Clutch Problem With Rental Car

[dharpernz]

Hi,

I was recently on holiday in Spain and driving a rented Diesel Focus hatchback with about 26,000Km (16,250miles) on the clock and when I was driving up a hill the clutch stopped working, more specifically I'd press to the floor and it would stay there, although it could be brought up by hand. The only way to get the vehicle into gear was when engine was switched off. There were no prior indications of problems.

My rental company have currently charged me €500 euros excess, I had only had the car a day, and the replacement vehicle was the same and I drove for 2 weeks without problems.

Can someone help identify what the problem was and likely cause and whether it should be reasonable for me to be charged, and if so how much it would likely to have cost to rectify the problem.

Thanks for your help

[catch]

Hi,

I was recently on holiday in Spain and driving a rented Diesel Focus hatchback with about 26,000Km (16,250miles) on the clock and when I was driving up a hill the clutch stopped working, more specifically I'd press to the floor and it would stay there, although it could be brought up by hand. The only way to get the vehicle into gear was when engine was switched off. There were no prior indications of problems.

My rental company have currently charged me €500 euros excess, I had only had the car a day, and the replacement vehicle was the same and I drove for 2 weeks without problems.

Can someone help identify what the problem was and likely cause and whether it should be reasonable for me to be charged, and if so how much it would likely to have cost to rectify the problem.

Thanks for your help

Immaterial of cost, they had no right to charge you for a mechanical failure. It's a hire car it will have had all sorts of people driving it. My mechanic has put two clutches in an old dears car and it has only got 33k+ on the clock. Think on she is now on her third clutch including the original. I clipped a BMW once in Spain whilst overtaking it, I was in a Seat what a load of crap that was, stuff would just drop off it. Funny enough it was an Ex pat living out there. Well it was his wife's car, he had just nipped out in it, bit of a paint transfer job, a really chilled guy. We exchanged details, I informed the hire company and heard no more about it, I'd paid the waiver bit up front.