So for the last week and a half my 2012 Focus Edge 1.6 TDCI has had a squeaky/whoop noise when setting off in first gear (ill post a vid of the exact noise from a video i found). It isnt a constant noise, goes away when car warms up and sometimes doesnt happen whatsoever. Ive done a bit of research and everyone seems to point the finger at the clutch release bearing and ive got the car booked in next week for a look see. Now im not to mechanically minded and i wouldnt ever tackle something like this myself but i dont wanna get stuck paying for more than i need so my question(s) is, is it worth getting replaced if it is the clutch release? if so can it just be replaced itself or will a full clutch replacement be the best option? What other things might they suggest i need that i wouldn't need? and what ball park price would you think ill be looking at. 

Car has 160km and no info on when last clutch job was done on it.

Heres the video i found with the exact noise:

 

You would be crazy to separate the engine and gearbox for any reason and not put a new clutch in !!!!

Perhaps @DaveT70 might give you some advice on the subject of clutch replacement 🤔

sounds like rust on the rear discs to me - drive the car use the brakes and all is good except your driving style, the weather, and your government

OK - second round of listening after creating my materpiece below Re. how to pay German car workers 65k a year - I suspect you manually release the park brake, but then the 'donk' is all four pads rusted quite hard on the discs (from all that salt and wet roads) - then 'the whine' is the rest of the disc's lighter rust coating arguing with the pads for a few revolutions - So maybe less driver abuse (but most of the driving points below apply to modern cars and driving styles)

for educational and entertainment purposes here what really goes on

what I hear is CLUTCH ABUSE because you're are too lazy to press the park brake button like you should every time you pull away, (the feature is no better than Start Stop, an EPB is ONLY to add wear and damage to the car, so you buy more workshop time and spares, or ideally scrap the car and buy a new one more frequently)

so that first noise is you trashing the clutch and dragging the rear tyres up the road like a lame dog, until the ABS sensors almost understand whats happening - as it realises this is with the stop lights off and the throttle open, it decides you are trying to drive the car (so releases the park brake)...

but as the rain's been tipping down, its cold and depressing up north and the council is always out throwing rust all over the roads at this time of year [ - pretending to make the tarmac have more grip (when really they do it when too warm for black ice) and it just brings grease to the surface to drive up road deaths - which fortunately drives the economy - selling more cars, and pays rich people handsomely.  A side benefit, all those deaths make us a little depressed and leads to slower and slower speed limits, meaning we must have start stop for all the stationary fake traffic jams - then as is human nature, everyone makes up journey times elsewhere - leading to the opportunity to sell speed cameras and ideally we get in a virtuous circle of depression, death, poverty and car sales.... repeat year on year as this aids in the take over of our country by evil crims - ] the short term impact for you is the fun goes on while your car is parked, hence your brakes get covered in a light coating of rust.  So as you pull away (not using the park brake correctly), with the brake pads still trying to remember how to come off the partially rusty discs, its creating the second harmonic whining noise you are concerned about

 

 

 

Mk3 Focus doesn't use EPB.

see edit...

On 2/11/2024 at 10:52 AM, Botus said:

sounds like rust on the rear discs to me - drive the car use the brakes and all is good except your driving style, the weather, and your government

OK - second round of listening after creating my materpiece below Re. how to pay German car workers 65k a year - I suspect you manually release the park brake, but then the 'donk' is all four pads rusted quite hard on the discs (from all that salt and wet roads) - then 'the whine' is the rest of the disc's lighter rust coating arguing with the pads for a few revolutions - So maybe less driver abuse (but most of the driving points below apply to modern cars and driving styles)

for educational and entertainment purposes here what really goes on

what I hear is CLUTCH ABUSE because you're are too lazy to press the park brake button like you should every time you pull away, (the feature is no better than Start Stop, an EPB is ONLY to add wear and damage to the car, so you buy more workshop time and spares, or ideally scrap the car and buy a new one more frequently)

so that first noise is you trashing the clutch and dragging the rear tyres up the road like a lame dog, until the ABS sensors almost understand whats happening - as it realises this is with the stop lights off and the throttle open, it decides you are trying to drive the car (so releases the park brake)...

but as the rain's been tipping down, its cold and depressing up north and the council is always out throwing rust all over the roads at this time of year [ - pretending to make the tarmac have more grip (when really they do it when too warm for black ice) and it just brings grease to the surface to drive up road deaths - which fortunately drives the economy - selling more cars, and pays rich people handsomely.  A side benefit, all those deaths make us a little depressed and leads to slower and slower speed limits, meaning we must have start stop for all the stationary fake traffic jams - then as is human nature, everyone makes up journey times elsewhere - leading to the opportunity to sell speed cameras and ideally we get in a virtuous circle of depression, death, poverty and car sales.... repeat year on year as this aids in the take over of our country by evil crims - ] the short term impact for you is the fun goes on while your car is parked, hence your brakes get covered in a light coating of rust.  So as you pull away (not using the park brake correctly), with the brake pads still trying to remember how to come off the partially rusty discs, its creating the second harmonic whining noise you are concerned about

 

 

 

Ngl, got a nose bleed trying to read this. 

Joking aside... Thought it might have been the breaks myself but front and rear are basically brand new with no grooves or uneven wear. Got them changed a few months back because the front ones squeaked like crazy and its nothing like that noise. This noise comes from where the clutch is situated for sure and in hind site changing from 1st through to 3rd is very audible. Mechanic quoted me 1000euro for full works on the clutch today including dmf. Told him to go ahead and he said ring in the morning just to confirm. With all that said and done, would you or anyone kind of agree that this is the issue?

OEM go to a lot of lengths to design disc and pad material that is the best compromise of cold, hot braking performance, noise, wear and pedal feel

aftermarket copies are usually 25% worse in every area - Chinese budget copies are often unsafe