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Taeman
New User
Mar 5, 2022, 1:53 AM
Post #1 of 4
(2145 views)
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Clutch Fluid Leak
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I was wondering if I could get a view from maybe a car assessors angle on the following.
I went to start my car one morning after it had stood on the drive for 3 days. It is a Volkswagen cc so you have to depress the clutch to start it. I did this and the clutch pedal didn't return. I called the breakdown service and he inspected the car, underneath it, inside by the pedal, under the bonnet and the reservoir level. All seemed fine to him so he couldn't identify any loss of fluid.
He then drove my car to the approved repairers. They say they did an inspection of it including the cylinders and removing the engine covers etc and they found no loss of fluid. They diagnosed contaminated fluid and so drained and replaced it. I used it for one journey of approximately 18 miles and then parked the car up. A few days later when I came to use it the pedal was back on the floor and the fluid over the driveway.
The warranty refused to pay out saying it was a long term leak. The repairers hadn't told them that they had worked on it and inspected it 18 miles ago.
Could the repairers diagnosis have been wrong ?
I know the failed part would have needed replacing anyway but the clutch was contaminated so the damage far worse.
Another point I would like to make is that when the warranty company sent an assessor in to the garage I noticed that at the top of the report he is informed of what type of warranty I have and that cause of breakdown being latent build up is unlikely. I also noted that the garage had backdated the claims date and added around 50 miles to the recorded mileage on the car. I must stress that it was on paper only for the assessors report. They also with held the information from him that they had worked on the car. His findings were that the fluid leak had been there for around 1000 miles and that I should have noticed the symptoms.
The car is a VW cc, 2015 diesel 2litre and done 68,000 miles.
Thanks
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Mar 5, 2022, 4:27 AM
Post #2 of 4
(2132 views)
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Re: Clutch Fluid Leak
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You were told of "contaminated" fluid so did they also tell you with what? This car not sold to the US doesn't matter much about all use brake fluid (here called DOT3) which is rubber friendly. It's easy to mistake it for an oil - it is NOT oil which will ruin all rubber parts in time - how much time is hard to say but super high bet that's it.
You might even feel a flex hose is soft?
Flushing it out was a decent idea it just was too late.
Most standard shift cars are similar with hydraulic clutches have a master where you fill it or hope not also uses the brake master cylinder, I just can't know but if so this is a horror show.
Hope not and would need all components, master cylinder, hose if used and the slave cylinder too. All new parts that use any rubber product!
Could be worse the used parts could be dismantled see the bloated rubber prove this out.
That if so is a mistake someone made usually during oil changes topping off fluids either or both caps for brakes or clutch should say what fluid they take - use that only.
Seems you aren't going to do it but this is pretty sure.
If you can't drive without a clutch that does NOT disengage (many can used to standard gear box cars/trucks) without harming anything it needs to be towed for this repair,
T
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Taeman
New User
Mar 5, 2022, 1:17 PM
Post #3 of 4
(2102 views)
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Re: Clutch Fluid Leak
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Thank you T
They didn't say what it was contaminated with.
I am convinced they done sonething wrong when they changed the fluid though because they kept that information from both the warranty company and the vehicle assessor so his diagnosis was that the concentric slave cylinder had been leaking for 1000 miles and yet neither the breakdown guy or the garage found any sign of a leak or fluid loss when they inspected it at the time.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Mar 5, 2022, 1:44 PM
Post #4 of 4
(2098 views)
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Re: Clutch Fluid Leak
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OK, normally we leave "transmission" section here to the site's super expert who is also super busy. They really wouldn't know what contaminated the fluid except it just smacks of an oil on real rubber parts. They might or might not leak and be seen.
Basics: Hydraulic clutch linkage is much like how brakes are to work just FYI. IDK this exact car it may have a broken metal arm that's the issue but if looked at and fluid ever added - why? It almost must have been found low and topped up just with an oil like for power steering or automatic transmissions or engine oil. That would float on top of brake fluid (same already said) for a while the cap would have bellows to keep air and moisture in air OUT as proper fluid also absorbs water and wrecks it's boiling point first - not leak.
The leak may have been there for some time to lose so little it could go without notice? I can't argue or dispute those who looked right at it.
That system doesn't hold much in total is also usually hard to bleed air out of many but it's done all the time by professionals.
If you think you have a claim on this look now at the cap where you would add fluid if it did need any should be wrong by feel maybe even smudge you with the rubber?
That's a mistake not intentional to have added wrong fluid to an hydraulic system - either brakes or this. No fix but if known instantly flush it out right away. It went without notice for unknown time to mix and get to the rubber parts.
Price out that stuff yourself for your location add mark-up garages get and labor is what is highly likely going to fix this.
The other thing about brake fluid types mostly used is that would wash off with plain water use a glove it's unknow how poisonous thru skin just don't allow that.
Last: I can't be 100% certain for you but it's very likely as already said. Sorry it happened if you wish to fight about it save old parts for inspection and make a claim on what is found. That's NOT what any of us are here for so anything said is not proof just trying to help you get out of this it's annoying to drive if you can at all without a working clutch. Don't learn on this if you don't know already you'll just cause other damage if not used to it,
Tom
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