Hi everyone,
I have recently went to Volvo with some sensor problem. While I was there I ask Volvo mechanic to check the clutch on the truck. He told me that I will need to change it in next 3-6 months as the tread is getting very low.
Would you guys recommend to get clutch fixed in Volvo - it charges £75 per hour or some local mechanic? Who would you suggest? Thanks,
The first thing I would do is call every Volvo dealer and parts supplier I could find, clutches are quite often on the deal of the month list and you can save a fortune on parts prices, secondly I would get it done by somebody that I knew did good work, regardless of hourly rate, getting the job done right first time is the most cost effective method and just because a fitter has a Volvo patch on his overalls, it doesn’t mean he’s any good.
The only thing I’d say is that if you do get it fitted by Volvo, at least you’ll have a two-year guarantee. If an independent replaces a clutch using Volvo parts and it fails soon after, then both parties will deny liability, the fitter blaming the supplier and the supplier blaming the fitter.
I’m not even sure if it could be done by an independent these days, I had my clutch replaced not long after I started by Renault at Park Royal, and after it had been fitted, my truck had to spend several hours plugged into the computer to “re-educate the gearbox”.
Get it done by a Volvo garage. They usually do a "fitted price"deal on stuff like this along with radiators, waterpump’s,alternators. As mentioned you will get a 2 year warranty.
newmercman:
The first thing I would do is call every Volvo dealer and parts supplier I could find, clutches are quite often on the deal of the month list and you can save a fortune on parts prices, secondly I would get it done by somebody that I knew did good work, regardless of hourly rate, getting the job done right first time is the most cost effective method and just because a fitter has a Volvo patch on his overalls, it doesn’t mean he’s any good.
This is the knock-on scenario when hauliers did away with their own workshops and mechanics and relied on dealers to carry out maintenance and repairs at a cost !!! , the dealers must rub their hands with glee when an operator turns up at their door . The answer would be easy if operators purchased something a little less " trendy" , “■■■■” , like a standard DAF CF 85 with a standard manual box , then a clutch repair could be carried out at just about any truck repairer , just look at fleets like Ernest Thorpes etc .
Shugg I’ve just a had a similar online conversation with somebody over a no touch coupling system (air/electrical lines and trailer legs) there’s far too much over engineering in today’s lorries, not just the crap forced on us by legislation, but things like Automated Manual Transmissions and totally unnecessary things like electric windows, climate control, electrically adjustable mirrors, electric parking brake switches etc, if a job can be done by a knob or a lever, why on earth do we need them to be operated by switches, wiring, solenoids and motors? There is more wiring in the door of a present day lorry than there was on a complete lorry only as far back as the late 80s. It’s bloody ridiculous!
I completely disagree on going to a dealer to ensure warranty, not on a clutch, it would be next to impossible to get a warranty claim passed on a clutch and if the claim arose through incorrect fitting, which is about all that could go wrong, well that’s a whole different kettle of fish, a clutch replacement is a piece of ■■■■ to any half decent mechanic. Which does bring up another point, they don’t have mechanics in dealer workshops anymore, they’re technicians now and from personal experience if they can’t plug a laptop in and do a software upgrade, they and their latex gloved hands are about as much use as mud flaps on a tortoise. I’d much rather go to a proper mechanic that has greasy hands and a tea cup that hasn’t seen fairy liquid since new.
It’s become much rarer to do a clutch job since the proliferation of autos.
Have to be honest, particularly on Volvo, I often couldn’t buy the part for what they were doing it for fitted as it’s something they certainly used to often do deals on.
The argument for going main dealer for the genuine parts warranty isn’t without merit really.
OAD, I would definitely use OEM parts, unless I could get an upgraded part from another source at similar cost, I just don’t worry about which overalls the fitter wears when he fits it, like many I’ve had issues with sub standard work from dealers and factory authorised workshops, so I would have no problems going to an independent. Fortunately the local Volvo authorised workshop to me does outstanding work, their hourly rate is almost half of what the main dealer charges, but the price for a job appears to be very close, but they do a much more thorough job, so I’m happy to pay the bill, well not happy, but at least I get what I pay for and that is not always the case.
BUT can they fit a front number plate ■■ NMM …jimmy walks away grinning. 
Hahaha Jimmy, that was the shop at the yard.
Dealer would be my choice, unless there is somebody specialising in Volvo transmissions local to you. You need to factor in downtime to the initial cost too. Dealer will do it in the quickest possible time, and most have an advertised fixed price for these sort of jobs.
A clutch replacement is about as simple as it gets!
newmercman:
A clutch replacement is about as simple as it gets!
Mechanically, yes, I could do one myself if I had the lifting equipment (I’ve done three or four on cars back in the day) but these days trucks have to spend a few hours plugged into the computer after the clutch has been replaced, or at least mine had to anyway.
Is yours an AMT Harry?
Yes, no doubt that’s why they have to re-program it because I’ve never heard of that having to happen on a manual box.
I’m not sure what would happen if you didn’t, whether the gearbox wouldn’t work at all or wouldn’t work properly, I was told that the gearbox had to be “re-educated”.
Yeah that is a completely different situation, it makes you an almost captive audience, but as time goes on more and more independent garages are getting the necessary computer programmes to deal with the new technology, so at least you can still have a choice. I’ve got I shift on one of mine, that would be a dealer or approved service agent job, but the other one with a Fuller box and a manual clutch, I’d definitely shop around to get that replaced.
Harry Monk:
newmercman:
A clutch replacement is about as simple as it gets!Mechanically, yes, I could do one myself if I had the lifting equipment (I’ve done three or four on cars back in the day) but these days trucks have to spend a few hours plugged into the computer after the clutch has been replaced, or at least mine had to anyway.
should only take about 20 min max to recalibrate ishift clutch and 15 min of that will be waiting on the laptop to load zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Harry Monk:
The only thing I’d say is that if you do get it fitted by Volvo, at least you’ll have a two-year guarantee. If an independent replaces a clutch using Volvo parts and it fails soon after, then both parties will deny liability, the fitter blaming the supplier and the supplier blaming the fitter.I’m not even sure if it could be done by an independent these days, I had my clutch replaced not long after I started by Renault at Park Royal, and after it had been fitted, my truck had to spend several hours plugged into the computer to “re-educate the gearbox”.
Was the “computer” an Amstrad?