What have y'all been seeing in terms of mileage life out of the clutches in the 6-speed manual Type-S? I've got a car I'm considering buying right now & , at about 95k miles, a dealership shake down comes back saying the car is just about ready for a clutch. That seems awfully early to me for these clutches; other than than the bill of health is 100% clean and I'm wondering if the shop isn't just finding something it can bill me for whether its needed or not.

 

if you drive it hard. i wouldn't be surprise if it time for a new clutch

 

I don't have a type s so this probably won't answer the question but I'm on my original clutch with 246k. It all depends on how it has been driven.

 

Well Derrick, a clutch is a wear and tear item.

this means, if you abuse it, it will die an early death.

if you operate it correctly, it will last the life time of the car.


Since, it is a USED car, YOU have no clue on how the clutch was operated, and in preparing to buy a used car, you'll need to have some money saved to take care of things like the clutch.

this is the cost of buying a USED car.

 

your best bet would be to drive the car and or have a pre-purchase inspection done on it, by a independent mechanic.

since I know what to look for in clutches, I wouldnt be afraid to buy that car and swap the clutch in a heart beat.

 

I had a Type S 6mt that had to get the clutch replaced in the high 60k range, purchased in the low 60's. I was the second owner bought from a 40 some year old male.
I have actually heard of a decent amount of short clutch life stories on the Type S for whatever reason. I forget what Acura charged me to do the job, but I did not have to replace the pressure plate which I heard is extremely expensive. They did a good job and the car felt great after new clutch. Maybe some shorter clutch life's are due to the fact that it's a very difficult manual to finesse and not entirely to blame on actual abuse.

I hear about the 3rd gear grind or popping out of gear issue more than anything though. Two words...GM synchromesh (obviously not related to clutch issues).

 

Pressure plate in a MT car? you mean the dual mass flywheel? yes that flywheel alone is about $1100 (dealer price) clutch is another $400 (dealer) adn the labor + tax will bring you a grand total of $2400. Dual mass flywheel can be resurface but dealer do this to get more money for the job plus it consume less time during replacement.

OP asking clutch life is like asking how long is the brake pads will last. It will varry by difference people who has experience in driving MT, also another factor play a key role is that driving style and trip. Owner drive around city tend to wear the clutch quicker than car that driven most highway even the highway mileage is higher than other car. Also take note most MT car is beeing beatin up to hell and not many of them you can find in a stock configuration that why James TL-S is one of the rare MT car out there.

 

These are all things I understand. I'm not a complete noob & am will acquainted with the facts & nuances of purchasing USED versus new. I've done it many, many times. I'm just looking for some background information (that may help me in determining how the car has previously been driven) & thought I'd asked a reasonably straight-forward question ...what sort of clutch life have members of this forum who have 6MT's been seeing? If members of the board are consistent in having gotten 150 to 200k out of theirs, & this one is fried at 95k--that tells me something. I'm not seeking car buying advice, just trying to tap into the body of collective knowledge that a page like this one presents.

 

except you cant.


it all depends on the previous owner.


if most clutches last up to 200k miles, its because they were driven properly.

yours can fail today, or 100k miles from now.

 

i bought my car at 31k miles in 2010.

6 months later at 35k, I had to change out my clutch.


I have pictures of my pressure plate.
it's abused with heat scores all over the plate.

I couldnt have done that in 5k miles.....
well, i could have helped contribute to its death, butt, looking at the heat scores, they were done a long time ago.

 

Just like brake pads, Derrick.
Just like brake pads.....

if one owner gets 200k miles from their brake pads its because he's driving easy and barely touching the brakes.

another person can have a 30k mile pad interval because they're aggressive with their braking.


a clutch operates off of plates and friction.
EVERY TIME you shift, you're creating wear on the plate.

 

Derrick - following the basic premise of your question, many of the answers you have received are still accurate. There are entirely too many variables to get a definitive answer. Over and above all of this, the 6 MT Type S is a fairly low production car, so your data points are going to be pretty low.

If you like the car, get a PPI done by an independent shop with a second opinion on the clutch. Even then as it is 7-8 year old car, so you should have $$ set aside for unexpected things. Also keep in mind you have the first major service (TB and water pump, etc) in roughly 10K miles and that can run approx $800 - 1000.

 

Ok, speaking from experience.... Not sure if anyone here wants to hear it...

I purchased my 05 TL with a 6 speed with 112,000. I knew the clutch was dying, but i milked it for almost 40k before the ex got it in the divorce. She replaced it last month at 167k. The clutch plates were bare but the flywheel was good. I purchased my 07 TL-S 6 speed with 88k last year. The clutch was completely different from the 05 in feel and seemed in good shape. I'm now at 108k and its starting to feel a little tired. But, driving it the way that I do and from the feel of the 05, I fully expect to get another 50 to 60k out of it.

So, my short answer is this, if it feels good, engages low in the pedal travel, engine doesn't over rev as it engages, etc., etc., you're probably good for a while. I've driven manuals all my life, and these are the trickiest of any to master in my opinion. So, I think everyone will agree that there is just no way to absolutely know when its gonna be toast. Toast. TOAST!

 

The Clutch Delay Valve is such a PITA

 

Yeah sorry that's what I meant flywheel. Thanks for the correction. I think I paid around 800-900ish for the job from Acura for a new clutch.

 

Helpful. Thanks, everyone.
I'm flying to Atlanta (I live in Colorado Springs) tomorrow night, buying it Friday morning & beginning the 1400'ish mile trek back. Pics forthcoming.

 

^^

Congrats. ROadtrip purchases are the best. I purposefully look for cars 700-1000 miles away, so that I can fly out, buy it and drive it back. PRoblem being in Los Angeles, lots of the rare, weird, cars I want are right here in LA.

Have a safe trip!

 

Congrats, I too love doing out of state purchases. I dunno why but I do lol. Love flying out and seeing the car for th first time. Just the excitement and anticipation.

 

Bought my 04 in 2009 with 55K miles. Put a new clutch and flywheel in last year (11/2013) at 180K miles. I believe it was just under $400 for the parts and I did the install myself without a lift.

I noticed slipping when shifting hard not long after i bought it, so I took the check valve out of the slave cylinder and that helped.

 

How did you manage that? The subframe has to be dropped.

 

Just a floor jack, some jack stands and an engine support on the shock mount and core support to hang the motor.

 

Actually I take this back.
The check valve actually makes shifting smoother, but trade off is waiting an extra bit to release the clutch to prevent excessive wear on sporty driving. Also reduces shock to the drivetrain and greatly reduces clutch chatter/judder from uneven wear.

 

Yes...its like losing one's virginity for the first time. The fun is in the chase and buying the car..... which is the reason I sell all of them within months


The "high" from the chase is what most of us car ADD people are constantly chasing...one unicorn to the next...

 

You guys are over thinking this one IMO.

Remove the check delay valve - don't worry about drivetrain shock, plenty of us running extra hp and things don't break.

Replace the OEM clutch and dual mass flywheel with an aftermarket option and enjoy better shifting and more power to the ground, all much cheaper than OEM dealer cost.

Like others have stated, clutch is wear and tear item. Can last 200k miles or 30k miles, all depends on the driver, HOWEVER, due to how the check delay valve works, our OEM clutches tend to wear out faster compared to other cars, even when driven "ok".

 

If it was justn's or frostyy's car, then they were lucky it lasted 95K

I have 180K and still going strong

 

Nice!!

Now get to work on the DIY. I expect to see it posted soon

 

I had to replace mine at around 50k; bought it at 44k raced a couple cars; few times down the drag strip & I was in need of a clutch... bought it prestine with 44k in late 2013...

Did it myself though & saved a ton... paid like $500 total for both clutch & flywheel oem parts new on ebay...LUK Iis the major oem brand in all cars; it was what was stamped on the original I removed. ..took like 3 days to take it all apart & Like 2 1/2 days to put it back together...

Id suggest buying the oem parts yourself & taking them to a shop to install dealer if you wanna have the extra comfort for more $...either way the dealer isnt going to turn down the install bcz you provided the parts...& 99% of the time the clutch is not covered under any type of warranty anyway. ..

 

I had an 04 6 speed with 120K on it and clutch was smooth as butter. My Type S manual only has 49K, no issues. Like others have said, no way to tell how the previous owner drove it without a thorough PI.

 

I'm the original owner of an '04 manual TL. Over 108,500 miles with the stock clutch still installed and doing fine.

 

Op

did you buy the car?

 

no, he's still coming up with theoretical situations on if the clutch was abused or not.


the only way to tell is to have a few grand saved up; just in case it goes.

 

Some data for your consideration. 06MT here (not a Type S). My clutch went out at 104k. I had it (and the flywheel) replaced again at 122k when my transmission went out (the synchronizers and dogteeth were worn to the point that I could not use 2nd gear - had to have most of the gearsets replaced). I figured I'd have the clutch/flywheel replaced again since they were already out. Went OEM the 1st time. Got a Luk the 2nd time. I wish I got the Luk the 1st time. Would have saved hundreds. This is my daily driver. No racing.

Like others have said, the clutch and other transmission parts are wear items. They could last <2000 miles to >200,000 miles depending on how the car is driven.

 

ill throw my cents: 2nd owner of a 6MT TypeS, bought her in the low 50k mile range.. like another member said earlier, i took it to the drag quite often (MT TypeS is way more fun than the auto) and did tons of highway pulls.. at around 66k miles clutch started giving out and needed to be replaced.. payed around $230ish for another LUK oem clutch, the flywheel was fine, $300, two cases of beer and me lending a hand was all it cost me for one of the vehicle maintenance guys to help me out put it in at the auto shop on base.. took us 10hrs from start to finish, and it was his first fwd clutch replacement but he had tons of rwd experience.. fun stuff to do ima say that...

the dealers wanted between $1300-2100 for the job
now at 120k on the 2nd clutch and still holding strong, shifts smooth and picks right up if i really desire to push her..