Clutch went on the way to work this morning.

On the way to work today, when I shifted into second, the gear slipped and the clutch pedal lost all of its strength. After that, whenever accelerating, the clutch would slip. So needless to say, after owning my new (to me) 996 for a month, I already need a new clutch. What am I looking to spend on replacing this? Should I get an OEM vs. Performance one? Any recommendations on performance clutch? Also, should this be done at a dealership? or does anybody now of a reliable honest porsche mechanic near Venice/Santa Monica, CA?

What year is your 996? I know that some of the earlier ones had problems with clutch release mechanism (fork) not fully releasing and causing the clutch to occasionally slip. My 99 996 has done this a couple of times. I think the parts are $150 but the tranny has to come out. I'm waiting until my clutch goes to replace them.

Clutch replacement alone for me was about $1k at an independent shop and me buying my own clutch kit online.

It's a 1999 with 76k miles. The clutch has been releasing high which has messed up some downshifts due to heel toe coordination at that high release point. And when starting on a slow (5mph) roll, it feels kind of chattery going into second. I really cant deal with driving much longer because I can't really give it much gas without it slipping.

Make sure when the replace the clutch (regardless which one they use) that they complete the TSB regarding replacement of the actuator lever for the clutch. This MUST be done or you will have problems. They redesigned the lever early on in the 2000 996 model year. INDY will do complete job, parts and labor for around $1300. TSB 3041 Dated: 07/00

Actually the dealer at Rusnak Porsche (CA) did mine for less than $1400 (parts & labor). OEM Parts was around $300, I think... Good luck with yours.

If you don't find anyone on the west side and can get it to the valley, I would check with The Speed Gallery in Studio City ( www.thespeedgallery.com ) or TRE Motorsports in Van Nuys. I have visited both shops so that I can have an indy do my service intervals. While I haven't had any work done yet, I was impressed with both places. Each one had a volume of old and new Porsches (including Turbos and GT3s) that owners were letting them work on.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm dropping it off at the dealer tomorrow.

There's an indy in Venice called Otto's Venice, at [phone removed]. Check out www.ottosvenice.com

Parts are not $150.....they are $400-600 for the clutch kit depending on who you buy it from and if you need a new flywheel you are looking at another $1K for that. Labor is about 6-10 hours depending on who you go to as well since the tranny needs to be dropped and is very time consuming for the entire job. Make sure you get ALL new seals (RMS, IMS, etc.) if you go to an independent make sure they have the NEW tool to install the RMS if not go elsewhere. I just did the same job and I had to have clutch and flywheel. Total bill was about $2200 including tax (without the flywheel it would have been about $1200).

I was referring only to the cost of the parts to correct the TSB regarding replacement of actuator lever for clutch that 1999Porsche911 referred to, not clutch, flywheel, labor etc.

Dell, I think he was referring to the cost of the actuator and associated parts (which is about %70) and not the clutch kit.

I think i'm just going to bring it to the dealership for this one, but otto's is only a few blocks from my house, so I will have to give that shop a look. Anybody else been there or had service done there?

Good clarification.

Some of you guys that have been long time owners, how long do the clutches tend to last (miles)? I know this depends on usage etc, so Im only looking for ballpark.

That is a tough one. I ahve seen some guys loose them in a weekend and some stll ahve the original clutch at 75-100K miles! Depends on driving style and track use. This is truly a wear item like a brake pad. Depends on how you use it.

What are the signs of a bad flywheel? I have another seal leak (under warranty) and i asked them to replace the clutch if it looks close, which i think is likely (45k on the clutch). I have been hearing a "bearing sound for quite a while, which goes silent when i put push down on the pedal. The sound is evident sitting in neutral, at idle. Thanks

Flywheel is simple to diagnose visually. If the clutch has left a groove in the flywheel you have incurred another $1K in parts. Common problem is clutch hovering which slowly over time burns in a nice channel into the flywheel.

thanks

Like 42Express, I also have been hearing a "bearing sound" when stopped at idle in neutral with the clutch out, which goes silent when i put push down on the clutch pedal. Any thoughts on the cause? I have a 2002 996 Cab

You only need to turn the flywheel down and not replace it in most cases. Plenty of meat and reduces the weight on the crank.

In most cases, tranny noise when the car is in neutral with clutch pedal out, is comming for the gears/bearings. With a dual mass flywheel, it could also be a broken spring between the plates. Obviously, it could be 100 other things too, but those 2 are the most common.

So here is the damage after taking it to the dealership: clutch $1800 front brakes $950 Leaking valve cover - Warranty New clockspring and some other airbag thing - $600 Dealer I got the car from said they'd take care of that, lets find out if they really do. I'm going to go check out that shop in venice for my next repair work. This dealership is expensive.

Holy crap! That is $500-600 to much for the clutch. And the brakes, Front only for $950???? Holy Jesus. That is a $200-300 DIY including rotors and 1 hr of your time.

you do know dealers match other dealer prices....i got a quote from norCal and the dealer matched it....thats way too expensive...what dealer?

Did they, at least, kiss you? If so, you got screwed, if not you got F**ked!

That's an outrageous price for front brake pads and rotors. The other stuff sounds high too.

YES, that's a rip-off...even other dealers charged less than that. I mentioned before Rusnak in Pasadena is more in the ball-park price for clutch kit replacement (~$1400 parts/labor). Please check around first before dropping the dough on this one. Good luck!

Well thanks for the input on the prices. I am having them just do the work covered under warranty and then taking it to otto's in venice for the rest of the stuff.

If you are under warranty, aren't they required to complete TSB's free of charge? If so, they have to yank the tranny anyway of there is any noise coming from the bellhousing in order to replace the actuater lever. What kind of warranty do you have?

I have the ge warranty, i bought the car at 75k and bought it from the dealer. So under the warranty, the refused to even cover some screws and other items that were neccessary, so i have to pay my 100 deductable plus like 30 in misc parts.

I've had some work done there and they were okay, but I won't go back. I prefer Beverly Hills Porsche (ask for the mechanic named Jack) or Porsche of Downtown Los Angeles (although they also screwed up big time once). The Speed Gallery in Studio City wasn't much better. They forgot to plug the MAF sensor cable back in (among other things).