Usualadvice on here is to have the garage that will do the work source any parts, if there are problems later the responsbility is theirs, if you source parts it could be claimed your parts were the cause.

A DMF is a two piece flywheel, the inner part can partially rotate relative to the outer part, rotation imited by springs/rubber, Google them or look on Wikipedia for a video clip of how they work.

If replacing either clutch or DMF it is probably best to do both at once as dismantling is a major part of the cost.

LUK has a good reputation for these items.

If you do intend to replace the Dmf at some stage,the cheapest part supplier is from main VW dealer.

Thanks for the input!. My thoughts regarding gbuying the parts myself was simply that as i don't know how long the existing DMF will last, it would, knowing my luck, go at a time when there wasn't a lot of spare funds. So if i already had the parts, that would be a significant reduction from the overall bill when it needed to be fitted, i would only need to pay for the labour.

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on how long the DMF might last as it is?, or is that one of those 'how long is a bit of string' questions?!.

The company I worked for specialised in vibration products such as crankshaft dampers (from the original BMC mini to ocean-going diesel ship engines).

When DMF's were first wanted for production cars the company was invited to quote for volume supply. After several months of design iterations and endurance testing they declined to quote, on the basis that they could not make a product which met their own standards of durability and reliability for an economic price.

It was thought unlikely that all DMF's would last the life of the car - some would but not all.