Urgent: Throw out bearing replacement

Hi all, My car is at the dealer right now and is getting the RMS fixed. The clutch was replaced ~5000 miles ago, so it is fine and does not need replacement. The service rep just called me and said, "It looks like your Throw out bearing has some scratches on it and could accelerate the wear of your clutch". He admitted it's not a "must do". He asking $165 (for parts, labor included as common). Should I get it done? I need a reply quickly! Thanks to everyone

I would do it for that price if I trusted the dealer. I trust mine.

Could you elaborate on "trust"? For one, I know that the throw out bearing is a little less than $120 at Sunset... so the dealer is making a little on me there. Anything else I should be worried about? Do dealers charge you for one thing, but pass off the old part as the new one? In that sense, I don't trust the dealer ... Thanks for your input.

if the tech is recomending it theres probaly a reason, dealer techs DO NOT make a dime on any parts sold only on labor performed . If anything hes losing money since he has to let the car sit on his lift in pieces while they call the customer and sell him a part.

Ask the dealer for the old bearing. That may ease your mind a little.

tranny out there really shouldnt be any charge for labor

Did the dealer do the clutch replacement 5k miles ago? Why didn't they replace the throwout bearing then? To me it is a no brainer when replacing the clutch to do the throwout bearing, because of the no additional labor. The same is true when doing the RMS though. I would get it replaced but get the old throwout as mentioned above.

Update: I decided to replace the bearing. If the bearing broke later on, I'd have regretted the moment when I had a chance to change it but did not. Paying only parts, labor is free (inluded in the rest of the work covered by warranty). Thanks to everyone for their suggestions

This makes as much sense to me as charging someone for topping up their headlamp fluid. Below is a photo of a release bearing, how can scratches, "accelerate the wear of your clutch?" If there any scratches on the surface they were probably caused by the dealer mechanic screwing with your pressure plate. Ask for the dealer to return the "scratched" bearing and if possible post some photos here.

ITS LIKLEY ON THE PRESSURE PLATE CONTACT SIDE THAT ITS WORN, REALLY THE TECH ISNT GONNA GO THROUGH THE HASTLE OF GETTING AN ESITAMTE AND TIEING UP HIS LIFT FOR A FEW HOURS AND GOING AND FINDING HIS ADVISOR IF IT ISNT NEEDED THE TECH LOSES MONEY ON THE DEAL.

Will do. Getting the car tomorrow.

I thought the bearing came with the Clutch kit, if so shouldn't it be free to replace since you only put 5k on the clutch?

not 100% most likely casue of throw out wear is driving with a foot resting on the clutch, if its a plastoic throw out its even more leieky you get them hot once or twice and the pressure plate fingers sink in the plastic 1-3 mm definalty affecting cluth life

Here they are. I coudn't see much damage (and you can't see much with all the soot/dust). The tech told me that the play between the thrust plate and the bearing was too much (seen in figure 3)

Buy the part from them and have them install for FREE! It just clips in and takes them just a 1 minute to install.

im not one to bust on dealers.............but that doesnt look 5000 miles old to me

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It's too late now but I would have asked them to show me how much play there was between the two release bearings. There is always play in the release bearing and I would be suspicious of "too much" play, subjective measurements (press with your thumb, wiggle, etc.) have a habit of being completely wrong and always benefit the person selling the parts. How much extra movement is there? Are we talking .2mm or 1mm?

reallt the tech gains nothing selling him a throw out bearing if the trans is out if anything its costs the tech money

Well, looking at the part I believe the throw is closer to 1 mm than to 0.2 mm. Anyway, now that the replacement is done, I can't change much. I can only learn whether to trust the dealer or not. And the dealers advice does not seem completely out of the ordinary. I don't quite understand. The dealer sells me a part for $168, which I can for $100 at Sunset. I assume the dealer makes some money (margin) on selling me the part. Of course, not a whole lot -- considering the entire bill that went to the warranty company.

the tech does not get paid by the hour, he gets paid a flat rate for perfroming the job. If said job pays 6 hours he gets paid 6 hours for it, if it takes him 10 he still only gets paid 6 if he does it in 4 he made an extra 2 hours. The tech makes 0$ on parts, the dealer does but the tech gets nothing. So the tech pulls the transmission, finds the bearing worn, now he has to go to parts dept get an estimate then go to his service advisor, adviosr has to call the customer, well all this is going on the tech is essentially off the clock hes not getting paid while he runs around and gets an estimate and waits for aproval so his 6 hour job may take 7 or 10 and hes still getting paid for only 6 . He cant pull another car becasue his lift is tied up. So hes costing himself money, some thing hes not gonna do unless he fells that the customer needs the part replaced. he gains nothing replacing the bearing. Now my opinion................... that bearing looks really nasty for 5000 miles unless your real hard on clutchs if the cars under warrenty the bearing should have been covered if the cars out of warrenty but the clutch was replaced along with the throwout with porsche parts 5000 miles ago and less then 2 years the bearing should have been covered