Burnt Clutch at just 4800 miles!

[DarkSunrise]

Burnt clutch in 4800 miles would seem to indicate some kind of mechanical failure, especially if you've got a lot of experience driving manuals (and assuming you're not abusing the clutch). I'd escalate this as far up the chain as possible.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by fistpoint

No they didn't. The software was found to be riddled with inefficiencies and bad/lazy programming. Do some more reading into it.

The software issue had nothing to do with "unintended acceleration".

The reason unintended acceleration is ALWAYS a driver error is you should just select neutral and, if necessary switch off the engine.

This is why neutral can be selected without pressing the brake pedal in all automatics.

The same dufous who doesn't know this also can't tell the brake pedal from the accelerator. Misapplication of pedals is a well known phenomenon especially among driving instructors. Software does not cause throttles to open, the systems are redundantly fail safe. The same technology as fly by wire airliners use and military aircraft and trains etc etc.

In olden days throttles used to stick open, return springs broke or fell off, throttle plates iced up or linkages broke. To be competent to drive safely you needed to know what to do if this happened to you: select neutral (or push in the clutch) and switch off. In those days the engine would explode if you didn't switch off, nowadays the rev limiter just cuts in so you have lots of time to switch off.

Bottom line: the speed of the car is ALWAYS up to the driver.

This post may save your life someday.

[pche]

Originally Posted by Suberman

The software issue had nothing to do with "unintended acceleration".

The reason unintended acceleration is ALWAYS a driver error is you should just select neutral and, if necessary switch off the engine.

This is why neutral can be selected without pressing the brake pedal in all automatics.

The same dufous who doesn't know this also can't tell the brake pedal from the accelerator. Misapplication of pedals is a well known phenomenon especially among driving instructors. Software does not cause throttles to open, the systems are redundantly fail safe. The same technology as fly by wire airliners use and military aircraft and trains etc etc.

In olden days throttles used to stick open, return springs broke or fell off, throttle plates iced up or linkages broke. To be competent to drive safely you needed to know what to do if this happened to you: select neutral (or push in the clutch) and switch off. In those days the engine would explode if you didn't switch off, nowadays the rev limiter just cuts in so you have lots of time to switch off.

Bottom line: the speed of the car is ALWAYS up to the driver.

This post may save your life someday.

Agree, however, shutting off the engine you also lose power steering and power brakes, just something to keep in mind. Turn off the engine once you have slow down and steer clear of danger.

[FastOnFastOff]

Thanks for the feedback guys. To shed some light, I do drive harder than merely commuting. I do not drift the car (purposely). It's gone to the canyons 15+ times and WSIR once. Over the phone, I was told that the clutch was "fried". That being said, I think the proper moral thing to do is to pay the bill.

I was under the impressions that these cars could be driven hard - not abused - but at least driven hard.

[Ralph Spoilsport]

Originally Posted by FastOnFastOff

Thanks for the feedback guys. To shed some light, I do drive harder than merely commuting. I do not drift the car (purposely). It's gone to the canyons 15+ times and WSIR once. Over the phone, I was told that the clutch was "fried". That being said, I think the proper moral thing to do is to pay the bill.

I was under the impressions that these cars could be driven hard - not abused - but at least driven hard.

But what you described was a broken clutch (pedal on the floor).

[nate89]

A proper break-in for the clutch will also help extend the service life. So take it easy for the first 500 miles on your new clutch.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by FastOnFastOff

Thanks for the feedback guys. To shed some light, I do drive harder than merely commuting. I do not drift the car (purposely). It's gone to the canyons 15+ times and WSIR once. Over the phone, I was told that the clutch was "fried". That being said, I think the proper moral thing to do is to pay the bill.

I was under the impressions that these cars could be driven hard - not abused - but at least driven hard.

hmmm.......a "fried" clutch, to me, is one that has been warn down to almost nothing or "overheated" ..... usually caused by the clutch being out of adjustment or riding the clutch or pulling a trailer or it was just plain old. Also, intentially slipping a clutch can take a toll.

Your canyon carving or a day at the track shouldn't wear out a clutch on the FR-S (non-boosted).

humfrz

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by FastOnFastOff

I was under the impressions that these cars could be driven hard - not abused - but at least driven hard.

They have been, like humfrz said unless there's something wrong with the system (not fully engaging or something) there's no reason for it to have failed this early (unless you know you've been abusing it).

I think I've seen a grand total of 4 threads about premature clutch failure (admittedly not in the track section), it's hard to tell if it's from abuse or not but your case is abnormal. I'd be looking into it more aggressively, but if $1600 is a small price to pay to get the monkey off your back and get back to things that matter it's understandable. Most of the people who bought this car were not expecting $1,000+ repair bills within the first two or three years of ownership (hell I'm looking at spending less than $200/year plus tires and gas), you're going to see a lot of resistance for shelling out the money.

If it was my car, I'd be doing the repair myself, but I'm insane.

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by FastOnFastOff

I was told that the clutch was "fried". That being said, I think the proper moral thing to do is to pay the bill.

Tell them you want to see the "fried" clutch. If it didn't fail due to wear, then in my mind it should be covered under warranty.

[jeebus]

That all sounds bogus to me. I drive my car plenty hard, done a number of Autoxes, my commute is through canyons, etc, etc...25k miles clutch feels fine.

[FastOnFastOff]

Originally Posted by Ralph Spoilsport

But what you described was a broken clutch (pedal on the floor).

Yea, it felt broken because what I described is exactly how it went down with the clutch sticking to the floor. If it was fried, shouldn't I have at least smelled something?

[FastOnFastOff]

Originally Posted by King Tut

Tell them you want to see the "fried" clutch. If it didn't fail due to wear, then in my mind it should be covered under warranty.

For sure I'll ask. They already offered to show it to me.

[FastOnFastOff]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

They have been, like humfrz said unless there's something wrong with the system (not fully engaging or something) there's no reason for it to have failed this early (unless you know you've been abusing it).

I think I've seen a grand total of 4 threads about premature clutch failure (admittedly not in the track section), it's hard to tell if it's from abuse or not but your case is abnormal. I'd be looking into it more aggressively, but if $1600 is a small price to pay to get the monkey off your back and get back to things that matter it's understandable. Most of the people who bought this car were not expecting $1,000+ repair bills within the first two or three years of ownership (hell I'm looking at spending less than $200/year plus tires and gas), you're going to see a lot of resistance for shelling out the money.

If it was my car, I'd be doing the repair myself, but I'm insane.

For me it's primarily a time-issue. If I had the time (the ability to live without a car), I'd be much more aggressive. $1600 is not small for me, but just at the point where I think waving the white-flag is the better option. I should be getting the car back tomorrow or Friday at the latest.

[mike the snake]

They can tell if the clutch is "fried", usually the plate shows signs of slipping/heat, as well as the flywheel, which will show signs of being abused or being burnt up.

Sounds to me like your clutch hydraulic line may have lost pressure. This would cause the pedal to go to the floor, and with subsequent pumping, might get you half of it back.

It might be as simple as tightening a loose fitting and rebleeding the system.

Did they tell you what failed on your clutch? I would think, that even with abuse, it would be pretty hard to burn up or break a clutch in 4800 miles.

I would stand your ground, go higher up the food chain, and get them to replace whatever's broken.

Good luck!