What does a clutch do? And what is a clutch kit?
The clutch is a solid metal disc that couples the crankshaft and flywheel to the gearbox’s clutch shaft. The clutch is located between the engine and transmission to temporarily disconnect the engine drive from the gearbox.
A clutch kit usually contains all the elements to replace and rejuvenate your clutch and its performance: usually a clutch disc, pressure plate, flywheel and a throw race or release bearings. A clutch kit will contain the correct parts for a particular make and model of car and is often cheaper than buying the components individually.
How often should a clutch need replacing?
There isn’t a typical time or set mileage suggested to replace a clutch kit, as it can depend on both the car and your driving style. Most clutches are designed to last approximately 60k miles, yet they can have a healthy life covering mileages anywhere between 30k and 100k.
The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT
A damaged or broken clutch will affect your car’s driving ability to the point where it could fail its MOT. Testing doesn’t include an examination of the engine, clutch or gearbox, so if it appears to be working adequately, then it shouldn’t affect the test result.
What causes a clutch to stop working correctly?
A clutch will wear out over time through continual use. The disc thickness reduces, which affects the amount of force the pressure plate can apply to the clutch disc against the flywheel. Incorrect use over extended periods will impact the lifespan and cause unnecessary problems. Slippage can also be caused by reduced tension in the pressure plate’s springs.
Symptoms of a malfunctioning clutch
The clutch slips while driving
If you feel a loss or inappropriate delivery of power when using the accelerator, it could be due to a damaged or worn clutch.
Changing gears is a problem
If you can’t change gears or it feels like there is unusual grinding and friction when trying, your clutch isn’t separating the engine drive from the gearbox sufficiently.
The car doesn’t move
If there is no delivery of power to the engine from the accelerator, then your clutch could be the problem.
Your gearbox makes unusual and unhealthy noises
If the transmission makes unhealthy grinding noises when you try to use the clutch to engage or disengage the engine, there’s a strong chance that your clutch isn’t operating as it should.
Porsche
Porsche AG is a German automobile manufacturer, established over 88 years ago in 1931, and is renowned for producing high-performance sports cars, SUVs and saloon cars.
Porsche is owned by Volkswagen AG and carries a total equity of over €10billion (according to 2015 figures).
How popular is Porsche in the United Kingdom?
Who wouldn’t want a Porsche? Porsche has been setting standards in high-performance sports vehicles for as long as they’ve been in the industry.
There are currently around 146k Porsche vehicles on the roads in the UK, showing a steady rise in numbers over the past 10 years.
With a back catalogue of historic models too numerous to mention, the current range provides typical 2-seat mid-engine sports cars in the Porsche 718 and Porsche 911 models, luxury touring in the Panamera 4-seat full-size saloon and a luxurious level of crossover driving in the Cayenne and Macan SUVs.
Sporting a selection of SUV models
Given the popularity of the SUV in modern driving, it was only a matter of time until the high-end marques got involved in revving up the performance and presentation.
For example, the Cayenne Turbo can accelerate from 0–62mph in 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 177mph. The hybrid electric model is equally as impressive with figures of 5.0 seconds and 157mph. That should take care of the school run in record time.
Porsche electric: the plug-in hybrid range
In 2010, the both Porsche SUV models and the Porsche 918 were released as hybrid electric versions. Currently, only the Cayenne is available as an electric hybrid, but Porsche is building towards the release of their E-performance range: with the new Taycan all-electric sports car being developed through the Mission E Cross Turismo concept study.
Porsche’s reliability and reputation
Porsche ranked 23rd out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. High-end sports cars aren’t renowned for their reliability, so for Porsche to achieve a 90.9% efficiency rate could be seen as quite an accomplishment.
Recent Porsche recalls and reliability issues
Various recalls have been made on Porsche models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.
10/05/2019 – Porsche Cayenne (2018)
The shock-absorber forks fitted on the front axle may be defective and could break
22/02/2019 – Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Macan (2017–2018)
The retaining straps on the vehicle’s ski bag may be defective
03/02/2019 – Porsche Cayenne, Porsche Macan, Porsche 911 Carrera and Porsche Panamera (2014–2015)
It is possible that the vehicles do not meet the series standards applicable at the time of delivery
28/09/2018 – Porsche 918 Spyder (2013–2015)
The bolts used to mount the longitudinal and transverse suspension arms may corrode over time
28/09/2018 – Porsche Cayenne (2016–2018)
The seatbelt buckles on the central rear seat are defective
28/09/2018 – Porsche Panamera (2015–2018)
Restricted durability of the coupling rods may affect the functioning of the rear anti-roll stabiliser
25/04/2017 – Porsche 911 and Porsche Boxster (2017)
The windscreen might not be correctly bonded to the bodywork
21/04/2017 – Porsche (11 (2016–2017)
There is a possibility that the passenger airbags were manufactured with faulty components
All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.
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