Big problem with clutch
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 876
Likes: 23
From: Prescott Valley, AZ
Big problem with clutch
i have a 2014 premier edition. my clutch started messing up so i had it towed to the dealer they called me today and told the rubber fittings were very swollen indicating the wrong fluid was in it. i have routinely been using the ranger method to keep the fluid clean. i’ve been using pentosin super dot 4 fluid. the manual says to only use gm super dot 4 brake fluid. does that mean you are only supposed to use GMs super dot 4 and not anything else? i thought they cant force people to use their products. they can only specify specs that must be met. the cost of the repair is over $4 grand as both the master and slave cylinder have to be replaced. i read on the forum that pentosin makes gms fluid. i have an extended warranty but the dealer said they wouldn’t cover it due to improper fluid causing the problem. any ideas on what i can do about this? $4000 is a lot of money! btw, the car only has 14k miles.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,279
Likes: 550
From: Pittsburgh PA
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 876
Likes: 23
From: Prescott Valley, AZ
$4200 later i got the car back. i talked to the service manager about the issue. this is what he said. he saw no evidence of the wrong fluid being used. that gets me off the hook. but his reason for the problem borders on the bizarre. he said he found what he called muck in the system. he said it looked like some kind of fungus or algae living in the clutch. it may have spread over time and attacked the seals. he said it was his best guess and hadn’t ever seen anything like it before.i asked him how that could happen and he shrugged and said that water must have infiltrated over time allowing the algae to grow and spread. now i have to fight with gm extended warranty who told the dealer they would not cover the repair due to contamination of the fluid. i’ve had 5 other cars with m6 transmissions. didn’t change the clutch fluid ever in four of them and used the ranger method to keep the clutch clean in my c6. never had a single issue with any of those cars.my c7 is the first vette i’ve had that had a clutch problem. i don’t race or track the car. i don’t even run the car hard. i bought the car with 8500 miles on it and it presently has a little less than 14k miles. this kind of thing should not happen! anybody taken on gm and gotten them to do the right thing and honor their warranty? if so how did you do it?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 7,050
Likes: 945
From: DFW TX
$4200 later i got the car back. i talked to the service manager about the issue. this is what he said. he saw no evidence of the wrong fluid being used. that gets me off the hook. but his reason for the problem borders on the bizarre. he said he found what he called muck in the system. he said it looked like some kind of fungus or algae living in the clutch. it may have spread over time and attacked the seals. he said it was his best guess and hadn’t ever seen anything like it before.i asked him how that could happen and he shrugged and said that water must have infiltrated over time allowing the algae to grow and spread. now i have to fight with gm extended warranty who told the dealer they would not cover the repair due to contamination of the fluid. i’ve had 5 other cars with m6 transmissions. didn’t change the clutch fluid ever in four of them and used the ranger method to keep the clutch clean in my c6. never had a single issue with any of those cars.my c7 is the first vette i’ve had that had a clutch problem. i don’t race or track the car. i don’t even run the car hard. i bought the car with 8500 miles on it and it presently has a little less than 14k miles. this kind of thing should not happen! anybody taken on gm and gotten them to do the right thing and honor their warranty? if so how did you do it?
Id be hiring a lawyer. $4200’for a clutch replacement is rediculous also. **** you could of had it done at one of the race shops for that and got a bad *** Clutch.
Last edited by C7&7; Nov 13, 2018 at 08:36 AM.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 690
Again, that's bull. Get a lawyer. Fungus can't grow in hydraulic fluid even if it's contaminated by water. Hydraulic fluid is highly toxic. Diethylene glycol or variants of the ethylene glycol compound has been show to actually KILL and inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. There is absolutely NO WAY that any sort of bacteria or fungus can possibly grow in your brake line, it's seals, and the brake system even if it's contaminated with water.
LAWYER UP. They're just feeding you a bunch of bull to get you to pay $4,200. If the seal is swollen and broken, it's craftsmanship or wear and tear, both of which SHOULD be covered by extended warranty.
Not that this matters, but do you wash and hose down your engine compartment often? The brake hydraulic system is sealed but the clutch hydraulics are not. There's a pin-hole on the clutch hydraulic cover that allows air to escape when you tighten the cap.
LAWYER UP. They're just feeding you a bunch of bull to get you to pay $4,200. If the seal is swollen and broken, it's craftsmanship or wear and tear, both of which SHOULD be covered by extended warranty.
Not that this matters, but do you wash and hose down your engine compartment often? The brake hydraulic system is sealed but the clutch hydraulics are not. There's a pin-hole on the clutch hydraulic cover that allows air to escape when you tighten the cap.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 876
Likes: 23
From: Prescott Valley, AZ
Again, that's bull. Get a lawyer. Fungus can't grow in hydraulic fluid even if it's contaminated by water. Hydraulic fluid is highly toxic. Diethylene glycol or variants of the ethylene glycol compound has been show to actually KILL and inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. There is absolutely NO WAY that any sort of bacteria or fungus can possibly grow in your brake line, it's seals, and the brake system even if it's contaminated with water.
LAWYER UP. They're just feeding you a bunch of bull to get you to pay $4,200. If the seal is swollen and broken, it's craftsmanship or wear and tear, both of which SHOULD be covered by extended warranty.
Not that this matters, but do you wash and hose down your engine compartment often? The brake hydraulic system is sealed but the clutch hydraulics are not. There's a pin-hole on the clutch hydraulic cover that allows air to escape when you tighten the cap.
LAWYER UP. They're just feeding you a bunch of bull to get you to pay $4,200. If the seal is swollen and broken, it's craftsmanship or wear and tear, both of which SHOULD be covered by extended warranty.
Not that this matters, but do you wash and hose down your engine compartment often? The brake hydraulic system is sealed but the clutch hydraulics are not. There's a pin-hole on the clutch hydraulic cover that allows air to escape when you tighten the cap.