What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Slipping S MAX clutch
Clutch appears to be slipping when carrying heavy loads (ie 7 people in car) and accelerating out of 3rd gear. The car, a Ford S-MAX, is only two years old, 22,000 miles.
Ford dealership giving speech about wear and tear but cannot believe I am facing a £1000+ bill for repair under such circumstances. We live in the country, no city driving, the car has done 40% of its mileage on motorway, no towing ever, and can truly say I am a considerate-on-the-clutch driver. In over 20 years of driving, this is the first clutch to fail and happens to be on the most expensive car purchased and youngest car ever possessed.
Wish I hadn't spent £19K on this car to be faced with such a huge bill so soon after purchase and no guarantee that I won't be in the same position in two years' time after this repair.
Surely Ford must accept responsibility for wear and tear on a part that clearly does not last against the overall cost of the product.
Ford dealership giving speech about wear and tear but cannot believe I am facing a £1000+ bill for repair under such circumstances. We live in the country, no city driving, the car has done 40% of its mileage on motorway, no towing ever, and can truly say I am a considerate-on-the-clutch driver. In over 20 years of driving, this is the first clutch to fail and happens to be on the most expensive car purchased and youngest car ever possessed.
Wish I hadn't spent £19K on this car to be faced with such a huge bill so soon after purchase and no guarantee that I won't be in the same position in two years' time after this repair.
Surely Ford must accept responsibility for wear and tear on a part that clearly does not last against the overall cost of the product.
Asked on 1 December 2011 by JHNSW
Answered by
Honest John
It's possible. DMF and clutch can fail. Depends how the car has been driven.
Tags:
technical issues
clutches
Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.
The Good Garage GuideSimilar questions
My car feels like the clutch is slipping under load. There's no smell at all and it has been the same for the last 8000 miles. How can I check?
How can I tell if the clutch in my car is failing?
Hi John & Team - I recently leased a Nissan Qashqai, but just 3 weeks into the term it started failing when trying to change gear (albeit on an intermittent basis).
After lots failed attempts at getting...
Related models
Strong blend of comfort and performance. Fun to drive. Standard equipment is high on all models.
.jpg)
