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.
Renault
Groupe Renault is a French multinational automobile manufacturer, established over 120 years ago in 1899.
How popular is Renault in the United Kingdom?
This French marque has around 1.4million vehicles on the road in the UK today. Their numbers peaked between 2007 and 2008 at over 2million vehicles, yet have been on a slow decline ever since.
Renault makes a wide-ranging selection of respectable vehicles.
As you’ll find with most manufacturers in today’s market, the cream of their crop lies with their SUV models. Other stand-outs are the RS models built for a much more fun driving experience and the electric models that are also sitting impressively in a steadily growing market.
Renault: a constant contender in all manner of motorsports
In the 1970s, Renault set up a dedicated motorsport division that went on to take the winners title in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1978, with the Renault Alpine A442. They have been competing and achieving successes in both rallying and Formula One ever since.
Renault debuted their first formula one car (and team) at Silverstone in 1977; it was the first of its kind to include a turbo engine. The team continued until 1986 and shortly after, in 1989, they began to supply engines to the successful Williams-Renault car.
The Benetton team was renamed Renault F1 in 2002, and the team went on to win the constructors championship in both 2005 and 2006 with Spaniard Fernando Alonso at the wheel.
More recently, Renault powered the winning Red Bull Racing team in 2010 and returned to racing as a team in their own right, from the 2016 season onwards.
Renault’s reliability and reputation
Renault ranked 19th place out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. The highest to lowest scores ranged from 97.7% (Suzuki) to 76.5% (Land Rover), suggesting Renault’s 91.7% rating is probably a little better than the ranking position suggests.
Recent Renault recalls and reliability issues
Various recalls have been made on Renault models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.
05/04/2019 – Renault Scenic, Renault Kadjar and Renault Megane (2018)
Capacitors may crack under mechanical stress of the electronic board and overheat
24/03/2019 – Renault Traffic (2017–2018)
The mounting position of the plastic belt guides may be incorrect
12/01/2019 – Renault Clio and Renault Captur (2018)
The catalytic converter has not been correctly welded
04/01/2019 – Renault Megane RS (2018)
Due to a defect in the engine compartment, the battery wiring could be cut
04/05/2018 – Renault Scenic (2016)
The LED module for monitoring and managing the actuation of the rear lights of the trailer could be damaged
13/04/2018 – Renault Clio and Renault Captur (2012–2017)
The dipped headlamp beams may face downwards as a result of the headlamp beam height correction system not working
13/04/2018 – Renault Clio, Renault Captur and Renault Zoe (2017)
Cracks may form in the front wheel hub
08/04/2018 – Renault Zoe (2016–2018)
A component in the parking brake mechanism may be defective
All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.
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