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Hi
I'm relatively new to RS ownership, about 1 month in a 27k mile 2007. I have a few issues..suspension clonking over sharp pot holes..DRC I presume, but I also have a weird clutch issue. If pottering around in the car, there is no big issue, thought the bite point is quite high and its difficult to make a smooth change, the clutch is quite off or on. If I am driving more enthusiastically, the clutch pedal feels a bit weird, and doesnt want to return up to released position. Any thoughts? The car is going back to the supplying dealer to look at suspension and clutch, but its just a few days over the 1 month/1000mile return period, should that be an issue??

Thanks in advance.

A mate of mine has a MK4 Golf and he was suffering similar issues with the clutch, then one day the spring for the pedal broke, the pedal then went to the floor and could not move it. The VW dealer said it is a common issue with Audi/VW cars. He had a new pedal and spring fitted.

AdamM wrote:A mate of mine has a MK4 Golf and he was suffering similar issues with the clutch, then one day the spring for the pedal broke, the pedal then went to the floor and could not move it. The VW dealer said it is a common issue with Audi/VW cars. He had a new pedal and spring fitted.

Unfortunately not that simple with these. Search the forum as LOADS of people are/were having this issue (me included).

Some think the clutch return pipe being replaced will cure it but I can confirm it hasn't cured mine and whilst it hasn't actually stuck down since I had the work done it doesn't seem right. Search this forum for 'clutch issues' and you should find everything you don't want to hear on there.

New clutch & single mass flywheel is the only way forward for me.

SHOULD BE A RECALL IN MY OPINION

My mate said the car does not feel the same after this issue, said the pedal feels heavier than before.

Rigsby1208 wrote:Hi
I'm relatively new to RS ownership, about 1 month in a 27k mile 2007. I have a few issues..suspension clonking over sharp pot holes..DRC I presume, but I also have a weird clutch issue. If pottering around in the car, there is no big issue, thought the bite point is quite high and its difficult to make a smooth change, the clutch is quite off or on. If I am driving more enthusiastically, the clutch pedal feels a bit weird, and doesnt want to return up to released position. Any thoughts? The car is going back to the supplying dealer to look at suspension and clutch, but its just a few days over the 1 month/1000mile return period, should that be an issue??

Thanks in advance.

I had this same issue and it was a guide sleeve on the input shaft causing the problem. Audi have released a modified part as they are aware of the issue, but as usual it is not available as a recall!

Unfortunately it is a gearbox-out job to replace and you may as well change the clutch whilst you are at it, particularly if your car has the crap LUK clutch. Stick a Sachs OEM clutch in.

S4INT wrote:

Rigsby1208 wrote:Hi
I'm relatively new to RS ownership, about 1 month in a 27k mile 2007. I have a few issues..suspension clonking over sharp pot holes..DRC I presume, but I also have a weird clutch issue. If pottering around in the car, there is no big issue, thought the bite point is quite high and its difficult to make a smooth change, the clutch is quite off or on. If I am driving more enthusiastically, the clutch pedal feels a bit weird, and doesnt want to return up to released position. Any thoughts? The car is going back to the supplying dealer to look at suspension and clutch, but its just a few days over the 1 month/1000mile return period, should that be an issue??

Thanks in advance.

I had this same issue and it was a guide sleeve on the input shaft causing the problem. Audi have released a modified part as they are aware of the issue, but as usual it is not available as a recall!

Unfortunately it is a gearbox-out job to replace and you may as well change the clutch whilst you are at it, particularly if your car has the crap LUK clutch. Stick a Sachs OEM clutch in.

My cars in Aberdeen Audi now with the box out, had a horrific squealing noise coming from somewhere which they thought was clutch related, still trying to sort the non returning pedal problem, showed them your post ( I had this same issue and it was a guide sleeve on the input shaft causing the problem. Audi have released a modified part as they are aware of the issue, but as usual it is not available as a recall! ) and they told me they cannot find anything on record, just had them on the phone 10 minutes ago, they must work late, they have not yet found anything obviously wrong or any scoring which would indicate something rubbing to cause the sqealing, bloody hell it sounded awful but only came on after a few miles of driving when engine was warmed up

I've been experiencing exactly the same problem the last 10k km or so (car is now 42k km). The pedal is absolutely fine until driving briskly and it tends to "stick" and does not want to return. My dealer tells me that it a "clutch bearing" issue and I plan to replace it at the 45k km service interval. Will let all know how that goes..

Well car been returned from dealer with new pipe and.... The clutch initially felt heavier than before when driving normally, but just the same sticking issue when driving Enthusiastically! Phoned dealer who said clutch is working fine, so I said its supposed to get really heavy and stick down when driving fast?? They seem say I need to go out with master technician to demonstrate problem!!

Exactly the same for me, they swapped the pipe over and it doesn't do it as much now but it still does it.

I've just learnt to live with it as the clutch doesn't slip at all, I'm not prepared to spend money 'fixing' something that isn't really broke.

I might swap the clutch later this year for a Sachs one so hopefully that'll fix it!!

Interesing...

When the pedal is stuck down is it right down or half way?
Is it just after a high rpm (say above 7k) shift? Up or down?
When the pedal is stuck is the clutch engaged or not?
is there any slipping when stuck?
Does the clutch pedal come back when rpm drops? or after a small amount of time (even if rpm's still kept high)

adsgreen wrote:Interesing...

When the pedal is stuck down is it right down or half way?
Is it just after a high rpm (say above 7k) shift? Up or down?
When the pedal is stuck is the clutch engaged or not?
is there any slipping when stuck?
Does the clutch pedal come back when rpm drops? or after a small amount of time (even if rpm's still kept high)

mine started doing it around 50k miles
at 60k: clutch hose replaced (and heat shielded), slave replaced, fluid flushed
at 65k still does it a bit, does not stick all the way down, just releases slower, doesn't 'snap' back. eases back

your questions:
sometimes all the way down, needs pulled with your foot, sometimes comes up very slowly
after high rpm, say 2 gears, 1 and 2, usually up (since that is when rev'ing up thru the gears)
disengaged, or partly disengaged
usually no slip, but sometimes it will
if stuck, not until you pull it, in fact if you run it up through the gears, it may not stick, but will feel 'stiff' or 'grabby/sticky' next time you use it

after looking at the drawings, my wag
the throw out bearing rides on a conical bushing. this bushing is floating on the input shaft, so will spin at some speed beteen the shaft (rpm) and bearing (0), so when the bearing engages it wears/grooves the bushing, this ledge imo is the 'hang-up', doesn't allow the clutch springs to push the slave piston back (maybe clutch springs too weak after a lot of usage?)
it seems to get worse with mileage
or it may be that it just gets hot and the tolerances shrink and bind

on the BMW M3 tranny the bearing bushing is bolted to the tranny (it is around the input shaft)
this keeps the bearing and bushing stationary so no relative movement, no wear

top assy 9
btm 20
is the bushing, in this tranny it is bolted to the casing, no rotation

if you look at the RS4, it is floating
(pic to come if I can find one, lol)

For me the issue seems to occur in any situation where I have just accelerated hard between 2 or 3 gear shifts, ie high revs/low revs, changing up or down, basically exactly the same as ArthurPE's description. My car is was only bought a month ago from Audi dealer and only has 28k miles on it. The clutch is very binary (off or on) at the best of times and its sometimes difficult to pull away smoothly, though I am starting to wonder if that is more the engine being a bit jerky when accelerating in 1st and 2nd if thats possible. For me the clutch/gearchange issue is really spoiling enjoying the car and I'm not satisfied with the dealer I purchased from saying the clutch is fine. They said I could drive car back for me to take out the master tech, but thats 160 mile round trip. Not sure the best way to proceed.

The on/off clutch and "kangaroo petrol" feel may be the clutch pedal switch has failed as they were the symptoms I had when mine did. Not entirely sure what it does but car was very difficult to drive smoothly specially when trying to pull away from standstill.

yorkie wrote:The on/off clutch and "kangaroo petrol" feel may be the clutch pedal switch has failed as they were the symptoms I had when mine did. Not entirely sure what it does but car was very difficult to drive smoothly specially when trying to pull away from standstill.

not sure how that could affect it... one switch is for the starter button and the other to disable cruise control...

The only other thing I can think of would be the fluid in the clutch is generating some serious centifugal acceleration and causing the floating bush that Arthur pointed out to bind.
Agree if it was bolted to the transmission then it would be a problem.