M Coupe max clutch life

[Chopper D]

How many miles have you squeezed out of your clutch? And what's a reasonable repair cost?

I'm sure it depends on how you drive it. So you guys that drive like bats out of hell, how far has yours gone? And those of you who drive like grandmas?

I've gotten 215K out of the stock clutch on my 6-speed Toyota Matrix so far...and funny enough, everyone on Toyota forums gripes that the clutch on that car is weak and needs to be replaced often! Mine shows hardly any signs of wear too...proud to say I obviously drive like a grandma and have a few techniques that really seem to preserve the clutch well...most people seem to be impressed by how many miles I've gotten out of that clutch. Some hard LA driving too...obviously I'm comparing apples to oranges though, right? So what is a reasonable expectation?

[mcoupemindy]

From my experience, the pressure plate tends to go out before the clutch disc is actually worn completely. It's hit or miss, but most don't get over 100k on the original. As you stated, type of driving really impacts life.

[Jamesons Viggen]

77k right now, and 9k of it on boost.

[ingalls89]

108k on mine. I drive the car hard as well. AutoX, track days, ect. In the next week or two it will be pulled and swapped along with the tranny for a 6 speed.

[JWin]

Clutch life is not dependent on how fast you drive but how much you slip the clutch in shifting or launching or whatever. Seems to me if you are rev matching well (up and down) a clutch could last effectively forever depending on how much of the friction surface is lost getting the car rolling from a stop. Though, I suppose sitting in stop-go traffic would have a big impact...

[bcausseaux]

112k here. Pedal is getting a little lower over the years, but not a sign of slip yet

[bimmerbri2]

Got about 94k on mine. The last 10k have been track use. Still going strong.

[lokijibber]

86k as of yesterday. ~30k under my ownership, so no 'Grandma style', though I am always rev matching and try to never hold the pedal to the floor.

[SunzOut]

Not sure what the previous owner did to the clutch but when we got the car at 27k at it need a new clutch

Been good for almost 50k hard miles so far...

[moonvan]

im at 114k and still going strong.

[Rabbi Doom]

Just ticked over to 120k and I think it's still the original clutch but I'm not too sure. I bought the car with 87k on it and can't find any record of the clutch being replaced. Hooray for assuming!

[LittleBlueBMW]

Just started slipping, on the track of course. Seems to be the most problematic trying to downshift into 2 and getting some power. That causes it to slip in 2, 3, and 4. Bought it when it was already going to the floor to engage... time to replace. 73K on the clock

[Z3MRacer]

My car had 95K on it and the disc & pressure plate were fine, but the throw-out bearing was toast.

I did the work myself along with shift pins, guibo & other parts and spend about $550 plus my 10-12 hours of labor.

[sitdownrando]

Have 93K on mine (original) and haven't noticed any slips. Taking precautionary measures and having it replaced along with shift pin service done this month. Quoted at $1k for parts & labor.

[Mr Bingley]

120k on the original clutch--boosted at 115k--still going strong.

[MDICTED]

Only 20k on my UUC clutch in the coupe so I haven't had time to really tell.

My 1998 328i is over 112k and still original. But that seemed to last forever in my 1994 325i which finished its life at 300k miles and original clutch.

[C K O]

Throw-out bearing in my clutch just started whining and im at 130k, stock clutch.

[jbrannon7]

Mine was a lease car driven by a woman, had glitter all over the interior when I bought it and it needed a clutch at 35k miles.

[mcoupemindy]

Mine was a lease car driven by a woman, had glitter all over the interior when I bought it and it needed a clutch at 35k miles.

I see, things have not changed much for your car then ...


Hope FL is treating you well Joe.

[325bob]

I see, things have not changed much for your car then ...


Hope FL is treating you well Joe.

I thought Joe looked good with a little glitter in his eye shadow,was that out of line?

[Scarceas]

Clutch life is not dependent on how fast you drive but how much you slip the clutch in shifting or launching or whatever. Seems to me if you are rev matching well (up and down) a clutch could last effectively forever depending on how much of the friction surface is lost getting the car rolling from a stop. Though, I suppose sitting in stop-go traffic would have a big impact...

I tend to agree, it's mostly about how much you slip the clutch, and I believe greater rpm differences make it worse.

The original clutch in my M has nearly 175K miles on it, no signs of slipping. Original clutch in my Nissan has 140K miles on it, and apart from being hot towards the end of a recent drag event, it has shown no signs of slipping. I've had both cars out on the drag strip and both have done autocross as well, but neither has done a whole lot of either. Still, I am hardly a "grandma-like" driver. The thing is I have a habit of getting off the clutch quickly when I launch and I also don't do really high rpm launches (no dumps from redline). When I shift I almost treat the clutch like an on/off switch, and I try to match up with the rpm. I believe my clutch habits hold me back at the drag races (my 60 ft times are never great) but it's easier on the car.