CC Users Beware
Please keep in mind that the electronic readout that prompts the dealer to recommend a clutch replacement is woefully inaccurate. It also appears that the computer calculates clutch wear based on a very recent buffer of data. For example, it would not surprise me that a new car would have 95% clutch life left. That car, if tracked the following weekend and read again, would likely show 50% clutch left. If following the track day the car was driven conservatively for a month, I predict the clutch readout would indicate well over 50% clutch remaining. A recent experience with a defective throw-out bearing after a clutch replacement appears to bare this out.
Unfortunately, as I understand it, the clutch can't be visibly checked without performing most of the labor necessary to replace it. Based upon the full breadth of posts on our board, it would appear that we can expect about 30k miles on a clutch, all things being equal, of course. Defective parts, mountainous terrain, aggressive driving are all additional factors to be considered. Having gone 30k on my original clutch, absent some intervening factor, I would never consider having it replaced significantly earlier solely on that readout and the dealer's recommendation.
