Sounds like the original clutch could have been Briggs & Stratton.

 

Certainly felt like a centrifugal clutch.

 

Just heard back from the service advisor. Says Jaguar will let them replace the clutch cylinder, and the flywheel, NOT the clutch assembly. I told him don't do a damn thing until I've inspected the old parts and the new parts.

So pissed and sick and tired of this mealy mouthed half-assery from Jaguar. Unbelievable. No, we're using the old clutch that destroyed the flywheel? Apparently. Can't wait to see this.

I mean, could you imagine? Hey, your brake rotor failed catastrophically, but the pads are good. Have a nice day! Unreal, unreal. Don't even believe this. You know the Jaguar customer service rep said? Call the better business bureau!

 

MF'ER!!!! So I get a call from the service manager, trying to tell me 'How hard were we shifting it? clutches don't just break. They're usually driven aggressively' Really? And Jaguar upgraded the part because it looked prettier? Just decided to upgrade it for no good reason? But yeah, high ends sports cars, you know, just don't drive them aggressively. "I've been in the business a long time" Yeah me too. First time I've EVER had a flywheel or clutch failure. My RX7, changed out the set soon after I got, had cracks and chips in the flywheel. Did not fall apart, didn't even slip except high gear at WOT.

He did tell me they were installing the clutch/flywheel. Must just be the service advisor didn't know what he's talking about. Let him know how I feel about his passive aggressive BS. We both agreed they don't want to ever see me again.

I need to start drinking again.

 

MagnumPI, I feel your pain. I went through oil burning saga with a car and this is exactly what they tried to pull on me. Dealerships do this because corporate (Jaguar in this case) does not adequately compensate them for these types of jobs, not until it becomes a recall. So they are losing money by doing repair, and would rather you go away instead of insisting they do it right.

Document everything, don't ever take back the car without itemized work order done the way you wanted it, and don't trust any promises that are not printed and signed. If you purchased the car from this dealer, involve sales manager.

Yelling at service manager is 100% useless, they do this for living and will beat you with experience every time. Don't fall for provocations (they are doing it intentionally, in hopes you take your car away and go elsewhere), calmly insist on how you want to see it done, and if your directions are not followed escalate your case to Jaguar Corporate while your car sits at the shop and you are driving their loaner (dealers hate that).

 

THEY GOT IT RIGHT!
Got the car back this morning. They replaced all the following parts:

Clutch Slave Cylinder JDE32591 (same part #)
Flywheel T2R20968 (new part #)
Clutch T2R18945 (new part #)
Clutch pipe (bleeder & clutch delay valve) JDE27755 (same part #)
6 ea. Bolts T2R15201
Fuse XR853208 (pedal/ignition lockout).

My only concern was that they replaced the clutch pipe, effectively replacing the CDV I removed However, after the test drive, I don't think it will need to be removed again.

My observations:

Before (applies to both sets of previous clutches):
1. Wimpy pedal resistance weaker than any of my previous cars
2. No well defined friction point (more like a broad engagement band)
3. "Engagement band" in upper third of pedal throw.
4. Couldn't apply serious throttle until clutch was fully engaged, otherwise clutch would just slip even with foot off clutch pedal.

After :
1. Moderate to firm pedal resistance (non-serious drivers will whine about it, but feels right for a 400+hp car)
2. Very precise, sharp and noticeable friction point (those new to MTs need not apply).
3. Friction point in lower half of pedal throw (towards the floor)
4. Now only the tires slip shifting through the first three gears.

SOOOO SWEEEET!

The clutch delay valve does not appear to be detracting from the experience, so I will leave it in place for now.

The only thing missing for the perfect MT is the short-shifter. Fidanza is working on it, but dragging their feet.

Clutch invoice.pdf

Signed,
Happy Camper!

 

Congrats. I hope it lasts more than a couple of months.

More importantly, I hope JLR does the right thing and doesn't hassle all the other manual owners who deserve to have the "upgraded" parts installed on their cars and that they really are substantial "upgrades."

 

Lance, if the board had "hero" status, I would nominate you. Thanks for taking the chance on getting this upgraded. Nessie will get the same during her 1 year.

Orkney

 

Just be sure you have some clutch/tires left for the Lobster Run.


Great to hear it's straightened out. JLR isn't going to be pleased with clamoring to have this fix applied to still-working clutches.

 

Well, if the NHTSA gets bored and follows up on my complaint they'll be even less happy.

Another thing that really irks me is the service manager told me, he knew, that the new part is bigger, more robust. As if he's seen it or heard enough about it to know that it's not simply a replacement but an actual new upgraded unit. What this tells me is that the dealers are in the know and together with Jaguar, still stonewalling on the issue, treating us all like morons.

 

You're right, and I'm afraid a lot of people are going to be very frustrated and very angry trying to get this done, short of having a car stuck on the side the road.

 

Great result! I had all but written the manual trans off up to this point.

 

NHTSA only issues mandatory recalls for what they judge to be significant and potentially life-endangering safety defects. While you could make some sort of argument that a transmission prone to failure is safety-related, it doesn't rise to the level of what they normally define as such.

I've been in the safety regulatory business for more than 3 decades, and I can tell with you a high degree of certainty they won't take a serious look at this case.

 

It's certainly a "promising" result, but it won't be a "great" result until we have a least of year's worth of data and most, if not all, original parts upgraded without trouble reports.

I know Lance, and he has the perfect, easy-going, and diplomatic personality, coupled with a very good dealer willing to do almost anything to make things right. That's why I fear his experience may NOT be the norm.

 

Yeah, I doubt they'll do anything. But the complaints go public and there's precedent as Chevrolet issued a voluntary safety recall for the 09 ZR1 clutch spring breaking. Pretty sure not being able to get the car in or out of gear qualifies as life endangering for most people. All it would really take is opening an investigation. Jaguar has the parts and already knows it has to replace them.

 

OK, promising! (but at least it (for now) it seems the manual can be made to work as it should have from the beginning).

 

Yes, voluntary recalls are an entirely different matter.

You are quite right that wishing to avoid negative publicity can cause a manufacturer to do costly voluntary recalls. That's usually the case after a manufacturer has gotten in deep trouble and faced a voluminous amount of negative publicity.

A good recent example is GM over the ignition switch, which would suddenly go to the off position and lock the steering column. It was directly linked to multiple deaths. GM barely dodged criminal charges over that because it was a known issue they ignored for years. As a result, they are now issuing voluntary recalls for almost anything.

The JLR culture hasn't gone through anything like that in recent memory.

 

Yes, it now looks like one car with a rather discriminating owner/driver has been retrofitted with new parts which work well, at least temporarily. :-)

 

I am delighted that Unhingd has a probable solution to his problem, but a number of others have said that they do not drive their MT in a manner that challenges the clutch. So why should JLR replace a bunch of clutch assemblies for clutches that are not showing a problem and may never do so?
It seems more realistic to only expect to have it replaced after you break it, so others better go flog their cars!
I wonder what is behind all of this. Was the original Volvo clutch a special item for JLR? Volvo does not make any cars with the HP or torque of the F-Type, not even the Polestar. Who makes the new parts? Was this just a shortcut until JLR could get the properly engineered parts into the supply chain?
I would love for JLR to show goodwill by replacing all of them with the better parts, but that does not seem like a "normal" business decision.
Larry

 

I hope that they are more accommodating for the owners of their "halo" car. F-type is one of the few cars that would put Jaguar on the radar for under-60s crowd and let them move more sedans and SUVs off the lot. This is why they released F-type with MT (it is not exactly high volume product) - to further move away from their tarnished image of 'old man's car'. It has to work well, or it will lead to a blow-back, as trying and failing would be seen in more negative light than not trying at all.