Gallardo clutch
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Bow to the almighty and powerful Oz.... yes i have a certain awareness for the Gallardo and its clutch 
Coincidentally i was speaking to lambo about that very issue yesterday morning.
What's the problem?
Coincidentally i was speaking to lambo about that very issue yesterday morning.
What's the problem?
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76 Posts
Drronh,
I assume you are talking about the manual clutch, and not the e-gear clutch?
James,
What was the final outcome of your dramas with your manual clutch - I was away for a while and may have missed some postings. Did they install a replacement "same" clutch, an e-gear clutch, or the "revised" manual clutch that my dealer mentioned to me recently. Did you have to pay anything or was it all covered under warranty?
Don't want to worry you more, but the local manual car here that I referred to before that has had three new clutches in 1600km, has now had to have the gearbox replaced because the clutch problems ultimately resulted in damage to the gearbox. There's about 28 Gallardo's in Australia I think (last count) with I guess a 50/50 mix of e-gear and manual. As far as I know it is only the one manual car that has had these problems. Mhh, have you heard anything from down south in the country?
I assume you are talking about the manual clutch, and not the e-gear clutch?
James,
What was the final outcome of your dramas with your manual clutch - I was away for a while and may have missed some postings. Did they install a replacement "same" clutch, an e-gear clutch, or the "revised" manual clutch that my dealer mentioned to me recently. Did you have to pay anything or was it all covered under warranty?
Don't want to worry you more, but the local manual car here that I referred to before that has had three new clutches in 1600km, has now had to have the gearbox replaced because the clutch problems ultimately resulted in damage to the gearbox. There's about 28 Gallardo's in Australia I think (last count) with I guess a 50/50 mix of e-gear and manual. As far as I know it is only the one manual car that has had these problems. Mhh, have you heard anything from down south in the country?
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Bunkhound, no reports on manuals here in Adelaide. The only 2 cars on the road are e-gears. Don't know the score in Melbourne or Perth.
I'm not sure about the 50/50 mix. My dealer said most Australian demand is for e-gear (he might be guessing himself of course).
I'm not sure about the 50/50 mix. My dealer said most Australian demand is for e-gear (he might be guessing himself of course).
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Ron,drronh said:
The previous owner may be telling the truth (but the 3500 RPM max sounds doubtful - unless it was owned by a nunn!)
There have been some faulty clutches with the manual cars (but for some reason not with the e-gear clutches, which apparently are a little different, but don't know what the differences actually are).
This should definitely be covered under warranty, but I suggest you speak to James about it , as he has been down the same path as you. I believe there is a clutch upgrade to fix the problem.
What country and area are you from?
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Ron,
I've been down this road already so your not alone. Not sure thats any consolation.
Basically my clutch was replaced at 1285 miles on its first service after me reporting difficulty engaging second gear and reverse. So started a battle of phone calls between my dealer, service centre and Lamborghini, as i felt the replacement should have been carried out under warranty.
After 16 weeks Lamborghini have agreed to pay the parts element of the work but not the labour. The state that there was no fault with the clutch and that this refund is being done as a gesture of good will to their customer and not an admission of blame for faulty components.
Its not all bad news though, as Ive subsequently spoken to other people who have managed to get the whole replacement paid for under warranty. The key to this seems to be the route in which you sourced your vehicle. If you bought it from an authorised lambo dealer, who imported it through the normal route into your country then you should be fine and be able to make a case. Any deviation from this route and you could find yourself with a fight on your hands. From what you've said so far, id guess they will try and wriggle out of the issue by blaming "pilot error" either yours or the previous owner, no matter what he/she has said. This is the wall i came up against and my car only had delivery mileage on the clock! (92 miles)
Heres a link to my long long story
Part 1 - http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/forum/messages/16033/11012.html?1093133523
Part 2 - http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/forum/messages/28/16204.html
I've been down this road already so your not alone. Not sure thats any consolation.
Basically my clutch was replaced at 1285 miles on its first service after me reporting difficulty engaging second gear and reverse. So started a battle of phone calls between my dealer, service centre and Lamborghini, as i felt the replacement should have been carried out under warranty.
After 16 weeks Lamborghini have agreed to pay the parts element of the work but not the labour. The state that there was no fault with the clutch and that this refund is being done as a gesture of good will to their customer and not an admission of blame for faulty components.
Its not all bad news though, as Ive subsequently spoken to other people who have managed to get the whole replacement paid for under warranty. The key to this seems to be the route in which you sourced your vehicle. If you bought it from an authorised lambo dealer, who imported it through the normal route into your country then you should be fine and be able to make a case. Any deviation from this route and you could find yourself with a fight on your hands. From what you've said so far, id guess they will try and wriggle out of the issue by blaming "pilot error" either yours or the previous owner, no matter what he/she has said. This is the wall i came up against and my car only had delivery mileage on the clock! (92 miles)
Heres a link to my long long story
Part 1 - http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/forum/messages/16033/11012.html?1093133523
Part 2 - http://www.lamborghini-talk.com/forum/messages/28/16204.html
Bunkhound-
I am in Florida, USA
James-
Interesting story. My car did not always shift easily into 2nd gear either. I did not drive it hard. I only had it for a week before this happened and only drove it on 3 of those days. I have driven manual cars for 25 years now and have never needed a new clutch before. My viper puts down a lot more torque than the lambo and its clutch has held up well. I just traded in a 4 wheel drive Porsche 996 C4S which was driven hard and on a racetrack and its clutch is fine. I have Porsche turbos, 2 and 4 wheel drive, with no clutch problems.
It really is a big disappointment, because I am new to lamborghini and thought that because of the Audi ownership (I also have an Audi) I wouldn't have problems. Even my viper has needed nothing more than oil changes. The car is still at my house and I plan on sending it to the dealer soon, so we'll see what they say.
I am in Florida, USA
James-
Interesting story. My car did not always shift easily into 2nd gear either. I did not drive it hard. I only had it for a week before this happened and only drove it on 3 of those days. I have driven manual cars for 25 years now and have never needed a new clutch before. My viper puts down a lot more torque than the lambo and its clutch has held up well. I just traded in a 4 wheel drive Porsche 996 C4S which was driven hard and on a racetrack and its clutch is fine. I have Porsche turbos, 2 and 4 wheel drive, with no clutch problems.
It really is a big disappointment, because I am new to lamborghini and thought that because of the Audi ownership (I also have an Audi) I wouldn't have problems. Even my viper has needed nothing more than oil changes. The car is still at my house and I plan on sending it to the dealer soon, so we'll see what they say.
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Seems we have similar tastes. I had a 996 C4s too. Never had a problem with the car. But thats Porsche's for you. I've got the new 997 Turbo on order, hoping to take delivery late 05 early 06. Your right about clutches and torque. Ive commented along the same lines. My E55 has way more torque than the the Gallardo and no problems (i know its a semi auto but still a clutch at work in there somewhere). I've also never had a clutch replacement on any car Ive owned. Seems there is more here than meets the eye, but i cant get anyone wearing a bull on their letter heads to tell me otherwise.drronh said:
Good luck and let me know if you get any new info.
They made some updates in the spring, so your car was built before that time; I see no reason why this will not be taken care of under your warranty unless they can show that there was customer abuse. Although that subject is, I find, quite laughable when discussing high performance automobiles. Does any manufacturer of those types of cars think they are going to driven like a Sentra (et al.) ???drronh said:
Jake
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Frank,
Regretfully, I think that a lot of the problem is due to the ingrained poor customer service attitude that has been endemic through too many of the "old school" Lamborghini dealers around the world. Very much a "take it or leave it" mentality. The only reason they have stayed in existence is because they know that Lamborghini has had a unique mystique and that the enthusiasts/followers will embrace it regardless of the kind of service and support they offer - because they have no other choice, if they want to be part of the Lamborghini mystique.
But like many others probably, I shied away from the brand because of all the bad reports regarding reliability, service, dealers etc. That was until Audi appeared on the scene with the Gallardo. I became hooked, and like many others expected that the German's would wield a big stick and lift Lamborghini's game. To a large extent I think that this has happened, within the actual company itself, but once again I feel that the old school Lamborghini dealers around the world are letting many people down.
Without going into too much detail, I have certainly had first hand experience of the "old school dealers", but perhaps I am lucky in that my own local dealer (a newly appointed distributor in my part of the country) has been really good, especially in regards to some problems I had with the "water in the coil pack" problem, but also some very minor other problems (mainly trim related) that they picked up and replaced parts that I had difficulty even seeing any problem with! Of course, all under warranty.
I even raised the scenario "what if I do lots of burnout launch starts and fry the clutch?" Their response was "all under warranty". Not sure if I really want to put this to the test, but it does give me some confidence.
It makes me wonder whether this clutch issue that some owners are having a problem with, is actually a "dealer" problem, with the dealer trying to lay the blame/expense on the driver, for as many problems as they can get away with. The feedback from my friendly dealer workshop foreman is that the manual clutch problem is certainly known about and acknowledged by the factory, and there is now a replacement "under-warranty" fix.
Of course, they have one manual car that they sold, that within 2000km has required three clutches and a new gearbox - maybe an exception, but they have tried to get on top of the problem and it would seem they have got a high level of support from the factory. I am hoping this is a sign of the "new school" Lamborghini distributor.
Maybe, with enough customer feedback complaining about the very poor customer service from some of the old dealers, there may be some changes in distributors that will bring the level of customer service up to at least that which you would expect if you were in the market for a new Mazda or even Skoda!
Am I being too harsh?
Regretfully, I think that a lot of the problem is due to the ingrained poor customer service attitude that has been endemic through too many of the "old school" Lamborghini dealers around the world. Very much a "take it or leave it" mentality. The only reason they have stayed in existence is because they know that Lamborghini has had a unique mystique and that the enthusiasts/followers will embrace it regardless of the kind of service and support they offer - because they have no other choice, if they want to be part of the Lamborghini mystique.
But like many others probably, I shied away from the brand because of all the bad reports regarding reliability, service, dealers etc. That was until Audi appeared on the scene with the Gallardo. I became hooked, and like many others expected that the German's would wield a big stick and lift Lamborghini's game. To a large extent I think that this has happened, within the actual company itself, but once again I feel that the old school Lamborghini dealers around the world are letting many people down.
Without going into too much detail, I have certainly had first hand experience of the "old school dealers", but perhaps I am lucky in that my own local dealer (a newly appointed distributor in my part of the country) has been really good, especially in regards to some problems I had with the "water in the coil pack" problem, but also some very minor other problems (mainly trim related) that they picked up and replaced parts that I had difficulty even seeing any problem with! Of course, all under warranty.
I even raised the scenario "what if I do lots of burnout launch starts and fry the clutch?" Their response was "all under warranty". Not sure if I really want to put this to the test, but it does give me some confidence.
It makes me wonder whether this clutch issue that some owners are having a problem with, is actually a "dealer" problem, with the dealer trying to lay the blame/expense on the driver, for as many problems as they can get away with. The feedback from my friendly dealer workshop foreman is that the manual clutch problem is certainly known about and acknowledged by the factory, and there is now a replacement "under-warranty" fix.
Of course, they have one manual car that they sold, that within 2000km has required three clutches and a new gearbox - maybe an exception, but they have tried to get on top of the problem and it would seem they have got a high level of support from the factory. I am hoping this is a sign of the "new school" Lamborghini distributor.
Maybe, with enough customer feedback complaining about the very poor customer service from some of the old dealers, there may be some changes in distributors that will bring the level of customer service up to at least that which you would expect if you were in the market for a new Mazda or even Skoda!
Am I being too harsh?
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excellent posting, bunkhound!
Hi there bunkhound,
Excellent posting. I think you have summed up the main problem precisely. I agree that Lambo dealers will have to improve their act dramatically with the sudden increase in Lambo owners, all of whom are used to much better levels of customer care with other car brands. I would hope that Audi are getting this message also and will act to improve or change some of their dealers.
I'm staggered that there are 28+ Gallardos in Australia, when they are about A$500,000 each (plus options!). Are you sure about this?
I'm returning to Aus in a couple of years, so I'd be tempted to bring a Gallardo over from here in the UK, as they are onlyA$280,000 here and I'd hoipefully avoid import duties, GST etc as a returning resident.
William
Hi there bunkhound,
Excellent posting. I think you have summed up the main problem precisely. I agree that Lambo dealers will have to improve their act dramatically with the sudden increase in Lambo owners, all of whom are used to much better levels of customer care with other car brands. I would hope that Audi are getting this message also and will act to improve or change some of their dealers.
I'm staggered that there are 28+ Gallardos in Australia, when they are about A$500,000 each (plus options!). Are you sure about this?
I'm returning to Aus in a couple of years, so I'd be tempted to bring a Gallardo over from here in the UK, as they are onlyA$280,000 here and I'd hoipefully avoid import duties, GST etc as a returning resident.
William
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William, the Gallardo is $A400,000 here in Australia ($A425K in e-gear), plus options. I think Bunkhound's numbers sound correct. Australia is a (perhaps suprisingly) strong market for upmarket cars.
I would check carefully before trying to import a UK car as I think you'll find the duty regime pretty discouraging. In any case, any price differential would disappear on resale as privately imported cars always take a big hit when they reach the local used market.
I would check carefully before trying to import a UK car as I think you'll find the duty regime pretty discouraging. In any case, any price differential would disappear on resale as privately imported cars always take a big hit when they reach the local used market.
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My understanding, talking to my dealer the other day, is that the current "on the road" all up price for Gallardo in Australia c/w e-gear and pearl paint is now about AUS $470,000. This equates to about US $338,000.00 and UK 188,000 pounds, if I have done my conversion figures correctly.
Yes, we really get stung by our government. They even have a special "luxury" car tax for us. I guess they are a bit like a Lambo dealer - they know they can get away with it, because there is stuff all else we can do about it! Such is life.
Yes, we really get stung by our government. They even have a special "luxury" car tax for us. I guess they are a bit like a Lambo dealer - they know they can get away with it, because there is stuff all else we can do about it! Such is life.
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Could be worse you could be paying over AUS $2 a litre for fuel like we have tobunkhound said:
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