10 hours for a clutch replacement?
Discussion
Apologies if this isn't the right section, please move if needed.
The clutch slave cylinder has gone on my 2010 Mégane 1.5dci.
Limped it to the garage in the village and left it with them. They're quoting 10 hours labour (as suggested by their Autodata system) as the subframe needs to come out.
This seems unusual to me and online posts elsewhere seem to suggest 4-6 hours is the norm. However, I took it to a garage for a reason - I'm an unskilled buffoon, so am well aware that my Google-Fu is likely no match for an experienced mechanic. Hence I'm posting here in the hope that someone can confirm or deny their figures.
I'm kind of stuck regardless, but if I'm being ripped off I'll avoid the garage in future.
The clutch slave cylinder has gone on my 2010 Mégane 1.5dci.
Limped it to the garage in the village and left it with them. They're quoting 10 hours labour (as suggested by their Autodata system) as the subframe needs to come out.
This seems unusual to me and online posts elsewhere seem to suggest 4-6 hours is the norm. However, I took it to a garage for a reason - I'm an unskilled buffoon, so am well aware that my Google-Fu is likely no match for an experienced mechanic. Hence I'm posting here in the hope that someone can confirm or deny their figures.
I'm kind of stuck regardless, but if I'm being ripped off I'll avoid the garage in future.
Last time I did one at home, it took me two full days!
It's a big job on nearly any car. You're having to strip so much off the car just to get to the point where you can remove the gearbox & replace the parts. 10 hours seems a bit toppy for a pro equipped garage but not particularly unreasonable.
It's a big job on nearly any car. You're having to strip so much off the car just to get to the point where you can remove the gearbox & replace the parts. 10 hours seems a bit toppy for a pro equipped garage but not particularly unreasonable.
Certainly worth asking around. On some cars 'the book' says to drop the subframe whereas in reality it can be done without doing so if willing to do a bit of manhandling. This can speed the job up no end. If they went straight to Autodata to quote then it might suggest they aren't familiar with your car and so don't know first-hand what is actually required.
Edit: Just re-read (as in actually finished reading the whole post before replying!) that you limped to a garage so in fairness there's only so much you can do. Perhaps check on owners forums, YouTube etc, to see what is actually required and, if the subframe doesn't need to be dropped, see if you can respectfully encourage them to take a more pragmatic view of the job and to consider the 10hr book time a worst-case scenario. I wouldn't assume they are ripping you off - they might simply not have done one before and so have little choice but to rely on Autodata and its assessment/direction.
Edit: Just re-read (as in actually finished reading the whole post before replying!) that you limped to a garage so in fairness there's only so much you can do. Perhaps check on owners forums, YouTube etc, to see what is actually required and, if the subframe doesn't need to be dropped, see if you can respectfully encourage them to take a more pragmatic view of the job and to consider the 10hr book time a worst-case scenario. I wouldn't assume they are ripping you off - they might simply not have done one before and so have little choice but to rely on Autodata and its assessment/direction.
Edited by tux850 on Monday 22 January 10:12
Thanks for the replies. I suspect that the suggestion that they're not familiar with this car and are just quoting from the book is bang on. Their head tech is currently off work in hospital so that's possibly why they're being a bit more useless than one would expect.
Car is currently undriveable so I'm at their mercy.
Car is currently undriveable so I'm at their mercy.
kambites said:
10 hours does sound excessive for a bog-standard transverse engined FWD vehicle unless Renault have produced a really stupid design (which is certainly not out of the question!). Try asking a Renault main dealer for a quote? They should at least know how long it will take!
Also do a Google search for a Renault-specific forum where there are bound to be discussions around Megane clutch replacement parts/labour costs. I have just done one out of curiosity and saw a quote of around £450 all in. Don't know when from or what model but sounds in what I would consider to be the right ball park and can't be 10 hours labour in that.If their hourly rate is lower than a main dealer (almost certain), and it's more convenient to take it there then I'd overlook them quoting a few hours more than what Renault may say. As to what people may say online you need to take the IBF - Internet Bulls**t Factor - into account. I've seen so many posts on PH along the lines of 'So what if your engine's suffered catastrophic failure? Go to a scrappy on Saturday, get a new one, fit it with a mate on Sunday, job jobbed', to know there is an awful lot of bravado and outright b
ks talked on the subject of spannering.
ks talked on the subject of spannering.RoadToad84 said:
Thanks for the replies. I suspect that the suggestion that they're not familiar with this car and are just quoting from the book is bang on. Their head tech is currently off work in hospital so that's possibly why they're being a bit more useless than one would expect.
Car is currently undriveable so I'm at their mercy.
If it's going to take them twice as long as a specialist, it might be cheaper to get it transported to a specialist to be repaired. Car is currently undriveable so I'm at their mercy.
As the subframe is being unbolted the book time will include tracking check / adjust. Also the book procedure might include complete removal of the subframe. In my experience, mechanics in the real world often have a nifty trick up their sleeve which enables them to do the job while only loosening the subframe or dropping it on one side which saves some time. Sometimes saves doing the geometry. Definitely worth querying with them as 10 hours is a lot.
Hustle_ said:
As the subframe is being unbolted the book time will include tracking check / adjust. Also the book procedure might include complete removal of the subframe. In my experience, mechanics in the real world often have a nifty trick up their sleeve which enables them to do the job while only loosening the subframe or dropping it on one side which saves some time. Sometimes saves doing the geometry. Definitely worth querying with them as 10 hours is a lot.
I'm sure you're correct there. I spoke to the garage. They're adamant that book time is 10 hours and they the job will probably take longer so they're doing me a favour in only charging 10. I COULD go through the process of finding a recovery company and trying to make arrangements to get it booked in elsewhere. But I feel any labour savings will be mostly outweighed by the recovery costs, and certainly outweighed in the terms of hassle and inconvenience.
I took the car there as it's walking distance from my house, and I only just got the car there before I lost all clutch operation.
I think this time I just need to suck it up, but I'll be avoiding them in future, sadly. They're well-regarded in the village, but I'm not overly impressed.
anyvan.com, get an online recovery quote. Might not be the hassle or expense you were expecting. TBF to your local mechanic, they might be fine for a service, or routine maintenance. It often pays to get quotes for these more complex jobs anyway. I’d definitely ring round, get quotes for the work to the car, stick the recovery details into anyvan.com and make a decision based on real prices rather than assumptions.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 23 January 06:31
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