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53 Posts
Hey guys,
I have a problem with the clutch on my 4.3 2.0VVT-i Petrol. I've had it for about six weeks now and put 4000 km's on it.
After the first week, I returned the car to my dealer and told them I wasn't happy with the clutch. It felt way too light and there was no feeling in it at all. First a salesman looked at it and said it might be because it wasn't broken-in yet. So, I drove it for another few hundred km's and got fed up. A mechanic looked at it and agreed that it wasn't normal, so he added an extra spring. I guess that just adds lift (or whatever). All seemed fine after the mod.
I then went on holiday and ended up in a lot of traffic jams (so lots of clutch action). By then the car had 3000 km's on it and the clutch started to play up again. I went back to the dealer and they did some adjustments which didn't rectify the problem. I asked to drive their demo with the same engine/transmission. It felt way better than mine. They decided to contact the importer and let me know their decision.
Their decision was not to to anything since the part wasn't broken and the importer hadn't received any other complaints. That doesn't surprise me: there aren't many around (I've seen one other RAV4.3) and some seem to be fine (i.e. the demo I drove). The dealer said they'd be happy to replace the clutch if they were sure it fixed the problem. In the end they offered to replace the clutch because I persuaded them that doing nothing certainly wasn't going to fix it. I understand this is a costly matter for the dealer and the importer (manufacturer guarantee) may not reimburse them if the part turns out not to be faulty. Anyway, it will be replaced in about two weeks. That's fine by me b/c I can still drive it. I don't like them taking apart the car either but hey, it has to be fixed and it seems like a standard repair job.
I've bought 3 cars from this dealer and have never had any issues with them. I think they're doing the best they can with regards to this problem. It's a difficult problem to diagnose anyway.
So here's the problem:
1. The travel on the clutch is way too long for my taste (which could be a matter of taste)
2. There is hardly any resistance/pressure when depressing (pressing down) the pedal
3. The same problem occurs when you release the pedal (hence the spring)
4. Because of the lack of pressure, when the clutch engages (which takes a while), it's hard to get it right. You almost have to take your foot off for the last bit which doesn't help because then the clutch engages way too fast.
5. The whole thing doesn't seem smooth: the spring/hydraulic pressure seems to vary depending on what positiion the clutch is in (i.e. depressed, halfway, 3/4 released)
All this is making the car bunny-hop (well almost) when I drive away in 1st gear. To second gear is't smooth either. And engine braking can be a problem sometimes when downshifting.
Is anyone else suffering the same problem? Because my car was one of the first delivered to Europe, I did anticipate some problems, but this one I didn't expect. Hopefully it's just a faulty part and it should be fixed by replacing it.
Are there any objective ways of measuring the clutch? I'm sure when they take mine apart they'll find some hydraulic cylinder or whatever is faulty.
I have a problem with the clutch on my 4.3 2.0VVT-i Petrol. I've had it for about six weeks now and put 4000 km's on it.
After the first week, I returned the car to my dealer and told them I wasn't happy with the clutch. It felt way too light and there was no feeling in it at all. First a salesman looked at it and said it might be because it wasn't broken-in yet. So, I drove it for another few hundred km's and got fed up. A mechanic looked at it and agreed that it wasn't normal, so he added an extra spring. I guess that just adds lift (or whatever). All seemed fine after the mod.
I then went on holiday and ended up in a lot of traffic jams (so lots of clutch action). By then the car had 3000 km's on it and the clutch started to play up again. I went back to the dealer and they did some adjustments which didn't rectify the problem. I asked to drive their demo with the same engine/transmission. It felt way better than mine. They decided to contact the importer and let me know their decision.
Their decision was not to to anything since the part wasn't broken and the importer hadn't received any other complaints. That doesn't surprise me: there aren't many around (I've seen one other RAV4.3) and some seem to be fine (i.e. the demo I drove). The dealer said they'd be happy to replace the clutch if they were sure it fixed the problem. In the end they offered to replace the clutch because I persuaded them that doing nothing certainly wasn't going to fix it. I understand this is a costly matter for the dealer and the importer (manufacturer guarantee) may not reimburse them if the part turns out not to be faulty. Anyway, it will be replaced in about two weeks. That's fine by me b/c I can still drive it. I don't like them taking apart the car either but hey, it has to be fixed and it seems like a standard repair job.
I've bought 3 cars from this dealer and have never had any issues with them. I think they're doing the best they can with regards to this problem. It's a difficult problem to diagnose anyway.
So here's the problem:
1. The travel on the clutch is way too long for my taste (which could be a matter of taste)
2. There is hardly any resistance/pressure when depressing (pressing down) the pedal
3. The same problem occurs when you release the pedal (hence the spring)
4. Because of the lack of pressure, when the clutch engages (which takes a while), it's hard to get it right. You almost have to take your foot off for the last bit which doesn't help because then the clutch engages way too fast.
5. The whole thing doesn't seem smooth: the spring/hydraulic pressure seems to vary depending on what positiion the clutch is in (i.e. depressed, halfway, 3/4 released)
All this is making the car bunny-hop (well almost) when I drive away in 1st gear. To second gear is't smooth either. And engine braking can be a problem sometimes when downshifting.
Is anyone else suffering the same problem? Because my car was one of the first delivered to Europe, I did anticipate some problems, but this one I didn't expect. Hopefully it's just a faulty part and it should be fixed by replacing it.
Are there any objective ways of measuring the clutch? I'm sure when they take mine apart they'll find some hydraulic cylinder or whatever is faulty.