clutch life expectancy

[Alpine]

My car has done 124k miles and I'm pretty sure its on the original clutch.

I know with ordinary cars (say Ford, Fiat) a clutch might last until 70k or 80k miles, but I understand Volvo clutches tend to last longer.

I know it comes down to use, driving style etc but would be interested to know other people's experiences and to give an idea how much longer mine might be expected to last.

[duke1]

Originally Posted by Alpine

My car has done 124k miles and I'm pretty sure its on the original clutch.

I know with ordinary cars (say Ford, Fiat) a clutch might last until 70k or 80k miles, but I understand Volvo clutches tend to last longer.

I know it comes down to use, driving style etc but would be interested to know other people's experiences and to give an idea how much longer mine might be expected to last.

hi 200k id say average for a clutch,mines on 158k and going strong,hopefully!
though depends on driver as you say,peace

[ITSv40]

My 360GLT did 270,000mls on the original clutch. My previous V40, 370,000mls and my current V40 at 160,000mls still on the original.

'er indoors had a Mk4 Fiesta bought with delivery mileage and given away at 180,000mls, again still on the original clutch.

[cheshired5]

I've only ever needed one clutch about 30 years ago after getting bogged down in a field.
Once that was replaced and I understood when and how wear occurs, I've never needed to replace a clutch on any vehicle at any mileage which includes 3 vehicles from new with 750k miles on just those.
Unfortunately, unless you've had a car from new, you're at the mercy of previous owners driving style so you may still need one.

[Familyman 90]

I did over 300k in a Peugeot 405, original clutch. Daughters first car, 2nd hand Focus petrol, managed about 130k.

Then we had a pool car at Red Bull, a Nissan Qashqai. Ragged mercillessly by a different motorsport engineer daily, needed a new clutch inside of 9000 miles.

Faulty materials or workmanship aside, its almost entirely down to how the car has been driven and the type of driving to which it has been put. If Volvo clutches do last longer it will because Volvo owners are typically more conscientious drivers and/or less likely to commute though stop-start traffic every day.

They're dimensionally akin to clutches from similar sized cars, and come from OE manufacturers like Valeo and Sachs, so theres no technical reason for any extended longevity.

[Martin Cox]

Barring mishaps like failed oil seals or integral slave cylinders failing, clutch life is almost entirely in the hands of the driver. Some people have an instinctive feel for how the thing works and treat it accordingly. Others simply haven't a clue and wonder why clutches just don't seem to last.

When I was at work we had a Peugeout 807 (in my opinion as loathsome a vehicle as I ever had to drive) equipped as an outside broadcast radio car and was mostly driven by journalists. An already heavy vehicle was weighted down with a whole load of equipment and a telescopic mast. It was kept in a garage with a rather slow automatic roller shutter and was at the top of a slight incline. To cap it all the handbrake was to the drivers right rather than in the more usual central position: something drivers of 140 and earlier series Volvos will be familiar with.

In under 50,000 miles the thing had 3 burnt-out clutches and 2 replacement gearboxes and the 4th clutch was just about dead when we finally got rid of it. Eventually we found out why. We saw one of the regular drivers was stopping on the slope, holding it on the clutch and revving it to death whilst waiting for the garage door to open which took about 30 seconds. The same person had also reported a burning smell but of course it wasn't there when any of us checked the vehicle.

Martin

[rudi dudi]

348k on a V70 tdi here.

[DaveNP]

I've got 170k on my car with no evidence the clutch has been changed. I've also got a small oil leak from the bell housing which I presume is the seal on the crankshaft, it's not too bad so I decided to leave it alone and if I've still got the car when the clutch needs doing it can be fixed then, but from this thread that won't be any time soon.
I had a Renault Espace that had two clutch replacements before I had it (missed the first one when I was checking the service history) and then had another while I had it. The 'problem' was the clutch not working to disengage the drive which when I really dug into it was caused by the clutch pedal bending and therefore not going down far enough, which was caused by the clutch release bearing not sliding properly and jamming on the shaft so needing excessive pressure on the pedal. When I've had clutch replacements in the past I always went for a new release bearing at the same time as they cost a tiny fraction of the labour charge to drop the gearbox off to replace the bearing later. When I had the clutch done on the Espace the garage couldn't/didn't get a bearing and he assured me it was running fine so he didn't replace it

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by duke1

hi 200k id say average for a clutch,mines on 158k and going strong,hopefully!
though depends on driver as you say,peace

I wouldn’t describe 200k as adequate or anything like it.

A work colleague had 400k from his clutch but he was elderly and drove with double de clutch (I have never done that).

But 100k I would say is typical for the average person. Maybe 120k

[4x4]

I changed the clutch on my XC90 last year. The clutch was fine but the concentric slave cylinder was leaking so there's no point taking the gearbox out and not changing the rest of the parts