Just got my car back from its "Service B".. 22,500 miles and already have new tires with 5,000 miles on it (Falken 512). They rotated.. still seem to be in great condition...new $2000 clutch at 18,500 miles.. still a mystery... and now my brembo brake pads are shot they say. They replaced them out of good will and assumed I go heavy on braking and do intense braking all the time.. which I don't.. I told them it had to be related to the new clutch that fried when I was going uphill in 6 hour traffic through the Sierra mountains (I-80) and down the mountain braking continuously all the way through.. the brakes must've been toturned at a rapid pace..

but they are in disbelief with the problems I keep having with my car... I'm feeling a bit isolated from all the TL owners out there with the expressions on their faces...I told I'm sure I"m the only TL owner that has put it to this kind of test through the Sierras.. I drive in these horrid conditions all the time..They believe me on that.. but still everyone agrees the car should be able to handle that... nothing they can do but say oh well..

thank god they were nice enough to give me good will on the brake pads..

can someone tell me the value in getting new brembo brake pads I just got done for free? is it no big deal of value?
I still haven't used my warranty at all!.. WARRANTY SEEMS USELESS... I'm always having to pay for everything unless it's out of "good will"... this is ridiculous... the only thing that goes out on me are WEAR AND TEAR parts... 100% of the car is wear and tear if you think about it!! give me a break.. $39.9K for the car over-priced I pay.. and I've already put in $2900 into the car in service and repairs the past year since April 04... UNBELIEVABLE..

 

wow, could it be a lemon? I believe the Brembo pads are spendy like 200 dollars I think.......

 

What do you mean by lemon exactly? I know lemon has to do with certain rights you have with how new the car is or something? But it's surpassed that by now I think right? Do I have to use the "Lemon Act" on them when they refuse warranty?... cause I've had 35% of my clutch bill paid for and these brake pads out of "good will".. nobody is mentioning anything about a "lemon act" in why they do this for me..

 

Not a lemon unless it has had the same problem 3+ times (varies by state) or out of service 30 days (varies by state) and the problems reduce the value of the car or are safety concerns. Wear and tear items are not covered - although in an arbitration you could get some sort of break here... if you get a decent arbitrator (unlikely) that feels sorry for you and agrees that you should not be spending so much on parts.

 

What was your clutch problem? I have bad dreams that my clutch isn't far from causing me a lot of money.

 

Don't buy the Brembos...go with Hawks. I did and they've performed very well.

 

I like lemonade.

 

What happened with the clutch? Was it slipping as in the friction material was worn off or was it a sudden failure like a diaphragm spring failure. If you're wearing off the friction material in 18,000 miles AND you've worn down the brakes to nothing (I know you don't want to hear it) but it sounds as though you may not be using the clutch/braking system to its potential. Clutch operation should be quick and there shouldn't be excessive engine revving. If properly cared for, I've seen clutches last 200,000 miles. Since you mentioned that you drive hilly roads in traffic, you're probably over heating the clutch.

Clutch operation should be essentially two steps.
First, relatively quick snap to the friction point (approx 0.5 sec)
Second, a little gas and the clutch comes the rest of the way out (approx 1.0 sec) this should be a fluid operation.

I have no doubt that you can successfully operate a manual transmission, however, I included the times in there... If you're holding the clutch longer than that, or possibly using the clutch to hold the car on a hill rather than the brake, or leaving the clutch partially out when at a stop you could be over heating it.

Next, let's look at braking. When decending a hill, braking should be done incrementally. Meaning the brakes should be applied to slow the vehicle to below your intended speed. Then completely release the brake pedal, allow the car to speed up just beyond your intended speed, then repeat. If you drag the brakes or use a constant brake pressure to modulate your speed you will over heat your brakes, leading to excessive wear.

Additionally, if you select a lower gear, the engine will help maintain a lower speed. Make sure to slow yourself with the brakes first, rather than simply selecting a lower gear and slipping the clutch.

You may or may not know all of these things. You'd be surprised by how many people do not. This is not intended to be a flame or an accusation that you don't know how to properly operate your vehicle. I just want to make sure that you're covering all of your bases. Wearable items (brake pads, clutch disks, and tires ) are not usually covered by lemon law and is genearlly an indication of improper usage.

 

I don't think your car is a lemon. The clutch fried under extreme conditions (per what you stated in your "Sierra mountain thread"). The brakes are wear and tear items.

I'd be surprised if it was considered a lemon by anyone. The warranty is supposed to cover defects. From what I've understood from your threads, it is not defective parts, but parts that have been subject to very extreme operating conditions.

 

22,500 miles and you needed about $3000.00 worth of repairs!!!

Everyone has to remember that the TL is a value priced near or entry luxury car... I doubt that the clutch in this car has a prayer to last anywhere near 200K. You do get what you pay for...

 

I fail to see what our car being a entry level luxury car has to do with clutch life. If a driver rides the clutch for 6 hours up a mountain, I don't think to many clutches would last. I will admit that I had a hard time learning to drive this car smoothly when I first got it. I think it is a combination of a vague clutch feel and very quiet interior. To this day, I occassionally find myself over revving while starting out (2000rpm).

 

Exactly. I think any clutch subject to that environment would be prone to failure, as it did in this case.