GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Another failed thrust bearing victim :(

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
It's built in obsolescence. A manufacture doesn't make money if you keep your VW for 20 years. They want that thing to be used up and ready for the heap in less than 10 so you buy another and another and another.
That's horsemanure. There are very few of these failures with stock clutches and this is not something that is a failure after 10 years.

Cars last longer today than they did 20 years ago and a catastrophic failure - or any failure that leaves you stranded - is rare.
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
That's horsemanure. There are very few of these failures with stock clutches and this is not something that is a failure after 10 years.

Cars last longer today than they did 20 years ago and a catastrophic failure - or any failure that leaves you stranded - is rare.

Come on, you don't think manufactures using all these plastic pieces on the engines now don't precisely know that they are going to fail in x number of heat cycles? I guarantee they know exactly how long the car will last with average use and at what point it's more expensive to repair than it's worth. I think you underestimate the automaker's bean counters and exactly how much obsolescence is built into the auto industry.
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
Come on, you don't think manufactures using all these plastic pieces on the engines now don't precisely know that they are going to fail in x number of heat cycles? I guarantee they know exactly how long the car will last with average use and at what point it's more expensive to repair than it's worth. I think you underestimate the automaker's bean counters and exactly how much obsolescence is built into the auto industry.
I know that the average age of cars on the road has been increasing rapidly over the past 10 years. Prior to that it is more difficult to find stats except for here and here.

When was the last time you saw a car broken down on the side of the road with something other than a flat?

Cars are far more reliable today than they ever were and cars can be expected to last at least 100k miles without significant issues and 200k is not unusual.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
I know that the average age of cars on the road has been increasing rapidly over the past 10 years. Prior to that it is more difficult to find stats except for here and here.

When was the last time you saw a car broken down on the side of the road with something other than a flat?

Cars are far more reliable today than they ever were and cars can be expected to last at least 100k miles without significant issues and 200k is not unusual.
I put 250,000 miles on a Hyundai Accent, 150,000 on a Hyundai Veloster FBO's and so far 78,000 on my 18 SE GTI FBO IS38 all without any issues at all other than failed batteries. Both Hyundais were still running great as is my GTI.
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
I know that the average age of cars on the road has been increasing rapidly over the past 10 years. Prior to that it is more difficult to find stats except for here and here.

When was the last time you saw a car broken down on the side of the road with something other than a flat?

Cars are far more reliable today than they ever were and cars can be expected to last at least 100k miles without significant issues and 200k is not unusual.

Average age of car is more an economic indicator, not a statistical representation of how long a car lasts.
 

crxgator

Autocross Champion
Location
Raleigh, NC
Car(s)
All the MQBs
Well the clutch kit seems to be the most influential factor since it correlates with increased chance of crankwalk. You already have the clutch; I wouldn't worry about the IS38 or tune helping or hurting the situation at all.

It does?
 

SRTie4k

Ready to race!
Location
NH
Come on, you don't think manufactures using all these plastic pieces on the engines now don't precisely know that they are going to fail in x number of heat cycles? I guarantee they know exactly how long the car will last with average use and at what point it's more expensive to repair than it's worth. I think you underestimate the automaker's bean counters and exactly how much obsolescence is built into the auto industry.

They don't use plastic because they know it's going to fail (besides, just because it's plastic does not mean it's guaranteed to fail). They use plastic because it's cheap as fuck and they save lots of money on machining time.

I work in the manufacturing industry, and my company builds products to last a lifetime. All of our products are overbuilt with all metal and minimal plastic. That said, nothing lasts a lifetime, not even metal parts. Everything needs maintenance, and a small portion of all complex machines will fail for some unforeseen reason. You try to cut costs where it seems appropriate to minimize cost of goods and labor while maintaining efficiency and planned lifecycle, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. That's just the business of manufacturing, and auto manufacturers are no different.

That said, if you're unconvinced and unhappy with the way Volkswagen operates, you always have the option to switch to another brand. There's nothing stopping you from voting with your wallet.
 

euroadb

Go Kart Champion
Location
central NJ
Well with the disclaimer that this is based off of one facebook poll and that's all the data we have right now.

DSG failures were negligible, stock clutches had like a 1% failure rate and aftermarket clutches like 8%.
Keep in mind this data is most definitely skewed towards people having more failures than usual.
This means that this data doesn't really tell us that you have a real 1% or 8% chance of failure but rather, you're 8 times more likely to have a failure with aftermarket vs. stock clutch. That's all the data can tell us without correcting for the over-representation of failures in the poll. And also, correlation doesn't equal causation of course. Can't say without a shadow of a doubt that it's really the uprated clutch causing the issues. This is my personal conclusion I'm drawing based on a limited facebook poll. Anyone can feel free to correct me.
 
Last edited:

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
Then you'd see huge jumps during recessions, but you don't. It's gradually increasing while at the same time cars are suspiciously lasting longer.

Except it did jump during the recession.
 

dietcokefiend

Master of Disaster
Location
Ohio
Except it did jump during the recession.

Look at the stats again, its been floating up in longevity for the past 60 years. Are you trying to deduce that the economy has been getting worse in that time and people keep cars longer, or the simpler approach that cars are lasting longer and the need to replace them quickly isn't playing out like it once did?
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
Look at the stats again, its been floating up in longevity for the past 60 years. Are you trying to deduce that the economy has been getting worse in that time and people keep cars longer, or the simpler approach that cars are lasting longer and the need to replace them quickly isn't playing out like it once did?

The economy has absolutely been getting worse for the bottom 50% of the US population for the last 60 years.
 

uberdot

Autocross Champion
Location
Ten Forward
Car(s)
Silver 2017 6MT
I like playing russian roulette with the thrust bearing every morning.
First time I laughed out loud on here. Woke the wife up. This clutch pedal sure is feeling heavier lately..
 
Last edited:

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
I know that the average age of cars on the road has been increasing rapidly over the past 10 years. Prior to that it is more difficult to find stats except for here and here.

When was the last time you saw a car broken down on the side of the road with something other than a flat?

Cars are far more reliable today than they ever were and cars can be expected to last at least 100k miles without significant issues and 200k is not unusual.

How would you know the reason a car is stopped by the side of the road? I see an average of two cars stopped by the side of the highway each way, each day of my 30 mile round trip commute. I actually assume most of them are not simple flats.

I have no statistical data about the reason for what I see - and certainly no way to know while driving by at 75mph.
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
How would you know the reason a car is stopped by the side of the road? I see an average of two cars stopped by the side of the highway each way, each day of my 30 mile round trip commute. I actually assume most of them are not simple flats.

I have no statistical data about the reason for what I see - and certainly no way to know while driving by at 75mph.
Actually, a flat is usually pretty obvious, but perhaps I need to make the question simpler - When did you last see a under 10 year old car looking broken down by the side of the of the road - not counting obvious flat tires or accidents?
 
Top