Peaty, thanks, I am going to see what they say today when I get it towed up there.

 

No new clutch for me! My dealer drove it today and couldn't get it shudder. Now that its warmer my car doesn't do it, so they said no deal untill they can witnesses it. GRRRRRRRR. They did say that it was documented and as soon as it acts up let em know and they will check it out again. Thats fair I guess.

Jon

 

best bet is to say it is doing it again and to have them check it again, but suggest to leave it over night so it will be cold in the morning and that is when the problem happens. note to yourself that after 4 trys to fix a problem then subaru must be notified to this issue if the dealer is doing their job correctly.remember dont be an a_s to them or they will make it really hard on you for repairs in the future...or if you live close to another dealer try them,but don't tell that dealer that you already had the other dealer look at it--kinda sneakey way around the system.also remember that the clutch bulliten is up to my02 subi's and the end production of 02 some 03 based on vin # --hope this works for you ,but if not email me again and i will give you some more ideas to try to fix your problem---good luck--bigdog

 

Thanks bigdog, but I did leave it overnight...no go. I have been crabbing all winter about it (inside), but never brought it to their attention untill now. My dealer was great about the whole thing, but I dont want to play games, so i might call the next closest dealer (45 mins) to see what they say. I am also the second owner of my car and I might call the first owner to see if he complained about it also. If he did, I will definitely call SOA!

The service manager of my dealer said that SOA only considers clutch shudder excessive if the car does it for 10+ feet. I hope they dont start bringing out the tape measure! He actually asked me if I thougt the car did it for that long. How the he11 do I know? I just know that when my teeth practically fall out and my girlfriend says "what is wrong with your car?" its time to fix it!

Jon

 

This might be a stupid question but what is clutch shudder. Is it when you shift the car feels like it kind of skips a gear? Cuz my car kind of does that on second and third but only sometimes.

 

Okay, I’ve been silent long enough. It seems we all have a story, so here is mine:
(“poppin fresh”- you might be interested in this, it’s about your dealer)

First, my intention is NOT to bad-mouth a dealer. I just want to help “poppin” with his quest for a car that works correctly, and I need to vent to some people who I think would understand.

0 miles: Bought my 02 WRX September 2001.
30k miles: Had the clutch shutter documented on April 5, 2002 (Brought the car in and asked them to check out the shutter and I made sure it was listed on the receipt).
58k miles: After finding this thread and the TSB I tried to get the dealer to fix the clutch and that’s when I got the run around. First they had me bring it in to check it out, they said they couldn’t find anything wrong. So I figured I could have yelled and screamed at this point but I opted to play the game, give them a chance to do the right thing.
The game: …after they told me they couldn’t reproduce the problem and after a short pleasant conversation with the service manager reminding them that I’ve had the car for a year and a half, I’ve lived with the shutter from the beginning, I knew about the TSB, they knew about the TSB, it appeared that most WRXs had this problem, AND I had the car in one year earlier complaining about the same problem. He simple said he couldn’t help me because they couldn’t find the problem. So I called Subaru USA, they took down my info/complaint and all they said they could do was to verify the info with my dealer. She did apologize even after I kept telling her I didn’t want an apology, anyway it became apparent that I needed to continue to take it up with the dealer. So I called the service manager again and he said he was willing to have the district manager drive it when he visits at the end of the month. I said I would have the car there. I dropped the car off 2 days before it was to be driven, I figured it had a better chance of shuttering. Got the call… they couldn’t reproduce the problem and they won’t fix it. There was an incident when I picked up the car, I got into a bit of a spat with the sales guy who had my key. I know I was upset but I wasn’t being rude, I just wanted my key back so I could be done with this. I realized he had nothing to do with it, but the guy wasn’t too pleased when I refused to sign the dealer copy of the service receipt. He asked what my freakin’ problem was, when I went to tell him, he said he didn’t want to know. Anyway, it turns out I’m BLACKLISTED from that dealer apparently because of that sales guy. I realize this is my side of the story, if interested I’d be happy to supply full details.

I wasn’t sure I was going to let them fix it even if they said they would because I just don’t trust them. Why? Well, on two occasions when I got my car back from them after service I found loose bolts, nothing too major, but my confidence in them was shaken. I wondered if I let them crack it open to fix the clutch it might get worse, I figured I can live with the shutter, I love my sube.
I probably should fight but I’ve decided not to. I feel they had the opportunity to do the right thing. Maybe if I yelled and screamed but I’m tired of that, I used to deal with Mazda dealers (they are the worst, no contest). Just doesn’t seem worth it to me. I wouldn’t let them touch my car again so where does that leave me?
Poppen’ – I think you’re getting the same runaround, I wonder if you laughed when they said it had to shutter for more than 10 feet. It’s kind of funny, but it’s not, you know what I mean? I wonder if this dealer has performed any clutch upgrades? I figure there are good dealers and there are bad dealers. Does anyone have a better explanation?

 

I just visited with my dealer today. I found out about the TSB through this site and brought it to his attention regarding the shudder incidient. They said, no problem and will fix it under warranty.

This got me to think about using STi parts. Since SOA is short on parts for the recall, why not use the STi pieces instead (flywheel, disc, Throw-out bearing)? Of course, I would pick up the difference in price. Does anyone forsee a problem with doing this? Isn't the STi flywheel a bit lighter and the clutch disc have greater holding capacity?

Just a thought.

 

the clutch is diff. than the regular clutch,the dealer will not do that due to the fact that if the factory asks for the files,and sees different parts billed then the dealer will be responsible for the entire claim...not a good idea

 

The dealer has extended hours from 5-7pm. Usually only two sales people are there, service is closed. These hours appear to serve two purposes: sell cars to people after work and also allow customers to pick up their repaired (or not repaired in my case) cars.

That night there was only one salesman. He is apparently responsible for checking service customers out between 5 and 7. It was my experience that someone from service would call before the service department closed to explain what they had done to your car.

Please note that I left most details out of that part of the story. I see it as I was already pushed to the edge with this dealer, I didn't need to be treated poorly by a sales guy. I just wanted my key and my car at that point. Trying to look at it fairly i would say both the sales guy and I could have handled the situation better. It was such a minor thing, no fists were thrown, neither of us was even shouting. I realized he had no idea about my situation, but what he didn't realize is he might be in for more than he bargained for when he checks out service customers.

I believe the reason the sales guy was so upset and complained to the service manager was because he had perspective customers at his desk at the time, I really don't know who they were. They could have been his friends for all i know.

Anyway what is "really true" and "how it looked" are two different things. I'm sure they simple saw me as a disgruntled customer who became irate. Sure i was disgruntled but I just wanted out of there, I didn't want any more hassle and I didn’t want to cause problems for the sales guy and his perspective customers.

From experience we all know too well, sales and service are two very different things.

I think my particular clutch situation is simple. The dealer had the opportunity to do the right thing (repair a design flaw in a machine I paid thousands of dollars for), for a loyal customer who wasn't being unreasonable or demanding. They choose not to do so for whatever reason. At one point the service manager asked me to "not take it out" on them, and seemed to blame it on the district manager (whoever he is, does he exist?). But what are my options, why would I choose to buy another car from them in the future? Why would I recommend them to my friends and family as I had done in the past? I've worked more than one service job myself and it's apparent which businesses understand the importance of customer satisfaction and which do not.

Anyway, to all of you with stand up dealers, i hope you know how lucky you are. Those dealers deserve your business.

 

WOW!!! the new clutch is night and day. there is almost no pedal play. when you push in the clutch at all, it disingages. its amazing. i am going easy on it for now. but i think itwill help with performance a lot too. i can't wait. by the way it cost me nothing, didn't even have to sign anything. i also got a new flywheel with it even though i am under 30k. my flywheel must have been f'ed up. i also want to thank Matthews Chrysler/Subaru in Vestal(next to Binghamton), NY for doing a great job and not giving me any crap, like EVERY DEALER IN SYRACUSE DID!!! ok well thats my piece. if any of you have the old clutch i would recommend getting the new one in whether you have shudder problems or not. the clutch just seems all around better.