Burning the Clutch...

[justmike]

Hey all,
I'm going to be learning how to drive manual on my new 2011 WRX and am worried about burning out the clutch. How hard do I have to wear it before I break the clutch like should I worry about learning on it?
Thanks

P.S. I got the base model which does not come with Fog Lights but the salesman told me it is very easy to put them in. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it hard to do?

[poly_poly-man]

You'll probably need to replace your clutch within the first 100k of ownership. NBD, it's just a $250 part and a ton of labor.

Try to be easy on it, and try to learn quick. Basically, lean on the side of too quick clutch and too little gas (stalling means you're not burning your clutch, at least).

Also, always rev-match for downshifts. That is one of the biggest factors you'll need to learn to get things right.

BTW, when your clutch does go, it'll go slowly - one day you'll feel it slip for the first time in some situation, then over the course of several months it'll expand to more often and in more situations.

[wrxrachy917]

I learned how do drive a manual on mine also. Don't worry about it. I found the Subaru stock clutch to be pretty easy compared to others that I'd tried just a couple times.

[teflon_jones]

You'll probably need to replace your clutch within the first 100k of ownership. NBD, it's just a $250 part and a ton of labor.

100k for a brand new manual driver in a 265 HP turbo car? 100k for an experienced driver is good mileage.

The best thing you can do to learn without burning or really wearing it much at all it is to go to a parking lot and practice on level ground. Start by not touching the gas and just slowly letting the clutch out to get the car moving. Do this a few hundred times. Then move on to giving it a little gas to get it to start faster and do this a few hundred times. For hills, find a dead end street or place with no traffic and a very slight hill. Business parks with hills on a weekend or evening are a great place. Start with a very slight slope and keep moving to steeper ones as you learn better.

[spirited09wrx]

geez teflon and poly...us noobs are keeping you guys busy with all these clutch, rev matching, etc etc questions, haha

[06scoobyrex]

Do you know someone who has a manual beater car that will let you practice in?

[poly_poly-man]

geez teflon and poly...us noobs are keeping you guys busy with all these clutch, rev matching, etc etc questions, haha

He provides actual, well worn-in advice from experience...

...I've been driving manual for about 7 months now . I figure I can offer a new, unique perspective on it.

[justmike]

Do you know someone who has a manual beater car that will let you practice in?

sadly I don't, although I don't think it should be much of a problem as I've learned that the dealer offers a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on ANY part on the car- from the clutch to the windshield wipers so I can just bring my car in at 35,999 miles or 2 years 364 days and replace the clutch.

[BigDaddyRex]

I've learned that the dealer offers a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on ANY part on the car- from the clutch to the windshield wipers so I can just bring my car in at 35,999 miles or 2 years 364 days and replace the clutch.

I guess it depends on the dealer, but they aren't likely to replace the clutch if it isn't actually ready to be replaced. If they did that lots of owners would go in at 35,999 and get tons of parts replaced.

[sb5551]

sadly I don't, although I don't think it should be much of a problem as I've learned that the dealer offers a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on ANY part on the car- from the clutch to the windshield wipers so I can just bring my car in at 35,999 miles or 2 years 364 days and replace the clutch.

That is true, but you can't just bring it in and say replace the clutch. It needs to be worn down to need replacing ie slipping. I learned on a 1991 toyota celica. My dad and I drove out to get the car about an hour away from our house, he filled up the gas tank and proceeded to get into his jeep and leave. I learned needless to say real quick. It gets frustrating some times, but it is well worth it in my opinion.

[poly_poly-man]

...so obviously the answer is to sit with the parking brake on, rev the gas up, and just let out the clutch a little, and sit there for a while. "Oh dealer, I need a new clutch - this one seems to have burnt"

[06scoobyrex]

I've heard that they wont replace the clutch in the 3/36 warranty cause its a wear item like the breaks... I could be wrong though...

[teflon_jones]

geez teflon and poly...us noobs are keeping you guys busy with all these clutch, rev matching, etc etc questions, haha

I'm glad I can help. Once upon a time I was like the rest of you. By now I've driven at least a dozen different types of vehicles with manuals and clutches from tractors to bikes to trucks to cars. A half million miles of driving manuals in all those things will teach you some lessons.

On the question about them replacing clutches as part of the bumper to bumper warranty, good luck with that one. If the clutch has 10k miles or less on it, then you've got a good shot as long as it doesn't show signs of abuse and they find some mechanical issue. Somebody on here got theirs replaced at 12k or 13k I think too due to a faulty part.

But as the mileage increases, it's less and less likely a faulty part won't already have broken, so it starts to get tougher and tougher for the dealer to warranty a clutch. It's pretty hard to wear out a clutch in only 36k miles unless there is something faulty or you're just a terrible manual driver. That being said, you wouldn't believe the number of guys I see on the Porsche forums that wear out clutches in 20-30k miles. These aren't guys going to drag strips or anything like that. It's usually a first time Porsche and first time high HP car buyer that just doesn't know what they're doing.

So basically trying to get a new clutch before the warranty runs out is probably a long shot. Either the faulty part would've broken sooner, or it's going to be apparent to them you abused it and they don't have to warranty it then. The guy that got his replaced at 12k had it denied at first. He was a first time manual driver, and they blamed it on abuse, but it turned out to be a faulty part they didn't find the first couple of times through the drivetrain.

[sb5551]

Do you know someone who has a manual beater car that will let you practice in?

I think that it is a new thing that they are doing. Any wear part including tires and brakes should last longer that 3/36, and is replaceable if it doesn't last that long. I think it might be subaru's rebuttal to a lot of car manufacturers providing free maintenance. I only just learned about this as I was reading my warranty card on my '08 last night. Although, Im way out of warranty.

[nyr8er]

The best thing you can do to learn without burning or really wearing it much at all it is to go to a parking lot and practice on level ground. Start by not touching the gas and just slowly letting the clutch out to get the car moving. Do this a few hundred times. Then move on to giving it a little gas to get it to start faster and do this a few hundred times. For hills, find a dead end street or place with no traffic and a very slight hill. Business parks with hills on a weekend or evening are a great place. Start with a very slight slope and keep moving to steeper ones as you learn better.

^This! best way to learn anything is practice, practice, practice. as for the hills, you get a little benefit with this car due to the hill assist. it basically stops you from rolling back for about 3 seconds after you take your foot off the brake. if you can, i'd recommend (after getting the basics) driving something without the hill assist, or at least letting it start to roll back to see how to handle that. good luck.