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Author Topic: Sudden change in clutch pedal feel?  (Read 3273 times)

Offline Dooge

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Sudden change in clutch pedal feel?
« on: February 26, 2020, 10:45:52 pm »
Hey all,

so far, MK6 GTi ownership has been fairly simple...

..til this morning. I was running late, started the car and aggressively pulled away. Drove normally after this, had several quick stops on the way for 5-10 mins at a time where the car was off. jumped in it for my last journey and the clutch felt weird. Almost a third of the pedal travel was loose with no pressure. The bite point was low and vague and the clutch pedal is soft. The car moves but the clutch pedal is getting softer. I checked the brake fluid reservoir and its full. No leaks under the car. The clutch feels normal when the engine is off.

I figured I would test it tomorrow and then try and book it in but dont want to chase problems as thats just expensive. I am thinking slave or master cylinder? Any other common issue?

The car has done 96k, clutch pedal always felt very solid and never slipped. No sound from DMF and the car always drove well.

Any help greatly appreciated!

Offline pudding

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Re: Sudden change in clutch pedal feel?
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2020, 11:55:33 pm »
Try bleeding the slave cylinder with an easi-bleed from Halfords.  Every time I bleed my clutch the fluid comes out black and nasty, which won't help with the pedal feel.

At 96K, your clutch is coming towards the end of it's life, if not already past it.  I bet your slave has never been bled in that time either. 

In summary, a slave bleed is a quick fix for a dodgy pedal feel but if it feels bad again soon after, put some money aside for a new clutch and/or clutch master cylinder.  In the meantime, have a look at the top of your clutch pedal around the pivot point for any signs of leaks.  If it and the slave are both dry, it's a worn out clutch if a fluid bleed doesn't fix the pedal behaviour.

VAG clutches start to get heavy (compared to new) and vague when worn out.


2007 ED30 | 2009 TDI 140 | 2016 BMW 330D