[Alan_M]

My 1 month old High Up is now having its clutch switch and clutch main cylinder replaced
by our VW dealer due to the annoying clutch clicking noise.

Just a word of advice for others with a similar problem.

There appears to be 2 types of clutch click.

a) a small click when you change gear that appears to come from the engine area.
This is what VW call normal behaviour and they won't currently do anything about it
(although our dealer said that if enough people complain they might). You don't really
feel this click through the pedal.

b) an annoying click from the pedal area that you feel when you depress or sometimes raise the clutch.
This is what we have as well & finally the dealer is taking seriously and starting to replace
bits.

It is important to clearly distinguish between the two otherwise the dealer will just
fob you off with an issue a) response. Our dealer did the same but after 2 days of
them saying it was issue a) and I should come and fetch the car, I got their master
technician to test drive it with me and he eventually agreed it was issue b).

Hopefully 'replacing bits' will solve the problem. I'll let you know next week.

 

[Supermegamonkee]

It solved mine last year that click was sending me crazy. Fingers crossed it never returns.

 

[miketedl]

Hi Alan. I have got the type 2 click from the clutch pedal and it is getting louder with my mileage now at 6800. my V.W man has heard it and said nothing was wrong . Are you saying that V.W. have now at last said it is a fault, as there has been so much said about it on this site ,why are they not making it a recall job.
Mike.

 

[Alan_M]

Hi Mike,
Probably too early to be sure about whether they are fixing my type B click problem by replacing
the clutch switch and I think main clutch cylinder. I'll let you know on Monday or Tuesday
when I pick up the car. If they have then you should insist that yours is also fixed (as long
as you clearly differentiate it from the type A click - which they won't/can't fix).
My additional worry is that even if they fix it this time it may reoccur as the parts are
clearly not very reliable. This very annoying problem shouldn't be happening on such fundamental
components of very low mileage cars from VW.

Alan

 

[mii al]

Clicking will generally not be a recall. Recalls are usually only safety related items.
There are then 2 levels below a full recall.
One is update all cars when they are next in (service etc).
A lower level issue is that it is only updated if the customer has a specific complaint.

 

[Alan_M]

So, an update. My UP clutch click noise is now fixed. They replaced the pedal, clutch cylinder and clutch switch.

If you have a similar type B clutch click (see above) then get it fixed by the dealer under warranty and don't accept being fobbed off by being told it is the other type A click issue which they won't fix.

My UP is now nice to drive again which is a relief!

 

[ManghenMan]

Just for your info I have a 10,000 miles UP which developed a 'clunk / snatch' noise on the transmission every time I re-engage the engine on gear changes. It started to be noticeable at about 4,000 miles and is extremely annoying - ruins the whole driving experience. VW changed the gearbox oil and this cured it for about 500 miles but then the noise came back. VW now say the noise is normal - sorry VW, it is not normal on any car I have ever driven. It is a type a) fault I think and it is a generic problem that they need to address.

On the plus side I bought the VW 5 year warranty with the car so it just a waiting game - the transmission is faulty and judging by the on-going noise it should eventually fail. I have noted the fault with the dealer as unresolved.

 

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I almost certainly have the type A fault as noted above. Whenever I engage gears below 4 (incl reverse) the click/clunk sound is very loud. I've tried all sorts of speeds and all sorts of revs and the sound remains the same.

Also, at idle, there is an odd sound which I can only describe as a sort of rattle which disappears whenever I depress the clutch. It tends to always be evident when I'm starting on a journey however I've noticed that after a few miles it disappears again.

I'm definitely going to take it back this weekend to get it looked at.

 

[cycloneracing]

I have the type A click/clunk.
I had the dealer drain the gearbox oil after the third visit and a cranky email about them not addressing the problem.
They said there were metal filings that came out (I asked how much - a few specs or half a cup? They said less than half a cup, but quite a bit).
This to me, shows that something has failed inside the gearbox (A bearing or something?). They (surprisingly agreed) and are replacing the gearbox as I type.
I asked about diagnosis, and they said that their job is only to diagnose that the gearbox needs replacing, not what the problem was, and that they send all warranty parts back to VW (I don't know where... Germany?) for further diagnosis if required.

If a bearing or something has failed, there is probably some free play in there, I suspect the clunk is the slack being taken up when the forces are applied to the gears. More wear, clunk gets louder over time.

I am worried they will now rush the install/replacement before easter, and I am also worried that the gearbox will simply fail again once it has done another 11000 kilometers.

Further info: I pressed them if they had replaced any Up gearboxes before, they said no. But - the sales in Oz have been terrible so that may be the case. I pressed them as to whether they have had any advice, direction, information from head office on gearbox/clutch problems, and received a vague answer, no real answer on that actually.

 

[cycloneracing]

Update:
Up! back from the dealership.
Gearbox replaced.
No more clunk in first, second, fourth, fifth. There is still a minutely noticeable clunk when releasing the clutch after engaging 3rd gear, but this sounds more firm, like a "normal" clutch engagement noise.
The car used to have a kind of, undiagnosed, background, somewhat intermittent rattle from the engine bay. It is difficult to describe, and I always thought it was just the 3 cylinder balance or something, because I have never had a 3cyl before. I was pleasantly surprised that this rattle has subsided and the car sounds quieter and feels smoother to drive now.

I have not been able to get a diagnosis as to what exact component failed. I will pursue this information in due time.

I have serious reservations as to the longevity of this transmission.
Should I sell the car before the warranty period expires?
Will it fail again in another 10, 20, 50 thousand kilometres?
A gearbox should be able to do 200,000 kms or more before a rebuild, should it not?
I have an old Holden with an M20 with 175000ks on the clock, and the gearbox in that works fine and is still going well.
Did they miniaturize the gearbox too much to fit it in the small engine-bay, and did they make the internal components too small and too weak, encouraging failure?
I have so many questions...

 

[daisymoo]

Thank you I'm not going mad!

Thought I'd do a quick internet search to see if anyone else is having problems with their up! clutch making a clicking noise, and I'm so glad I've found this site and that I'm not the only one having this problem. My car is going back to the dealer next week after I noticed a clicking which I could also feel in my leg when I changed gear. On closer inspection the whole clutch pedal seems to be laying over when it's pressed. My car is only a month old.

Thank you all for the excellent advice on here and for explaining things in a straightforward way! I have to say my dealer didn't seem surprised at all when I described the problem so now I know why.

 

[stratters]

I have the type b) clicking clutch.

Have had the car for a week, 1400 miles Move Up! Taking it back to the main dealer tomorrow and will be interested in their response after reading these posts.

I will update you with their response! Apart from this very irritating issues, everything else is great.

 

[luckyjimmy]

The clutch pedal on my car USED to click, similar to type B as described.

Instead of going to the dealer with this (I could not afford any more time off work), I gave the pedal pivot and the piston a squirt of 3-In-One white lithium grease. The noise and 'thump' through the pedal disappeared almost entirely (the pedal clicked occasionally after application of the grease but seemed to do so with less frequency as time passed).

I've driven my car 26k miles now and don't remember hearing the clicking sound, or feeling the thump through the pedal, for months.

PS I may have read the grease 'trick' on this forum - apologies if this has already been mentioned by another member.

Edited by: luckyjimmy

 

[stratters]

Update on yesterday's post. Took it in to the dealer today, it's a known issue and they are replacing the clutch assembly, no quibbles.

Hopefully this will fix the issue!?

 

[Morgan01]

My new 2 month up has started to do this today!! So annoyed are they fixing this with no quibbles or are they reluctant to do anything?? X

 

[Morgan01]

Also when I pop it into reverse the couch makes a horrendous sound like a old car would make anyone else have this ? Mines only done 1200 miles too! X

 

[Umiamz]

Mine has definitely got worse over the past couple of weeks. However, it's still intermittent - it can go for a couple of days with a perfectly smooth clutch and then a couple of days with clicking/creaking/catching. It will be just my luck if it's behaving itself when I take it in!

 

[dr_jones]

I too have had the 'type B' clutch clicking noise for the past 6 months or so. It went into the dealer for the second time this week after saying they couldn't find fault the first time. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

VW have now experienced andacknowledged there is an issue with the clutch and are replacing the pedal and all sorts under warranty. I would say just persevere as they are aware of this issue!

 

[Snitzel]

I thought I was going bonkers. My Up! With 450kms and less than a week old is doing the pedal click. I thought I broke it?!?!? I am about 6foot3 and 100kgs... wouldnt surprise me hahahaha. I will take it in when I have a chance to get them to log a warranty issue. Seems a bit sh*ty considering the quality of the rest of the car.

 

[Umiamz]

I thought I was going bonkers. My Up! With 450kms and less than a week old is doing the pedal click. I thought I broke it?!?!? I am about 6foot3 and 100kgs... wouldnt surprise me hahahaha. I will take it in when I have a chance to get them to log a warranty issue. Seems a bit sh*ty considering the quality of the rest of the car.

Mine's going in a week on Friday. Half expecting it will be a 'no fault found' case but we'll see. I couldn't get it to click at all this morning but yesterday it was driving me round the bend. The accelerator and brake pedals are fine, though.