Audi A3 Saloon - Friction in Clutch pedal

[LawsAngel]

Hello

I'm not very car savey, so i was hoping someone could give me a rough idea of what could be wrong with my car before i take it to the garage.

I purchased second hand 2015 Audi A3 Saloon SLine 1.6 Deisel a couple of months back, but have now noticed that when i press down on the clutch it feels like there is friction going through it.

Best way i can describe it is if there was sand or gritt stuck in the clutch.

The higher the rev when changing gear the worse the friction is, if im changing when revs are low it's not so bad.

Any advise would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Magnet]

Hello Billy,

Sorry to hear you are in difficulties with the car.

Can we take it the clutch doesn’t slip? i.e. the revs. do not increase before the car gains speed. 

Difficult to diagnose at a distance, but could be anything within the clutch, from the flywheel (probably a dual mass unit), to the clutch plate friction material starting to break up, to an issue with the clutch release bearing. 

What mileage has this covered Billy, and do you have service history for this 4 year old car? 

Sorry to bring potentially bad news, but if this is indeed clutch associated, then it’s a gearbox out job to investigate. If it turns out the clutch (and possibly/probably) the flywheel did need to be replaced, then you will find Audi parts will be expensive, and you might be wise to consider good quality aftermarket parts. Please come back to us if so, for advice on what brand of parts to use. 

Is ‘the garage’ going to be an Audi dealer, an independent, or a trusted local garage? 

Incidentally, did you buy the car from a dealer? 

Hope some of this helps.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[LawsAngel]

Hi thanks for the reply.

no the clutch doesn’t slip, drives just fine, just the gritty sensation when changing gear.

The car is an ex lease car which has a full service history from Audi (full service every 6 months)

the milage is a bit high 120,000.

the car was purchased from a small dealer (not Audi) 

i was going to take it to Audi for inspection, think I seen on their website they would do that for £60?, possibly even go somewhere for a second opinion?

I’m hoping that it’s something minor, I did get a good deal on the car, I assumed because it wasn’t well looked after (kerbed alloys, cracked speaker, marks on interior, scratches on number, chip on windscreen, all little things I would fix over time)

knowing my luck though it will be something stupidly expensive.

its my first Audi and apart from the clutch issue I’m loving it so far.

 

[Magnet]

Hello Billy,

Thanks for the additional information. 

Apologies for being pessimistic, but with the symptoms you have and the mileage covered, it would not surprise me if it proves to be a gearbox out job, but let’s hope the Audi dealer comes up with something fairly simple. 

If this were mine, I would be informing the selling dealer of your issue, since there should be some redress there after such a short ownership. 

Full service history is great, but overall condition and signs of being looked after is far more important. Sounds like it might have had one careless owner and 100 drivers. Half a day out for servicing with a dealer gives it a rest, but then it’s back to its normal routine. 

I’ve got my fingers crossed for you, and let’s hope you won’t need to be discussing contributions from the selling dealer. 

Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Billy.

kind regards,

Gareth. 

[felipe_j]

Hi Billy, 

 

I know you posted this a long time ago but it's worth a shot. I bought a 2018 Audi A3 and am having the exact problems that you described. My car is also an ex-lease car with 110,000 miles. What was the problem with your car, and how did you fix it?