Clutch Kits - which brands ?

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Yes, setting a debate away.

LUK, Valeo or Borg & Beck clutch kit?

What I'm curious about is some diesels use a dual mass flywheel and some, like my Rover 45 TD, which has not yet gone to the breakers yard, have a solid flywheel (or so I'm told).

What's the deciding factor for using a dual mass on a diesel?
 
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Clutch and dual mass flywheel are two different things but many times changed at the same time. The debate about solid or dual mass is a huge debate and one that will be met with many different opinions. Some people get away with changing their dual mass to solids but many don't and the probable reason for the difference is that the solid replacements are not made to any measurable comparison as they are a modification more than a replacement. For that reason always go with the dual mass. Anyone that says different is welcome to their opinion and without exception will defend it vigorously until you ask them to guarantee your solid flywheel purchase. All that said some solids are good quality and if you know someone who has done it and its working fine then I would drop the dual mass like a hot rock.
 
We sell lots of vehicles as taxis. They do huge miles, obviously, so they sometimes get through dual mass flywheels within the warranty period. The manufacturer pays for them to be replaced but if it goes a second time within the warranty (which sometimes happens) they won't. We looked into fitting solid flywheels but the manufacturer told us we could kiss the whole engine's warranty goodbye for the rest of the warranty period if we did! They're there to damp some of the engine vibrations (which they do very well) but if replaced with solid ones, we were warned of all sorts of problems like crank dampers breaking up and even plastic inlet manifolds cracking!
 
Is it the norm to fit a new dual mass flywheel when changing the clutch?

With a solid flywheel, as I was told by a Rover specialist is fitted to my 45TD, I presume the flywheel has to be checked for scoring from the pressure plate. If none, the flywheel doesn't need replacing ?

As far as clutch kits go, it seems the brands I mentioned above are the market leaders.
 
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You only need to replace the DMF if it's worn, ie if it's loose , rattles or has too much movement between the sections.
 
A few years back, my sister's old Bora 1.9 TDI clutch failed and garage that did the repair persuaded her to have a solid conversion kit installed to replace the original DMF.

That, according to a lot of folk, shouldn't have been done!

To be fair though, apart from water getting in and causing drag, the conversion work well enough for the remaining few years of the car's life.
 
I think the dilemma that most people face, is the labour cost. Clutches last a long time on most modern cars these days, so by the time one wears out, even if the DMF feels OK, the decision has to be made as to whether to replace it while the clutch is off, or leave it and hope it lasts the life of the next clutch.
 
Borg and Beck used to be the go to brand years ago, not sure what its like now.
For me id usually go for an luk or sachs unit in the vag cars, both very good clutches.
I think sachs are oem on most.
As said the dual mass flywheels need to be checked for wear, if they are within limits they are fine to reuse but most tend to change as once the box is out it makes sense to do it.
 
I'd change the DMF considering the work needed to get to the clutch, and if you want to minimise problems with it:
Don't start off in second gear
Don't allow a push start ever
Don't tow!
(Apparently)
John :)
 
What about holding your car on the clutch? Doesn't that cause the clutch to heat up and wouldn't that heat affect the springs in the DMF? Horrible habit anyhow.
 
What about holding your car on the clutch? Doesn't that cause the clutch to heat up and wouldn't that heat affect the springs in the DMF? Horrible habit anyhow.

Yes it can do - especially on hills. I've noticed on my car (which has one) that if I'm in a hurry and put the power down after the change from 1st to 2nd a bit too soon whilst letting the clutch out, I get a tiny knock (almost like big ends) which I think is the DMF hitting its end stops after compressing its springs fully.

I think the modern move towards fitting cars with "hill hold" is an attempt by manufacturers to encourage people NOT to hold the car on the clutch.
 
Seems that these DMF are rather fragile.

I wonder how the families with big diesel estates and caravans manage not to damage the DMF?
 
The bigger the engine, the bigger the DMF of course.....the recent Transits all have them and its a huge mistake to fit a plain flywheel instead, as the crankshaft will suffer whip. In the days of yore when diesels were slow revving it didn't really matter but as they are now topping 4000 RPM or whatever its a different ball game.
John :)
 
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