Well, took my car into Nissan over the weekend for normal service and a couple of warranty items. One of which was a stiff tranny / occasional grind into 2nd or 3rd gear. Just got off the phone with the service dept. manager, and my tranny is going to be replaced. She's an '05 with 24k miles. I have to admit, I am really surprised how quickly they were to go ahead with a replacement considering the horror stories some people have had.

Anyway, the guy asked me if I wanted to replace my clutch at the same time. Again, only 24K miles. Parts would be $360, but free labor. I don't know if I should or not, the clutch feels strong right now. I basically told him that I was going to wait to make that decision until they drop the tranny and visually inspect it. Any suggestions other than wait until they look at it? How long do non-tracked, stock clutches normally last on these cars?

 

Clutches should last you up the 75k-100k if you drive normally. If they are offering to put a new clutch in for $360 I would do it. Don't know if you are interested but you could maybe ask if they will allow aftermarket clutches. Be sure to ask how that may affect your warranty.

 

I just had my transmission replaced under warranty, and they did the clutch assembly for free. Ask him if the warranty replacement should include that. If it hadn't been free, I was going to ask them to change it anyway (at my expense), while it was all opened up.

 

Yeah, I thought about it last night, I figured that I might as well replace it. Do it right the first time.

edit: Or should I go and get the Nismo clutch and flywheel? (I know, I know, search!)

 

mthreat:

Why did Nissan replace your clutch as well? Was it damaged? I would like to know how I should propose this to my dealer.

 

Update: So I'm getting the CD009 tranny, so thanks for that advise. I couldn't convince the dealer that it was possibly the clutch that caused this issue, but I couldn't get him to replace the clutch under warranty. However, I did decide to replace it anyway, and the Nismo clutch was only about $300 more, so f*** it, I'm spending way more money than I need to, and getting the Nismo clutch and pressure plate. I'm not doing the flywheel. I figured if I wanted to later, I still could, and considering my stock flywheel is still in great condition, I couldn't justify the $$$.

When I get my car back, probably next weekend, I'll keep you guys posted on my impressions of the new CD009 tranny and Nismo clutch.

 

My tranny was replaced 2 times
Both times included clutch free of charge.
You should pay ZERO.

 

Too late, already paid. I tried to get them to replace the clutch for free, but they were convinced that the clutch didn't contribute to the tranny problems, so it wasn't a warranty item. Ba$tards.

So I've put maybe 15 miles on the new tranny w/ the Nismo clutch, just around town driving. First impressions: Tranny feels pretty good. Slightly smoother shifting, although still a little balky when cold. I'm going to put about 100 miles on it, then switch to Royal Purple tranny fluid. Not bad overall, though. 5th and 6th are a little farther over, but nothing extreme. It also seems like the technician did reposition the reverse lockout plate, because I'm not having any problems getting to 5th or 6th.

The Nismo clutch. Ok, I really hope this thing breaks in a little bit, because it is pretty d@mn stiff right now. I don't think I'm a pu$$y, but my leg was tired after about 1/2 hour of around-town driving. Other than that, while it has a strong bite, it's still progressive. It's still easy to modulate the clutch, as opposed to an on/off switch like I was fearing it would be. I haven't experienced nearly as much clutch chatter, either, which is nice. However, my initial impression is that I wouldn't buy the Nismo clutch again if I were faced with the same choice, mainly because of the stiffness. It's just not as enjoyable to cruise around town if your leg is tired and sore.

I'll keep you guys posted as the tranny and (hopefully) clutch get broken in and loosen up a little bit.

 

The trans and the clutch is an assembly---As far as Im conserned it be like replacin ur pads without trueing the rotors or changing ur oil without replacin the filter------It CAN be done , But just plain sloppy

 

Well, then my dealer f*cked me, because it's already paid for. Let's all get over it. I'm just trying to give some impressions to help others.

 

Yes he did ----Just plain stupid !!!!! The Clutch Assy as much a part of the tranny as is a Pad to a rotor. Its just half assed to not do it, and not start with a clean slate.

 

Problem is, the clutch assembly was perfectly fine. I got free labor because the tranny was out under warranty, but had to pay for parts, which I would have had to anyway, because I got the Nismo clutch. This pleasant conversation with you would have been a ton more helpful if you decided to speak up last week. Thanks anyway, though.

 

Well then --for future reference. I believe in Balance. And in a situation like this, the assy as a whole needs to be balanced as a whole.

Personally, I would feel guilty if I replaced my tranny with 10,000 miles on it and didnt replace the clutch. I just couldnt do it.

It would be like if I had a bad Valve and just replaced it with out doing a complete Head Job

 

That is why I replaced it. I decided that I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity with the tranny out to get a new clutch in her at 24k mi. I wanted both parts to be new, and I was desparate to get rid of the stock clutch chatter. Like I said, I'm just hoping the Nismo clutch loosens up a bit. To anyone else who has the Nismo clutch, does it break in, or is it always this stiff?

 

Stiffness comes from poor installation or the fact u now have a clutch with more Clamping Force ( Stiffer Diaphram ) The latter cant be helped and will remain till ur pressure plate begins to show age.

 

BTW ---U'll get used to it

 

Yeah, I know. Just a little buyer's remorse. It is a nice clutch.

 

Give it a week or 2 and you won't even notice the difference. Same thing happened when I installed an STS in my car. Made my arm hurt for about a week, and after that I didn't even notice it anymore.