I have 38K miles on my car, and my clutch is on the verge of retirement. I do not drive the car aggressively, nor have I abused the clutch in any way. The only thing I can think of that could be a cause is a "grind" noise I hear every so often when I try to engage 5th gear. Usually it happens when going 3rd to 5th, but sometimes 4th to 5th grinds as well. I took it to the dealer over a year ago to tell them about it and all they could tell me was "don't skip gears because the cars transmission is built for that" and to "not accelerate aggressively that you'll have to go from 3rd to 5th." Since then, all I really could do was to ease it into 5th when skipping gears, and to deal with the gear grind all the other times. I'm wondering if there is anything that can be done, or if anyone else has experienced this problem. Maybe some TSB applies? I know many people have gotten their transmissions replaced but I'm clueless as to how to handle this. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

I took it in with a 5th gear grind and got brand new tranny clutch and flywheel all under warranty... I would go have the tech do a ride along and YOU drive and show the grind from 4th to 5th... make sure he hears it... you'll have better luck that way

 

If you are grinding 5th at 38k your synchro has gone out and you need a new tranny. It is very common. Some people are on their 4th and 5th tranny. I' on #2.

 

That would cause your clutch to go out early.