Clutch questions?

[Thor]

Today i picked up my first manual car. I didn't pick it up as quick as i thought i would but im getting the hang of it. Anyway i was wondering does clutch dumping or clutch jumping as i've heard destroy the clutch majorly or is it just a part of learning. And how much would a v6 clutch cost to repair on a Jetta 1.8t? for the shop? and DIY.
Anyhow I appreciate any help.

[tirerub]

Re: Clutch questions?

It's not really that bad as long as your not launching the car, but at a shop I'd say 1k-1300 and DIY would be around 500, it's not really a tough job just time consuming the first time, if you've got some mechanical skill and a Bentley manual it's not a bad thing to learn.

[Khyron]

Re: Clutch questions?

Be smooth, no need to rev over 3K to get going. If you screw up and rev to 5 or 6 put the clutch back in till the revs come down and try again.

Biggest newbie mistake is they release the clutch too fast. It's not an on/off switch, let it out slow then faster near the end. Don't full gas till the clutch is all the way out.

[Wildfire]

Re: Clutch questions?

Just picking up on what Khyron is saying about newbie mistakes. Just thought I'd share another perspective on manual driving and mistakes that I found was not always picked up on when I was in Calgary.

In the UK we're taught manual driving with the application of the E-Brake(Handbrake). The main part of learning to drive a manual is knowing where the biting point is. So you put you car in gear, give a little gas, then slowly bring the clutch up to the biting point. At that point you release the handbrake (E-brake) and drive off. Learning that technique with the E-brake (why its called a Ebrake on your side I will never know) is crucial as it helps with hill starts and maintaining control of your vehicle in every aspect and all times. If your car rolls back during a driving test here (UK) you get marked down(you can even fail). It comes under not controlling your vehicle.
Despite being mocked by my cousin and friends, I used my Ebrake in Calgary like I drive in here in London. When at a full stop (ie traffic lights, or waiting on a hill) I apply the Ebrake and move the gear in neutral. Its saved me on numerous occasions on ice covered roads. On several occasions on hill starts (on ice) it stopped me from rolling back into the truck behind me when my tires were not gripping upon the traffic lights turning green. Parking and moving off on hills, the same technique helps rather than holding the car on the clutch.

[P Arkus]

Re: Clutch questions?

They call it an E-Brake because here they think it should only be used in case of emergency's. Just like in driving school they told my brother that the passenger side mirror is used only for parking, and just like they told me that yield signs are rectangular. Retards

[MechEngg]

Re: Clutch questions?

Two terms for it, e-brake and hand brake. I used the handbrake trick on hills when I was learning standard. Then when you get used to the clutch point you usually don't need it. it takes away all of the "rushed" feeling that you need to release the clutch quickly to prevent the car from rolling back. I would suggest trying it