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2007 civic clutch

philjk

philjk

Messages
104
Hi to all. This is my first post so please bare with me.

I've just purchased a 2007 civic type r and have concerns with the clutch. Is it a normal feature of this car to have the bite point so low to the floor?
The clutch pedal feels pretty much on the floor before the clutch will engage. Any higher an I get the crunching gears.
The release point however feels higher up.
Honda have looked at it twice and say there's nothing wrong.
I have a feeling because the warranty won't cover a clutch replacement I'm being fobbed off. I think the pressure plate maybe worn but if Honda
insist there's nothing wrong what can I do? After the first 4 weeks is up I'll have to pay for it myself.

I also have seen that you can adjust the pedal but after asking Honda about it they say that's a big no no.


Any help or advice will be great. Cheers
 
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That does sound like the pressure plate.

Take it to an independent and get a written report. It might cost you a bit, but then you'll have something to take to Honda.

Before you do, have you spoken to the service manager about it rather than the person on the desk. Could try the salesman and say you'll ask the dealer principal about it as you're not happy.
 
Cheers for your reply Loxy.
I have spoke to the salesman on three occasions. His last comment was. " Service have said there's nothing wrong with the clutch, but if you want you can pay for a new one." I said if there's nothing wrong with it why are you suggesting I pay to have a new one put on.

I spoke to another honda dealership today and they said the bite point on a 2007 type r is low. However if I am struggling to get gears smoothly and are crunching from time to time the pressure plate is where they would look and get it sorted sooner rather than later to avoid damage gears.
I am speaking to the sales manager tomorrow as he wasn't at work today.

One question.
Does a mechanical part have to suffer a total brake down before Honda will acknowledge a fault?

I noticed today getting smooth gear changes becomes a challenge at greater speeds. In the ivtec? forget it. Crunch
 
Definitely a sign of the clutch being gone when you can't shift in VTEC. It shouldn't have to be a total failure, as the sale of goods act states fit for purpose and if the car doesn't change gear properly then it doesn't come up to this.
 
Spoke to Honda this morning. It is booked in for Monday.
The service chap said they will give me a courtesy car while they sort out the problem. He also said Honda will take care of all expenses as its on their system that I have flagged up this issue from day1.Now being day 6.
Lets hope that this time the engineers can locate the reason behind gear shift problem. Which leads me to the questions....

How did they previously miss the problem?
Will the result of Mondays check end in them saying nothing wrong with it.
Only time will tell but up to now quite happy with Honda's aftercare.
 
+1 to sounding like clutch problem. Although the point does tend to be low compared to a lot of cars, you should't be having problems getting into gear. Does it crunch or just feel notchy as notchyness can be a sign of old gearbox oil.
If you start the car whilst in first gear with the clutch pressed in, can you feel it jolt as this was occasionally happening with my wife's when the clutch wasn't releasing correctly (at 120000 miles mind you).
As loxy has said, it falls into the sale of goods act if it does end up being a clutch problem, regardless as to whether it is a total failure as it needs to be fit for purpose when purchased.
Under the sale of goods act, I believe your rights are reduced the longer you wait to raise the issue. As you raised it day 1, I think you are in a very strong position, as it shouldn't be sold with gear changing problems.
Hopefully they will sort it out without question but if not make sure you make them fully aware (in writing too) that you intend to pursue the matter if not.
If you then have to go down the sale of goods act, there is plenty advice on line. Unfortunately some businesses try the easy route and expect people just to give up.

Hope it gets sorted!
 
Cheers for reply Grumpyg.

It pretty much feels notchy most of the time. When trying to change gear quickly whilst accelerating moderately It then may crunch. Doesn't happen all the time though.
I've noticed when I first start it and drive " cold engine " it seems better at slow speeds.
But if i need to change quickly I get the problem. As stated above in the vtec third is tricky to get, takes a couple of attempts. So for the sake of the gearbox havn't done it since.
Its confusing that some days are worse than others. All I know is something is very wrong. I had a 2002 type r before this and that was perfect.
No such gear problems. silky smooth
 
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try renewing the clutch fluid,it is supposed to be renewed every 2 years along with brake fluid also because it deteriorates and absorbs moisture it is worth a shot and cheap to do.
 
I have no idea what is going on now. Yesterday I drove it to work. No such gear problems. All seemed ok. NO notchy changes or gear crunches. Thought to myself WTF?
On the way home much of the same. As strange as it sounds It seemed to have sorted itself out.
So I took it onto the A19 " 70mph road " and tried the vtec. HELL NO. It refused all gear changing on first attempt. Coming down the gears in the vtec notchy but manageable. Going up through the vtec gears big issues.
I don't suppose Honda will test drive in the vtec. So unless it goes back to notchy and crunching at slower speeds I know they're going to say there's nothing wrong. Again !
 
How can this issue I'm having be intermittent. Surely if it is a problem within the clutch assembly it would at least be consistent.
See what Honda say tomorrow.


Cheers to all who have given advice. Much appreciated.
 
philjk said:
How can this issue I'm having be intermittent. Surely if it is a problem within the clutch assembly it would at least be consistent.


Not necessarily so.
From experience, my wife's clutch was changed at 120000 miles approx (although it was not as bad as your experiencing) but it was definitely intermittent (on some journeys it felt perfect but most of the time not so). I assumed it was due to temperature etc at the time. (Although once it was changed, it became obvious that it had been worn). A strange thing that I did notice at the time was that if the car was driven within an hour or so of being parked up (i.e still quite warm), it would feel fine for a few miles before feeling notchy again. Could never explain why this would be the case.
Click to expand...
 
Just spoke to Honda. They've removed and checked gearbox. All is ok there. However after inspecting the clutch assembly the clutch release bearing is shot and other parts were suggested to be worn. Can't remember which parts the bloke said.
They've ordered a new assembly and will fit sometime this week.
Happy days at last.
 
i am wondering how many hours in labour is it to do this job? if the thrust bearing was as bad as they say then i would expect to hear a loud whining noise when in neutral and foot off the clutch pedal did you hear it at all or any other strang noises?
 
When I was dealing with Honda they messed me around so much it felt like they were just trying to take my money! So I went to TGM motorsport (Honda masters!) and they gave me a full written report for £40, I then took that report to Honda and suddenly they agree'd with me, they said they had made a mistake and would sort the problem so instead of buying a £600 caliper I had to pay £80 for some EBC pads and retainers!(also got all labour free!) Be persistent Honda will not want to pay out, they only want your money!
 
Yeah! They said it was the calliper that had failed, it was the inside pad had seized as the retaining springs rust when they not used in a while, have you got the same issue? Very very easy fix!
 
no i am a technician myself and from experience this problem is apparent it was sticking pads, based on what you said,it goes to show again dealership technicians can be lacking basic skills.unfortunately the customer looses out which is unfair,good thing you got that second opinion,quite embarrassing for the dealership,i worked at dealerships and i will tell you they are not as good and honest as people claim, at the end of the day when a car has a problem it is necessary to explore all probable causes of the fault and confirm the cause,its how it should be done.on this occasion i bet they did'nt even take the wheels off to find the fault.
 
Yeah really annoyed me, I knew as soon as they told me that it wasn't the calipers. Yeah I also had a problem with my roof, the sill had rust on it they said the whole roof needed replacing and would cost £800, took it to bespoke autos they laughed and said I needed to replace the sill and roof plate, cost me £80 in total! Yeah, when I brought the car I wanted full honda service history, now I would never use Honda! TGMotorsport were really good so helpful and about £100 cheaper than honda!
 
i guess you have an fn2? i have one myself,if you do have an fn2 then you got me curious with the rust issue,can you post a pic here of it so i know exactly where to look for it on mine please?
 
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