Hey all, I haven't been active on the forums yet, but I am now finding myself checking on here everyday... anyway I have a question. My '03 CLS 6MT shudders pretty bad as I let the clutch out at about 70-80% of the way. It doesn't happen all the time either... should i take it to my mechanic? It's still under warranty, but everyone I talk to seems to think that as a wear part it won't be covered anyway. any ideas?

 

It is & won't be covered. And what do you mean shudders? Does it hold power? Does it slip? Cause if it doesn't do that it's likely not your problem. I'm thinking broken motor mounts, or suspension related.

Also the clutch is touchy. I get massive shuttering if I let the clutch out & don't give enough gas. So it could be normal since it doesn't happen all the time.

 

it slips. it happens when i let it out slowly and give it more gas. its like it cant grab. and then you shake pretty bad. i dont get why it doesn't happen all the time.

 

yeah it has enough gas and i have to reengage the clutch if its real bad because it wont fully disengage

 

I just started having a similar problem (@ 36.2K miles!), but only when switching from 2nd to 3rd gear -- do you have the issue in any particular gear?

 

Does it only happen to you when it's cold out? I have the problem intermittently whenever it's about 40 F or lower. I live in Minnesota and it's been really bad lately. The shudder usually occurs when shifting in lower gears and driving normal (it won't do it at high rpms). It is also affected by weight. Some days it won't do it, unless I have a passenger. I'm really tired of it - not fun to drive at all when it's acting up and it's really embarrassing when I have passengers.

 

my 6mt likes to shudder, but only if you dont give it enough gas... it rattles the hell out of the dash though, and i think over time has created a couple loose screws... i hear some squeaking and clicking all the time from that damn dash....

SOLUTION!: We all group buy the new lightweight clutch they are talking about here:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186291

 

yes jtrask, same exact thing i believe

 

in response to er, yeah it happens more with the lower gears, 1,2,3...

 

If you just got the car and it has always done it, it is probably normal. These clutches feel different than most other clutches and mine took some getting used to before my shifts were smooth.

 

Yeah -- except it hasn't been doing this for the first 36K miles. Also, I did notice it to be worse in cold weather -- jtrask might be on to something here.

 

i've had the car for about a year and i havent experienced this shudder or whatever until it got cold. i guess its just something we have to live with in the winter?? its definitely not because im not used to my car yet though...

 

Search "manual 3rd gear chatter" (sorry I don't know how to attach link). There was discussion about this same issue before. This is definitely a real problem - nothing to do with driving technique. I tried getting Buerkle Acura to fix the problem, but they told me they talked to Acura's engineers and found out the problem is in the design of the clutch plate. As I recall they said they made it really stiff to improve performance but unfortunately it creates the bad vibration during cold weather. Before Buerkle Acura found this out they replaced the clutch for another customer with the same problem under warranty. The car did the same thing with the new clutch. I was going to go after Acura on this considering this is a major design flaw that is totally unacceptable, but then someone on the forum recommended only pushing the clutch in half way to take care of the problem. I tried this and it worked (although it was tough learning the new shifting technique). But now this winter the car began vibrating again despite pushing the clutch in half way. I only have a little bit of warranty left so I'm thinking of going after Acura on this. If there is anyone else with this problem, please let me know - it may help justify that this is more than just a few isolated occurrences. I think what really hurts is the fact this problem only affects 2003 manuals that are driven in cold weather. There's not many of us complaining.

 

I don't like Buerkle, the first time I visited them to ask a few questions about my car, they treated me like crap.......needless to say I use another Dealer for my repairs.......

 

I have gotten a lil chatter in city driving when its like 10* outside. I justhave togive it a lil more rpms off the line ands it doesnt do it.

 

wouldnt this problem also decrease the life of our clutch??

 

Same problem here.

Never happens from standstill into 1st. Always 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd.

Only happens when weather is cold.

Car fully warmed up has no effect on problem.

I'm the one who posted tnat pressing the clutch pedal in only halfway will make it smoother .... but it doesn't work all the time.

Really sucks to have this great car do this.

Had manual integras and the like for years before I got this car so I have alot of feel for what is normal and what is "not right" ... this is really not right.

I know that many of you guys are putting in the "new" honda MT fluid ...I'm wondering if this might have some effect on this issue.

 

Oh Yeah.

 

Im running sychomesh. putting synthetic tranny fluids in helps with a shifting grind in the cold weather, but this does not the clutch issue that they are talking about. Only way I see a fix to this is changing out the clutch materials and the pressure plates to insure the clutch grabs better then the OEM ones.

 

I think all the Mn Acura dealers suck. pretty bad customer service in Burkle, WBL, or Bloomington. (trust me, I used to work at WBL during my highschool years lol)

 

Before this car I had a 95 Integra GSR, 98 Integra GSR, 02 RSX-S, and an 04 TSX all of which were manuals. Although I like the CL-S much more than all these, none of them had this clutch problem. This is actually the first real problem I had with an Acura. Today a co-worker needed a ride at lunch - would't you know the vibration problem showed up (extra weight). He commented on it. This is really embarrassing especially since my co-workers and I commonly have debates about who makes the most reliable cars. I'm one of the few Japanese brand supporters - most everyone else drives American. I think I'm going to start making some calls tomorrow to see what can be done. I've been a very loyal Acura customer so I'll try to play that card. I'll let you know what I find out.

 

that sucks jtrask. i think it would be great if acura responded positively to u. good luck.

 

The shuddering is due to an unevenly worn flywheel...same thing is wrong on my car. The good news is that its only bad when it's cold outside. (the temperature of the engine has nothing to do with it). Its really annoying, but you can leave it until it gets worse if you don't have the $900 for parts plus another $500-$900 in labor. I have been driving with mine like that for over a year and the clutch has gotten no worse. And like I said, in the warmer months its not an issue.

 

Why so much money? Isn't it under warranty since this is hardly "usual wear and tear"?

 

No...a clutch/flywheel is wear and tear. The parts cost $900 because you're replacing the whole clutch and flywheel assembly..the dealership quoted 900 in labor as well. Another shop quoted 500 I think. They charge you for an 8-10 hour job...

Clutches are only covered under warranty for like 500 miles I think, and even then I'm sure you'll have trouble getting it honored.

 

Right but it is sooo obvious that they changed either the design or the materials for this CL-S MT clutch and it obviously wasn't tested thoroughly enough before going ahead with it.

Seems like the same people who designed and made the brake rotors probably make the clutch materials

 

Yesterday I called Acura's customer relations and explained the problem. The lady that took my report wanted every little detail - it took at least a half an hour. I had a case manager leave a message for me today saying that she has reviewed the report and is in the process of contacting the dealership to discuss the issue with them. Both ladies seemed sincere about helping. Hopefully this will lead to something good, but I have my doubts.

 

Please keep us updated. If Acura decides to accept the responsibility, all of us (sufferers) can flood Acura dealerships for free clutch replacements

 

Of course since I posted about my experiences with this it hasn't happened in about a week now ...