It's one of those things: do you spend £400 now to potentially save an additional £400 in the future.

The clutch could last the period of your ownership without failing or it could fail a day after the warranty expires.

£400 is a lot of money - is it worth the gamble or do you want to play safe?

 

If it's just the usual clutch buzz then I would leave it until the clutch slips, they could last years with the buzz, it's not a failure issue, just annoying.

 

Hang on, this £441 seems to only be to 'check' the clutch - not replace. How much is a clutch kit?? Not as cheap as it seems at first.

 

Parts are free!

 

A clutch is a consumable item though, as Simon says () read the small print first

 

FWIW the buzz with the S2000 clutch is to do with the springs. The hub which drives the gearbox input shaft and the friction material are on separate discs. The drive is through the springs ( 4 IIRC) around the hub. If these are compressed or broken, you will get the rattle and in worst cases will have free pay in the drive, or even difficulties declutching. THis could be in clonking noises on overrun. Whilst the friction material is a consumable, failure of the springs could be seen as a mechanical fault. As such, you should agree up front what faults would admissable for free replacement. The early clutches did have design problems, I cannot rember when the fix went into production. If the clutch part number is prior to -055 then it could be a known design issue.

As others have commented, the price quoted is for investigation. Presumably this means that if nothing is found at fault, then you are out of pocket with no solution. You may want to get a quote for the cost of parts, in case you want to change at your cost while the gearbox is out. Conversely, can one assume that the insurance will pay the fitting, if a fault is found? Most likely it will be hard to detect a fault on the clutch without expert analysis, but will be noticable in driving. I would recomment that you document how to test the replacement clutch afterwards and under what conditions the costs will be covered.

Although the costs are high, replacing the clutch in the S2000 is a significant job. This also means that there is huge potential for errors and damage by the workshop. To remove the gearbox, remove battery, center console, gear knob and lever, air cleaner assembly, lower steering joint, compresser belt, A/C compressor, alternator, exhaust manifold cover, heatshield, starter motor mounting bolts, intake manifold stay, TDC sensors, front under cover, stearing gear / torque sensor electrics, transmission wire harness (HO2S sensors), cat, exhaust manifold, prop shaft, release fork / slave cylinder. Then the gearbox is lowered with the front sub frame. Any of these can be dropped, kicked around the workshop, forgotten, connected in the wrong position (steering wheel not straight ahead), mis-torqued (if at all), etc. or other parts scratched in removal / replacement. The subframe bolts should not be reused and must be replaced, also some other bolts, self-locking nuts and gaskets should be replaced. If you go ahead, you will probably want to inspect these before and after and confirm the old parts which were replaced, especially if they did not do one before.

Good luck.

 

well theres a certain company on here where if i supply the parts (aftermarket clutch), the total bill (parts+labour+fuel to travel) is under your £440.

if a problem is found, i presume the insurance company will foot the bill, but if no fault then you are liable for costs? i've never had a car under waranty so i dont know what is/isnt acceptible.