Do our cars have any kind of clutch inspection window? I am having trouble with 1st gear and want to see if the clutch is worn out -- without having to drop the transmission. I will probably take it in to my mechanic sometime next week, but I would like to have something more specific to go on, other than just saying it has trouble getting into 1st gear smoothly. I have 46k miles on my '05, so I hope the clutch isn't going out this quickly (but I did buy it used, so who knows what the previous driver did!)

I've searched through the posts, but I am still confused in my case. For the last 2-3 weeks, starting in 1st gear, there is considerable clutch chatter. All other gears shift fine, there is no grinding noise and I don't notice any slippage. This happens when the engine/transmission is cold or hot, I don't track the car, and I've never smelled any clutch burn. The clutch pedal seems to be engaging at the same point as it has for the last year. The clutch fluid levels are fine. I can even start in 2nd without the chatter problem. All of this would lead me to think the clutch is still OK.

Some of the posts I read mentioned problems with a throw out bearing (especially in our Z's), but I don't know what the symptoms are for that issue. I also don't really know much about the synchros that have also been mentioned in previous posts. Of course, checking those items out would obviously require a transmission drop, from what I understand.

Any other suggestions?