Here is how you know something is wrong and you need car repair: you let out the clutch and the car just revs, accompanied by a burning smell that makes you think your car's about to give up the ghost. This happens more and more until one day, your vehicle will be nothing more than a driveway decoration -- unless you get it fixed.
What this means is that your clutch is going. You need some car repair action fast. It's not a major problem, but it's a common one that strikes fear into the hearts of drivers.
What Happens If You Don't Get It Fixed
There's still some juice in it and it works most of the time, so why not just let it go? If you're not too bothered by having to try a couple times to get into first gear, here's what you should do: get a good auto repair club membership quickly or find some good tow services. You're going to need them when your clutch totally gives out and you're coasting to the side of the road wondering why you didn't just get it taken care of! In other words, let's take it into the car repair shop.
Clutch Replacement
Although you can do your own clutch replacement, if you're not experience with it you might want to take it to a car repair specialist. Otherwise, your vehicle may be out of commission for a while as you figure it out. Unfortunately, replacement can put a pretty good dent into your paycheck. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $2,000. Because it's expensive, make sure they replace everything, including the plates and bearings. It's a pretty big chunk of change, but it will keep you on the road.
Tips For Making Your Clutch Last Longer
Ouch! After forking cash over for a new clutch, you want to make sure that baby will last as long as your wheels will. If you like that idea, here are a few tips for keeping it happy and healthy while you're driving.
- Don't let your foot rest on your clutch pedal while driving. It's an easy bad habit to get into, but it puts unnecessary pressure on it. Make sure your foot's not leaning on that pedal while you drive!
- Make sure you're not in gear at stops. When you're waiting for the light to change or stopped anywhere at all, make sure you haven't left your vehicle in gear, because this will put wear and tear on the clutch that it doesn't need.
- Before a long trip, have a mechanic look at your clutch to make sure it's alright. Sometimes, there are maintenance issues that you won't know about, like things might need to be cleaned or replaced. Keeping it in good shape will make it last longer.
Manual transmission vehicles can take lots more miles and abuse than their automatic transmission cousins. You've just got to keep an eye on your clutch and this will let you avoid major car repair issues in the future.
