Hi y'all, I'm new so hopefully I don't break any forum rules or anything. Let me preface by saying that I have already been to the dealership but I got the usual "could not replicate issue" bring it back when you can show us. Looking for general thoughts on what's occurring, and to see if anyone else has had this issue. So here we go.
When it's a hot day (I live in North Texas) and my car has been sitting out in the heat for several hours, like let's say I've been at work all day, my clutch acts as if I'm 16 learning to drive again. It feels fine going in and out (not spongy or anything), however, when I go to shift, it has a delayed response going in to gear, and acts as if I've dumped the clutch even though it should've already engaged by then. It feels almost like it "sticks" when I pull it out of gear, and then grabs hard when I put it into gear. Here's the deal, 5-10 minutes of the engine running, and she's back to the smoothest manual I've ever owned. If I let it warm up for 5-10 minutes before taking off, or if the weather is below 90/in the shade, it's fine. So obviously when I dropped it off today, they couldn't replicate the issue because they didn't leave it sitting for several hours in the sun I like mentioned. Fluid levels are fine, no other issues what so ever.
This had happened last summer, but only when it was 105 and I didn't drive anywhere at lunch. So I just assumed the hydraulic fluid wasn't made for Texas heat, and needed some time to cool off. This is my first hydraulic clutch, so honestly I wasn't sure if it was even worth mentioning until I found out that none of my other buddies with hydraulic clutches have had this issue. My concern is the fact that it's been happening at upper 80s / low 90s since the warm weather has come back, which of course at this point is like every day. I didn't have a problem with the clutch all winter, but it's garage kept. So I've never really experienced a true cold start with it. I am the original owner, and I am not rough on my clutch.
Am I just being whiny? Is it worth pressing the issue with the dealership? What do y'all think? Dirty hydraulic fluid? Warped slave cylinder? Should I spend the $$$ to put in a remote start module and just start letting it cool off before I leave work?
When it's a hot day (I live in North Texas) and my car has been sitting out in the heat for several hours, like let's say I've been at work all day, my clutch acts as if I'm 16 learning to drive again. It feels fine going in and out (not spongy or anything), however, when I go to shift, it has a delayed response going in to gear, and acts as if I've dumped the clutch even though it should've already engaged by then. It feels almost like it "sticks" when I pull it out of gear, and then grabs hard when I put it into gear. Here's the deal, 5-10 minutes of the engine running, and she's back to the smoothest manual I've ever owned. If I let it warm up for 5-10 minutes before taking off, or if the weather is below 90/in the shade, it's fine. So obviously when I dropped it off today, they couldn't replicate the issue because they didn't leave it sitting for several hours in the sun I like mentioned. Fluid levels are fine, no other issues what so ever.
This had happened last summer, but only when it was 105 and I didn't drive anywhere at lunch. So I just assumed the hydraulic fluid wasn't made for Texas heat, and needed some time to cool off. This is my first hydraulic clutch, so honestly I wasn't sure if it was even worth mentioning until I found out that none of my other buddies with hydraulic clutches have had this issue. My concern is the fact that it's been happening at upper 80s / low 90s since the warm weather has come back, which of course at this point is like every day. I didn't have a problem with the clutch all winter, but it's garage kept. So I've never really experienced a true cold start with it. I am the original owner, and I am not rough on my clutch.
Am I just being whiny? Is it worth pressing the issue with the dealership? What do y'all think? Dirty hydraulic fluid? Warped slave cylinder? Should I spend the $$$ to put in a remote start module and just start letting it cool off before I leave work?
