Aygo MMT - Clutch replacement under extended warranty

[ihpj]

I know much has been discussed on these forums about the MMT and we have had much debate as to how to prevent (and resolve) issues when they inevitably arise. Most often it is related to clutch failure which requires a Toyota main dealer to replace the clutch at a cost of about £650-odd.

To mitigate against this, I made the decision to maintain the extended warranty with Toyota (especially since they have been offering 2-4-1 for many years). We have owned our facelift 2009 Aygo Blue since new. When she was about 3.5 years old she needed a new clutch kit at about 35K miles. This was arranged through the extended warranty no issues. Aside from the odd warranty claim now and again for things I am convinced my Toyota dealer went looking for, she’s been rather faultless. Then last week she ticked over 60K miles and clutch slippage was again detected. Booked into my local Dealer and returned with all new clutch kit after 2 days - yup you guessed, all covered by extended warranty.

I cannot understate the value of the Toyota extended warranty which has really come through for us over the years. Regrettably my Aygo won’t be elgiable for renewal when the current policy expires in Summer of 2020, but it may persuade me to buy a new Aygo. I hope my experience helps others.

 

...and she had the rear window recall work done at the same time too!

[FROSTYBALLS]

The Toyota extended warranty was revised last year and may be renewed up to the time the car is 12 years old or 100,000 miles at the point of sale of the extended warranty.

Extract from Toyota's website: A Toyota Extended Warranty is substantially similar to the warranty you get with a brand new car, but it applies to the car you own already, whether you were the first owner or you bought it used. The Toyota Extended Warranty can be renewed until the vehicle is 12 years old or 100,000 miles (at the point of sale of the extended warranty) , and if a part covered by the Toyota Extended Warranty suffers electrical or mechanical failure at any time during the term, Toyota is committed to fixing it. You don't pay for replacement parts or labour.

So provided you won't have exceeded 100,000 miles by Summer 2020, and yours will be around 11 years old at this time, it will still be possible to renew.

[zuh]

Thank you for your feedback, it's interesting to know how it worked for you 😉 I'm quite surprised.

I'm in France and here, the clutch is considered as a 'wearing part'. As such, it is expressly not covered under the original manufacturer warranty or any extended warranty, and it is excluded as well by most mechanical breakdown insurances. This led to shocking situations where owners had to pay for the repairs on Aygos that were recent and still under warranty.

My solution was to lease the car 😄 In case of failure, I don't want to know anything, I bring it back to the dealer.

[FROSTYBALLS]

2 minutes ago, zuh said:

As such, it is expressly not covered under the original manufacturer warranty 

Under the majority of new car warranties clutches are covered for manufacturing defects for a shorter period, and this is typically around six months. 

Suppose the difference between manual and MMT clutches as regards the warranty is the automation of the MMT clutch.

However, sometimes if the clutch is affected by another component which is repaired under warranty, the clutch may be replaced in addition to the failed component. For example, with our previous i20 when it was 3 years old, developed a clutch judder. Turned out an oil seal was leaking which caused the clutch judder  - both the oil seal and clutch were replaced under warranty.

[ihpj]

I do believe if you press the underwriters they will concede the clutch in the MMT should be covered under most circumstances because it is, after all, not something the driver can influence the rate of wear as it is, by its very definition part of the transmission and automated. I do accept that ours is a very good Dealer with whom we have an excellent relationship (for Servicing) and this has helped move the conversation forward with the Toyota Warranty. Fundamentally though, I can’t see how the warranty company can argue wear and tear or user interference should the clutch wear?

I am pleased for the update on extending the warranty - we might just do that when it falls for renewal next year - and given previous form of needing a clutch assembly every 3 years and circa 35K miles we should be spot on for the next one!

[Byzii]

10 hours ago, ihpj said:

[..]because it is, after all, not something the driver can influence the rate of wear as it is, by its very definition part of the transmission and automated.

Fundamentally though, I can’t see how the warranty company can argue wear and tear or user interference should the clutch wear?

What do you mean by this?

Maybe I'd understand if it were an automatic gearbox, but in a manual clutch is absolutely dependant on how the user uses it. I can go to a dealer and buy a brand-spanking-new car and it would take me something like an hour to completely destroy the clutch, if I wanted to that is. 

Clutch wear is directly linked to the user. If you're driving only on highways, your clutches very well could live up to 200k or even 300k miles. However, if you're driving mostly in the city with a lot of stop-and-go traffic, 35k miles isn't out of the ordinary for a clutch.

To me it's very obvious why clutches aren't under any warranty and this is the case in my country as well. If you came to the dealer with a worn out clutch in hopes of any warranty work, you'd get laughed out of the room. It's the same with brakes, windshields, tires, struts, and any other suspension and "standard wear and tear" components. Basically warranty is only for the engine, transmission box itself and any electrical work that might need to be done.

[alan333]

2 hours ago, Byzii said:

What do you mean by this?

Maybe I'd understand if it were an automatic gearbox, but in a manual clutch is absolutely dependant on how the user uses it. 

But to all intents and purposes it is an automatic gearbox, there’s no clutch pedal for a user to mis-use. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

4 hours ago, Byzii said:

To me it's very obvious why clutches aren't under any warranty 

New car warranties do cover clutches for manufacturing defects, but for a limited time - typically six months.