoided.
There might be cases where you must do a bit of clutch riding, especially when moving from a standstill but in all other cases avoid it.
Another common but highly damaging habit that most drivers have is revving the engine when the clutch is still engaged. The engine revs a lot faster when the clutch is engaged, and the high RPMs encountered in such cases can be lethal to the clutch.
Most people do this inadvertently during gear shifts as they are still revving the engine while depressing the clutch pedal to change gears and the clutch pedal is still partially depressed when they begin revving again after shifting gears.
Time the gear shift and acceleration in such a way that the RPM never spikes.
“You might feel good speeding off from a traffic light as if you’re escaping from a fire or coming to a stop aggressively, but it puts huge amounts of force and stress on different components of the car, including the clutch,” says Smit.
The clutch should be engaged when the engine is at idle RPMs. Always be aware of the conditions around you and start slowing down well before you have to stop. This will allow you to avoid situations where you have to drop the clutch at high RPMs which can lead to clutch slippage as well as more permanent damage.
The most important thing to watch out for is a slipped clutch. If the gears are shifting too easily and the engine revs abnormally it could be a sign of a slipped clutch.
Also watch out for noises or a burning smell. If anything feels wrong with the clutch have it checked by a professional as soos as possible so corrective measures can be taken before it is damaged beyond repair.