Clutch Defect or Shop's Fault?

[JT95]

I bought a new Exedy OEM clutch kit for my 03 WRX and had an independent shop install it since they were already doing other work on my car.  Shop owner calls and says there is a problem with the clutch, making a noise, and so he investigated and looks like a broken spring on the pressure plate.  Sounds fishy to me.  Brand new OEM kit in the box.  The car hadn't been driven any.  This is a shop that works on a lot of Subartu cars, WRX specifically, so I assumed they knew their stuff, but this sounds like an issue that's the resultof install and not manufacturer defect.  Any input from those of you who have experience with Subaru cluth installation?

 

Shop owner said since I broght the part to him that I have to pay for the labor cost to tear into the car again and replace the issue.  Needless to say I am pissed about the whole deal.

 

[mikaleda]

I would go into the shop and talk to them and work out an agreement that will work for both of you.

 

I would also get ahold of exedy and see what their warranty covers for defective parts and see if they can cover part of the cost of the rework if not all of it.

 

You may need to send the clutch back in to be inspected before they will cover any costs though.

 

Unfortunately your kind of stuck inbetween a rock and a hard spot since you purchased the parts and brought them in.

[JT95]

 

 

Unfortunately your kind of stuck inbetween a rock and a hard spot since you purchased the parts and brought them in.

 

Yeah, in hindsight that was stupid, being that this is not an easy part to get to. 

 

The tech at Exedy actually called me on the phone, which was impressive that they took the time to do that.  He said he was a Subaru technician before changing jobs to work for them.  He was able to talk to the mechanic on the phone and he told me that the guy was not following procedure of installation of the Subaru shop manual.  And the shop hung up on him when he told them that.  The Exedy tech said that it can be done this guy's method but that you run the risk of bending the release bearing, which is what he suspects the issue is. 

 

Unless the guy digs into the car and admits that something goofed on the install, then I'm going to just have to pay him to do it with his own parts and hopefully get reimbursed for the parts I bought.  He is offering to do labor for about half, so at this point I'm kind of stuck with him because it would cost several hundred more to go elsewhere.

[987687]

He probably put the release bearing on the clutch fork with the fork rod installed, then tried to seat the engine into it. That's the only way I can think of to bend anything. You're supposed to have the TOB attached to the pressure plate, bolt up the engine to the trans, then get the stupid clutch fork rod in place. It's sort of a pain in the rump roast, and likely why shops cut corners. 

 

This is exactly the reason most shops won't install user supplied parts, I doubt exedy will cover the cost of engine R&R even if it is a defective part. The shop doing labor for half price is kinda admitting fault. Besides doing it yourself, there really isn't a whole lot besides just pay up and have it done right.

[JT95]

I was able to hear the noise.  Sounds sort of like a power steering whine/noise.  Only way I know to describe it.  He said it didn't sound as loud after he took it for a drive around the block and drove it a little, whatever that's worth to add.

 

I'm just going to have to pay this guy to redo the job, which sucks because the engine was just out of the car.  What he's charging is cheaper than going somewhere else and trying to prove that he caused the damage in small claims court, if that'swhat the dealership would have decided the problem was.  He said if he tears into it and finds out he caused the issue that he would obviously not charge me anything to get it right again, but I think I have a better chance running over a unicorn on my way home than that happening.  At this point it feels like my car is a hostage in the shop.  And there's a dent in my hood that they didn't want to take responsibility for.  I told himI was going to check some pics I had of the car when I dropped it off. 

 

Really annoyed because this was a shop that several WRX and XT people in the area recommended and does a decent amount of engine builds.  I thought I was going to be in good hands.  We'll see how it plays out in the next couple days. 

[Fairtax4me]

When does it make noise? If it only makes noise as the clutch is beginning to slip as the car starts rolling when releasing the pedal, its probably the machined surface of the flywheel rubbing against the new clutch disc and will go away once the flywheel and new disc break in.

 

 

If the noise is constant when the pedal is released, that's likely to be the release bearing.

If the noise is constant with the pedal held down, that's likely the pilot bearing.