Saturn - clutch situation

Thanks for the info Lane.

 

Yeah, I realize that, but if this information was found out after the
repair had been done and might've been done incorrectly, it'd be nice to
know if the 40K estimate was anywhere in the neighborhood. I'm guessing
that the Saturn tech read the TSB, then based the 40K estimate on his own
experience with clutch/flywheel life.

brian

 

If a shop did the work, you might get some relief by getting a print out of
that TSB and taking it back to them.

I would suggest getting *DETAILED* information from them, in writing,
regarding what they did to the flywheel, and what part number they used for
the clutch.

Then, and ONLY then should you mention the TSB to them...

Good Luck!

Of course, if you did the work yourself, you're screwed. :-(

 

If a shop did the work, you might get some relief by getting a print out of

If a shop did the work, I would almost guarantee they used an old style clutch
setup so no machining of the flywheel is necessary. If you did it yourself, I
would almost guarantee the clutch setup you bought aftermarket for it was an
old style that also didn't need machining.......

 

The shop got a new Saturn clutch, used the old flywheel, sent it out for
machining. When they were putting it all back together, I found out about
this issue. I called them, asked if they knew about the TSB, they waffled
quite a bit, said they had no problems with the other Saturn clutches they
replaced (and the guy that did it had a Saturn himself, so he supposedly
knew all about what was required). I asked them if they put the chamfer
in the flywheel, they couldn't get ahold of the machine shop to ask. I
took the TSB copy in to them when I picked it up and the tech that worked
on my car had gone home, but they said that everything should be OK. I
came away with the feeling they fucked it up, but since there was a
guarantee on it for 12K miles/12 months, that satisfied me for a while -
so far it's been OK and it hasn't hit the 12K/12 month mark. If it lasts
40K miles, I'll have 100K on the car by then and will have most likely
gotten a new one by then also and won't have to worry about it. If it
goes before then, I go to the shop and try to get it fixed and if
necessary, go over their heads to their corporate headquarters and take
all the evidence in that they didn't do it correctly and try to get it
done right.

brian

 

The shop got a new Saturn clutch, used the old flywheel, sent it out for

Sounds like a good plan of attack. If the same events happened to me, I would
also come away with a sour feeling that they may have messed it up.......

 

Yeah, when the tech at the shop starts reading the TSB and looking at it
for a long time, rather than glancing at it and saying "Yeah, we know
about this, it's the whole 2nd generation clutch issue that happened when
Saturn redesigned it, etc.", I'm not getting warm fuzzies....

brian

 

Sorry 'bout opening that whole can of worms...

 

Naw, it's OK, you didn't open anything. I just thought I'd see if anybody
had any actual, real-life experience with a mismatched clutch/flywheel and
could say "I saw one of those and the clutch lasted xxx miles before it
died due to not having a chamfer". But nobody seems to know any actual
numbers, so I figure I'll just wait 'til it dies again and if it doesn't
'til after I get rid of it, that's even better.

brian

 

Naw, it's OK, you didn't open anything. I just thought I'd see if anybody

Yeah I haven't heard any numbers myself, I'm only aware of the issue. If it
does wear out on you, let us know how many miles for future reference........

But, here's hoping that you don't have to worry about it.

 

Will do. That way there'll be something for future Googlers.

Yep, me too. Thanks.

brian