I have a 2004 G Coupe with about 45K miles. I am having issues where the car does not seem to respond when I hit the gas but reacts after a second or two or when I get to maybe 3000-4000 RPMs. The car drives normally and at the right RPMs at higher speeds, it's just "sluggish" when I hit the gas. Other than this issue the car reacts as it should (no unusual sounds, pulling, etc.).

I know nothing about cars but a friend thinks it is the clutch. I spoke to a dealer who thinks it could be the flywheel as well. If it's the flywheel it's a $2400 repair.

Has anyone else experienced this? It seems a little early to be having these issues. Is this something that would still be under warranty? Does anyone know a mechanic they trust in the NY/NJ area?

Is this an opportunity to do some mods on the car?

 

Clutch warranty is 12K miles, I think. It's considered a "wear" item like a brake pad or a belt. If it's a clutch problem (slipping) when you engage the clutch from a stop and step hard on the gas, (with VDC off) you should get a revving of the motor and not much acceleration. Can you rev it, engage the clutch quickly and get the back tires to spin? (VDC off) You should be able to do this. If after engaging the clutch the motor revs and you get no wheel spin, you have a bad clutch. If you have no revving and no wheel spin, the VDC is acting up. (my best guess)

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Would you happen to know how I could tell if its just the clutch or the flywheel as well?

 

mm tough.. you'd hafta prolly open her up to see if it's the flywheel also. ur dealer will check for $80 or something like that.. i would go with an aftermarket clutch and flywheel and get them both taken care of. the JWT combo seems to be pretty popular on here

 

This car's flywheel is a little different than some. When the clutch went out in my old Ford pick up, I just crawled under and dropped the tranny and pulled everything out. I took it to the machine shop and had the flywheel "surfaced" just like a brake rotor. I went back together with everything and it was done.

However, it is my understanding (you guys correct me if I'm wrong) that this fly wheel is NOT machinable. So you must replace the flywheel, clutch plates, pressure plate and throw out bearing as a unit. The Stealership will charge you over $2K to do this. The JWT or ACT clutch assy is much better and cheaper. Since it's out of warranty, you can have it done at any shop you trust.