Services / Gearbox and clutch
Gearbox servicing and clutch replacement in Cardiff
Gearbox oil is not sealed for life, whatever you have been told. Servicing it on schedule is one of the cheapest ways to avoid the single most expensive repair on the car.
What is included
- Gearbox oil and filter service on manual, automatic and DSG boxes
- DSG and dual clutch servicing to the manufacturer interval
- Automatic transmission oil, filter and pan gasket services
- Manual gearbox oil changes, including the ones nobody ever does
- Clutch, cover plate and release bearing replacement
- Dual mass flywheel inspection and replacement where needed
- Concentric slave cylinders and hydraulic clutch systems
- Gearbox mounts, linkages and selector faults
- Transmission fault diagnosis and adaptation resets
- Road test and clutch bite point relearn where the car requires it
What it costs
Clutch and gearbox prices depend almost entirely on how much has to come apart to reach the job, which varies hugely between a small front wheel drive car and a large four wheel drive. We quote per vehicle. Where a dual mass flywheel is involved we tell you up front, because it is the part that most often turns a quote people expected into one they did not.
How long it takes
A clutch replacement is usually a full day. A DSG or automatic service is normally a half day. Gearbox removal for internal work is longer and we will give you a realistic date, not an optimistic one.
Which makes
All makes. We are particularly comfortable with VW group DSG and Mercedes-Benz and BMW automatics, where the service intervals are real and skipping them is what turns a service into a rebuild.
Ring the workshop with your registration and we will give you a price for your exact vehicle, not a range that turns into something else when you arrive.
Gearbox and clutch, questions answered
How do I know the clutch is going?
The engine revs climb without the car speeding up, particularly in a high gear uphill. A bite point that has crept up towards the top of the pedal. A smell like burning paper after a hill start. Any of those means get it looked at.
Does a DSG or automatic gearbox need servicing?
Yes, whatever anyone tells you about sealed for life units. Most manufacturers specify an oil and filter change, commonly around every 40,000 miles on a wet clutch DSG. It is one of the cheapest ways to avoid a very expensive failure.
What is a dual mass flywheel and why does it cost so much?
It is a two-piece flywheel with springs between the halves that smooths out engine vibration. It wears out, and it is usually replaced with the clutch because the gearbox is already out. It is a genuinely expensive part, and we will always tell you before the job starts whether yours needs one.
Do you send gearbox work away?
No. Clutch replacement, DSG and automatic servicing and gearbox removal are all done in this workshop.
Related services
Differential and transfer case
The 4x4 driveline oil services almost every garage skips, until something expensive breaks.
Car servicing
Interim, full and major engine servicing, to the manufacturer schedule, logged in your car's digital service history.
Diagnostics
Dealer level equipment, and the experience to read what it is telling us.
Ring us about gearbox and clutch
Tell us the registration and what it is doing. We will tell you what it needs, what it costs and when we can take it.
Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Drop the car at Cardiff Marine Village, Penarth Road.