Worn or bad clutch?

[Tonavi]

Lately the car's been feeling slower than usual around town, and the shifts are somewhat sloppy. Let me first note that I'm a decent manual driver and that the car has never been lugged or killed.

All of my driving has been 99% city with lots of stop and go. When coming to a stop, I always downshift to engine brake until about 10 mph, then use the brakes.

My question is, at 23k miles, could it be possible the clutch is starting to wear down already? Or should I take it to the dealer to have them adjust it?

[tk-421]

Yes, it is possible, especially if you share the car with other people (like in my case). I got an ACT Stage 1 clutch from Garm and it's a bit harder to push down on the pedal, but the bite is also a lot better than stock.

Are you sure you're fully pressing the pedal when you shift? (It's a bit hard to tell with the Yaris) Not doing so will also wear the clutch down faster.

[Tonavi]

Yes, it is possible, especially if you share the car with other people (like in my case). I got an ACT Stage 1 clutch from Garm and it's a bit harder to push down on the pedal, but the bite is also a lot better than stock.

Are you sure you're fully pressing the pedal when you shift? (It's a bit hard to tell with the Yaris) Not doing so will also wear the clutch down faster.

I push it all the way to the floor on every shift. Sometimes even then it will not fully disengage. I never let anyone drive the car EVER. I can understand how city driving and downshifting could wear it out faster, but I'd like to get at least 100k out of it.

[360cubes]

For what it's worth here. Brakes are a dime a dozen versus the cost of a rebuilt clutch. Just leave it in the current gear when approaching to stop. This will still slow you down a bit and pushing on the brakes lightly a second or two sooner than you're used to won't really wear out the brakes as fast as you might think, and it'll save wear on the clutch.

[Loren]

Clutch not disengaging when fully depressed is the OPPOSITE problem from what you'd experience with a worn out clutch.

What you have sounds like the symptom of a clutch hydraulic problem. I'd start by checking for leaks at the clutch slave and master cylinders. If no obvious leaks, try bleeding the clutch and see if the situation improves.

Of course... at 20k miles, shouldn't you be under warranty?

[Tonavi]

Another thing: if you dump the clutch from ~2500, it doesn't really lurch like it used to. Rather, it launches perfectly smooth on its own. That's not to say I dump it all the time, I usually give it 1300 then let it out slowly.

I should probably take it in for an adjustment anyways. Right before the warranty goes up, I should have the dealer put a new clutch in. Do you think they would do this?

[Loren]

They will do what they need to do and nothing more. If you NEED a new clutch and there's no evidence that you abused it, they'll replace it.

But, again, it sounds like a hydraulic problem.

A worn clutch disk will cause the clutch to release much HIGHER on the pedal, not lower.

Just take it in and have it checked, that's what a warranty is for. If you're not abusing the clutch, and it doesn't have a manufacturing defect, there's no way you should need it replaced within the warranty period. It should last 100-150k miles or more in normal use with a stick-competent driver.