Good morning !

My Max has about 95000 miles on its odo.
Normal daily usage : short distance below 1 hour each way.
German autobahn full throttle for about 80 miles once the week.
Towing a 6mtr. trailer ( 1500 kgs ) about 2500 - 3500 miles
across Europe one or two times per year.
Clutch is initial equipment.
On my Mercedes I could check the thickness of the friction material
without disassemblling - outside of the transmission housing with a
special tool. ( kind of a gauge ).

With my Max I have no idea whats going on now.
Its just my personal feeling : total milage, towing trailers and using
the car on short distances with stop + go - I think I should go
for a new clutch before the next holiday trip. But anyhow, does
anybody in this forum know about the average life time of a Max
clutch ??? I mean if this thing would last 120000 miles normally,
I could possibly safe this maintenace this year.
Pleased to hear your suggestions / experiences.

 

how far do you have to let the clutch out before it engages? you can usually tell if you have a lot of clutch travel that you clutch does not have that much life left. just my .02 cents

 

Right ! ... But on the other hand I understand this clutch system is self-adjusting.
So I have my doubts whether is way of checking is a reliable one.

 

Is it me or does this sound fishy?


This statement/question doesnt really sound genuine.


Anyways, here is my opinion.
If your towing a trailer with a maxima, one with 95000 miles, i think your going to need a clutch soon.

Buy yourself a nice Murano or smaller SUV to pull your trailer. Sell your maxima to someone that will take the hitch off of it and treat it nicely. LOL

 

My cousin at L.A. gave me the same advise last week.
Thats why I also posted this thread - to get some other suggestions.
But now ... same advise two times ? Really thinking about the Murano now.

 

people have ran their stock clutches to 120+ k miles wit the load your putting on it, it might be smart to get it swapped out a few thousand miles sooner as long as you know how to drive it properly

 

that is like asking how long a 2 liter coke lasts in everyone house. differnt people use it up in different times. my dad went though one in 20,000 and some people for 100k+. depends on how you dirve and how aggressive.

 

Well guys I'm settled now.
Checked the clutch today this way :
Half throttle, engaged parking brakes on, 2nd gear in, let the clutch come carefully - couldn't stall the engine.

Guess thats it. Already arranged a date at the repair shop. Will get the new clutch tomorrow.

 

norbert, the way i check a clutch is when i'm driving in second gear about 30-35 mph, i rev it up (even to the redline) with the clutch in and let it go...if it slips, it's dying if it chirps the tires, it's still strong..

Good Luck.
Sam

 

Hi Sam, your test sounds really more practical for me.
I had a bad feeling on that parking lot this time ...
Will keep your hint in mind for next test. ( On the next car I hope ).
Bye for now, we're some hours ahead of your time.
Will take a nap now and dream about the things I could have buy
with all of this "clutch money".

 

Sam dont do that, not good. Easy way to check is put it into 5th gear and floor the car, if the rpms jump up but the car doesnt accelerate then it is slipping, if it holds, the rpms wont shootup.

 

yeah checking it from 50 mph in 5th gear just by punching the gas should tell you if you need a new one. I'm at 104 and it seems to perform just fine. I'll probably let mine die before I get a new one