New and financed vehicles are usually sold with a “backup plan” – a fail safe if you will – to prevent the driver of a vehicle will be paying it off for at least 5 years from finding themselves in a situation where there’s a latent defect on their car to be assured a replacement of the faulty part at no cost to them; this comes in the form of a motor warranty or motor plan.
Now, what if you’re one of the lucky few who have a fully paid up car, and have opted to not add-on a value added service like an extended motor plan – and you have the very unfortunate event of your clutch diving off the edge of a cliff and giving up on it’s existence? It’s a horrible reality, but it’s one you have to face.
Your very first criteria should be to find a supplier who is RMI certified; RMI – the Retail motor Industry – is somewhat a stamp of quality assurance to the user. RMI certified retailers abide by a strict code of conduct, and the certification is often a pre-requisite for any repairs (even when insured or under a motor warranty) that you have qualified mechanics and genuine parts going into your vehicle.
Look out for this stamp when trying to decipher if your retailer is approved:
Many companies do not specifically advertise under RMI’s website to stipulate their association, but it’s very easy to detect. Simply visit their website and search for this logo, or contact RMI to confirm their certification.
So if your clutch decides its day has come, continue reading.
According to an article published on iol – “As modern cars become increasingly more advanced, the DIY guy often finds that home repairs are getting more and more complicated.
Used to be replacing a clutch was a Saturday-morning job with friends and a beer, but that has turned into a rather expensive visit to the local mechanic or dealership. Along with more sophisticated clutch mechanisms come problems that are not so cheap or easy to repair.
One of our readers had a clutch failure and asked why he had to pay for the repair even though the vehicle was still covered by the maintenance plan. His problem was that the clutch in his car – an expensive German brand with a very modern clutch system – had been replaced twice in less than 20 000km. The clutch on this particular model could not be replaced without the dual-mass flywheel being replaced as well.”
That’s a whole lot of jargon a lot of us aren’t familiar with – so in short: Clutch technology has advanced, and costs more to do on newer cars.
So how can you ensure you’ll be able to afford it out of a motor plan? Shop around!
Depending on the make, model and year of your car – there is unfortunately no black-and-white pricing guideline on how much you will pay. But we do suggest you approach at the very least 3 RMI certified dealers or retailers, to compare your own quotes.
The best solution for you is the one that satisfies your needs.
Visit our website for more details and pricing on your clutch replacement.
Cover Image Credit: Cartoq
