Prices quoted for clutches nowadays do seem to be very expensive when compared to cars of yesteryear . The cause is the amount of labour involved . I am not aware of any clutches on modern cars that can be changed in twenty minutes like the old corsas and fiestas . Most clutches on modern cars involve major strip-down of lots of body and suspension components . It is not unusual to have to remove the complete front subframe .
The clutch kit itself need not be quite as expensive as the main dealer quote . There are several very good aftermarket clutch manufacturers around . Ad on extras such as concentric slave cylinders I it would be sily not to change it while the gearbox is sat on the workshop flor ) , and dual mass flywheels and the costs can be phenominal .
It is not unusual for the flywheel alone to cost circa a grand . It is always worth doing a bit of research on your car to see if you can find a solid flywheel conversion kit . I have fitted quite a few with no noticable diference in how they operate from the DMFs . The only real diference is usualy on the invoice where the bigest saving I have made for a customer so far was £800 .
Mr Field . Regarding gearbox bearings . I would suggest you give Stephen Brear a call for advice . He is in the same yard as Chipendales on the Farnley ring road . I have been using him for 30 years . Very good service , and cheap too . He actually does a lot of work for a few local dealerships , so there is a good chance that it wil be him that repairs it anyway .
Usual area code followed by 2632073 and ask for David or Steve .
