After being without MR CHOW for quite some time whilst I saved some money for this repair, I finally got him back from the shop today. He got a new Valeo clutch and a Sachs flywheel. Whilst they were in there, they found a leak in the slave cylinder, so that was replaced as well. I also replaced the guide tube, the seal behind the guide tube, and the master seal, just as a preventative measure. Finally, things were rounded out with an oil change, brake fluid flush, and some new spark plugs.

The new clutch is working well, but I've noticed that the clutch pedal is significantly less stiff (i.e., easier to push down), and the clutch also grabs at a much lower point now (before, the grab point was close to the top of pedal's travel; now it's much nearer the mid-point). This is taking some getting used to! I almost stalled a couple times on the way home, and I'm really having to make sure I have sufficient RPMs before releasing the clutch pedal or else it's really rough. I drove around some tonight just to get the feel of it, as I don't want to destroy the new one because my foot was so used to the old one. LOL.

Here are some pics of the old stuff. The clutch material was pretty much obliterated at 52,500 miles. I've only had it since 40K, so who knows what happened to it with the first owner in the Los Angeles area. At least now I know that if I need a new clutch in another 50K, it'll be entirely my fault. Hopefully, it'll be much longer than that, though!!















Total out the door for the clutch job, oil change, spark plugs, brake fluid flush, and a 30 mile tow to the shop was $2593.64

Mr Chow is driving great now. Next week, I'm replacing the thermostat housing for a hairline crack in the plastic. And tomorrow, he gets new shoes (Conti Extreme Contact DWS) - NON RUN FLATS!! At that point, hopefully things will be tip top for awhile, as my wallet is taking a beating! LOL.