Crank walk / class action (we need to get together)

[GroceryGTIer]

Driving habits can increase wear too. I've seen a lot of people clutch in and ride it for absolutely no reason, that wont help anything.

Yes!!

 

[Twist1]

Lol cause vw, the most powerful automobile manufacturer in the history of the world, cares that even 1% of their MT mk7 MQBS have an issue.

If you think this will lead to any legal ANYTHING I wish you the best of luck but I feel your anger.

 

[Parabola]

This issue has absolutely no chance of getting any kind of legal representation, unless someone has money to burn.
Such a small % of affected cars and even those are out of the question the moment you say “aftermarket clutch”...as someone else mentioned, there is a better chance to go after VW with water pump / thermostat issue.

 

[dosjockey]

Lol cause vw, the most powerful automobile manufacturer in the history of the world, cares that even 1% of their MT mk7 MQBS have an issue.

If you think this will lead to any legal ANYTHING I wish you the best of luck but I feel your anger.

You'd have to count how many they made in the applicable configuration; which may not even seem to make sense. Depends on how their line works.

I saw this posted somewhere else:

"The consensus as of now on the issue is the primary opportunity for wear is during start up, particularly cold starts as there's minimal oil on the bearings. What happens is you push the clutch pedal in which applies a force to the crankshaft away from the transmission. Then, when you go to start the car there is minimal oil on those crucial bearings in addition to an added force in the longitudinal direction along the crank. This extra pressure causes undue stress and wear to the components in question which are not lubricated until the engine is running.

While the throwout bearing is the single part that's pushing on the pressure plate and thus the crankshaft, the issue is with stiffer pressure plates in aftermarket clutches requiring more pedal pressure which translates to a larger longitudinal force being applied to the crankshaft. Bigger force = more friction = more wear. "

Is this what the thread is on about?

 

[dietcokefiend]

You'd have to count how many they made in the applicable configuration; which may not even seem to make sense. Depends on how their line works.

I saw this posted somewhere else:

"The consensus as of now on the issue is the primary opportunity for wear is during start up, particularly cold starts as there's minimal oil on the bearings. What happens is you push the clutch pedal in which applies a force to the crankshaft away from the transmission. Then, when you go to start the car there is minimal oil on those crucial bearings in addition to an added force in the longitudinal direction along the crank. This extra pressure causes undue stress and wear to the components in question which are not lubricated until the engine is running.

While the throwout bearing is the single part that's pushing on the pressure plate and thus the crankshaft, the issue is with stiffer pressure plates in aftermarket clutches requiring more pedal pressure which translates to a larger longitudinal force being applied to the crankshaft. Bigger force = more friction = more wear. "

Is this what the thread is on about?

It’s the root of the thread. The bearing that resists that force fails, people say it should be bigger/better to prevent failing. But in the same breath also say it should be able to handle the larger clutches cause “insert mechanic or friend” says all these other cars can handle upgraded clutches no problem.

The fix isn’t an impossible one. Buy a clutch that doesn’t use a ton of clamping force. Upgrade the bearing with something custom. Or buy the DSG variant that can handle increased power completely stock. Note that none of those items are VWs responsibility. It would be nice, but it’s not a liability cause something wasn’t designed in a way that made it easier to change/upgrade.

 

[GTIfan99]

So how hard is it to swap a DSG into a manual. Just asking for a friend. lol

 

[dosjockey]

It’s the root of the thread. The bearing that resists that force fails, people say it should be bigger/better to prevent failing. But in the same breath also say it should be able to handle the larger clutches cause “insert mechanic or friend” says all these other cars can handle upgraded clutches no problem.

The fix isn’t an impossible one. Buy a clutch that doesn’t use a ton of clamping force. Upgrade the bearing with something custom. Or buy the DSG variant that can handle increased power completely stock. Note that none of those items are VWs responsibility. It would be nice, but it’s not a liability cause something wasn’t designed in a way that made it easier to change/upgrade.

That's what I've been trying to figure out. It seemed to me that the solution would be to use a different bearing when replacing the clutch with an aftermarket unit.

It would be nice to know how much power people were going for when this happened to them.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

It's not an easy solution as people think. They don't even have an upgraded bearing to use so you would have to get a machine shop to custom make one or modify one. Those that don't have the skill and equipment to do so will have to take it to a reputable shop to do the work which will cost you some $$$.

 

[dosjockey]

It's not an easy solution as people think. They don't even have an upgraded bearing to use so you would have to get a machine shop to custom make one or modify one. Those that don't have the skill and equipment to do so will have to take it to a reputable shop to do the work which will cost you some $$$.

Well, they just spent a pile on the clutch, and I doubt most people are bothering to install those themselves.

Volkswagen has no stock in how much it costs to modify a vehicle.

If it's happening without modifications, that's a different story, but there really isn't enough information available to show that's the case, from the looks of things.

Not yet, anyway.

 

[Hoon]

FB group has a couple thousand votes. Failure rate for stick shifts with aftermarket clutches is about 8-9%...which is horrible IMO.

 

[dosjockey]

FB group has a couple thousand votes. Failure rate for stick shifts with aftermarket clutches is about 8-9%...which is horrible IMO.

So far as VW's position is concerned, what happens with an aftermarket clutch is irrelevant if that clutch doesn't meet factory specifications.

It does suck, and I wish that wasn't the case for my own purposes, but such is life.

 

[Hoon]

So far as VW's position is concerned, what happens with an aftermarket clutch is irrelevant if that clutch doesn't meet factory specifications.

It does suck, and I wish that wasn't the case for my own purposes, but such is life.

Exactly.

To think this is somehow VW's responsibility is delusional. You can't put an extra thousand pounds of thrust load on a bearing and expect the same longevity. Is it a poor design? Yes. Is it adequate for a stock pressure plate? Yes, the failure rate for stock clutches is pretty low.

 

[jimlloyd40]

You'd have to count how many they made in the applicable configuration; which may not even seem to make sense. Depends on how their line works.

I saw this posted somewhere else:

"The consensus as of now on the issue is the primary opportunity for wear is during start up, particularly cold starts as there's minimal oil on the bearings. What happens is you push the clutch pedal in which applies a force to the crankshaft away from the transmission. Then, when you go to start the car there is minimal oil on those crucial bearings in addition to an added force in the longitudinal direction along the crank. This extra pressure causes undue stress and wear to the components in question which are not lubricated until the engine is running.

While the throwout bearing is the single part that's pushing on the pressure plate and thus the crankshaft, the issue is with stiffer pressure plates in aftermarket clutches requiring more pedal pressure which translates to a larger longitudinal force being applied to the crankshaft. Bigger force = more friction = more wear. "

Is this what the thread is on about?

I can't say that it contributes to crank walk but if it does the magnets thing someone posted in another thread which allows him to start his car without pushing in the clutch would certainly help.

 

[dosjockey]

Exactly.

To think this is somehow VW's responsibility is delusional. You can't put an extra thousand pounds of thrust load on a bearing and expect the same longevity. Is it a poor design? Yes. Is it adequate for a stock pressure plate? Yes, the failure rate for stock clutches is pretty low.

I think a lot of people forget that the clutch is also a fuse; especially when adding power; and you just need to get past that point at which it slips in your own driving conditions. Everyone is a little bit different, in that regard.

It's not a place to go balls-out overkill. Install only what you need, and if a manufacturer can't suggest a reasonable product, write them off entirely. They're not worth dealing with.

 

[GTIfan99]

FB group has a couple thousand votes. Failure rate for stick shifts with aftermarket clutches is about 8-9%...which is horrible IMO.

Is there a clear pattern to which clutches are seeing the highest rates?