Okay, you two, go to neutral corners.
The analogy of the slave cylinder being like a drum brake wheel cylinder is an apt one. If it fails, it will leak fluid. That fluid may run down the outside, or it could go into the bellhousing and leak out of the weep hole at the bottom. It depends on how the slave cylinder is mounted.
I agree with Tester about the clutch master cylinder being the likely cause and also that it should always be replaced when the slave cylinder is changed out.
Iâm also in agreement that a failing slave cylinder should be easily noticeable due to a fluid leak. The exception would be a clutch assembly with an internal slave that is not visible short of disassembly.
Unfortunately these things happen and it is not the intent of the shop to rip off the customer.
Sometimes the shorthand on the work order is difficult to understand or the complaint is incomplete. The technician road tests the vehicle and finds that the clutch is weak and slips under full throttle, the vehicle owner may have never noticed this. It is then the opinion of the technician that the clutch should be replaced.
The shop stated that they were unable to replicate the problem, the problem was probably not demonstrated when the vehicle was dropped off as well. A pedal that glides to the floor without disengaging the clutch is a hydraulic failure and it seems they didnât understand the complaint.
The shop might replace the clutch master at no charge as a goodwill gesture to the misunderstanding but I doubt they will refund the clutch replacement if it was truly worn.
+1
I would be willing to make a small wager that Tester is correct.
In fact, this probability is so obvious that I really have to question the skills and the honesty of the mechanic to whom the OP took his car.
It became standard procedure for me to always replace both the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder whenever either part failed because as a rule within one month of replacing one end the other failed and made me look incompetent. And when a clutch was replaced both cylinders were replaced when the slave cylinder was concentric.
I find it interesting how some posters here called the mechanic/shop that performed the original work on OPs car, incompetent and some other choice phrases. Simultaneously they argue with other posters about the cause and what all needs to be replaced and what not.
It would seem to me that had the OP come to one of the shops that people here work at, she wouldnât have been much better off. Perhaps it works or perhaps not, but hey, you probably needed it anyway.
In the OP it does come to mind that the original clutch may have been perfectly sound and did not need replacing but it got replaced anyway and the incidental replacement of the slave cylinder resulted in the temporary fix. But on the vast majority of FWDs it seems to be worthwhile to replace everything in the bellhousing whenever it is necessary to remove the transmission. Because labor is by far the greatest expense involved an âall or nothingâ approach seems to be the best option.
If the vehicle had been equipped with an external slave cylinder and the shop had replaced the clutch and slave cylinder I would judge the shop either incompetent or unethical. The Peugeot concentric slave cylinders are an expensive pain that can make competent, honest shops look bad. Maybe the OPâs shop will realize that in the long run replacing everything is in the best interest of the customer and the shop. If the OPâs bill had been $40 more but he had no problems would he be here questioning the repair?
Thank you for your response! I actually donât know anything about cars, and as I am a single mother I really have no one to ask about this which is why I reached out to Car Talk. I guess I just wanted to get other peopleâs opinions on what they thought about my car situation. I feel like for $1000, my car should be running perfect. I understand that the mechanics are only human, and that everybody makes mistakes, I am just really hoping that it wasnât a mistake that I needed a new clutch, as that would be a very expensive mistake. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing now. I donât have a lot of money and had to get a high interest title loan just to pay for the work they have done so far, so I am really bummed about the whole situation. Yes, if the car was running fine then I would not be here questioning the repair. But as it stands, I had to get my car towed back to the same shop yesterday, and here I am stranded at home with a 2 year old for God knows how long 
I am wondering now if it was the master cylinder all along and I didnât need the new clutch(?) I have really appreciated everyoneâs responses, and as a result, I feel confident now calling them in the morning and discussing the master cylinder. So thanks to you all 
From your description your clutch master has failed. It is unknown if your clutch was worn or failing, you didnât ask what they found to be failing or what was wrong with the clutch.
I suspect the clutch slave cylinder was replaced because it is included in the clutch kit and it is attached to the clutch release bearing.
How many miles on that Ford Escape . . . ?
For the future, you should consider asking the shop to save your old parts, so that you can inspect them, and possibly take pictures
It would have been interesting to see just how worn your clutch disc actually was, and what condition the pressure plate was in. Also would have nice to see what condition the flywheel was in, before they resurfaced it
[quote=âdb4690, post:30, topic:95932, full:trueâ]
How many miles on that Ford Escape . . . ?
[/quote]I thought maybe I somehow missed this important piece of information.
Even with all these problems, itâs possible this shop is on the up-and-up. Based on the age of the car and number of miles on the current clutch, and what other stuff you told them and how it was behaving at the shop, they probably decided the best course was to remove the transmission and inspect all the clutch parts. Thatâs the only way they could have determined the flywheel needed to be replaced for example.
So they replaced all those parts â which wouldnât be out of the normal at all for a clutch job â and did a test drive and it seemed to be working ok, so returned the car to you. But a problem apparently remained. As long as theyâre keeping you informed of their progress and trying their best to get the car back to you in a fully repaired state, thatâs about the best you can expect. So I see no issue with letting them continue to work on it to resolve the remaining problems. Thatâs the nature of car repairs, sometimes the fix doesnât quite work so it needs to be tweaked or even re-done. The techs donât manufacture the parts, so canâ really be held responsible if their parts vendor makes a mistake. Every diyâer car repairer â including me â has almost certainly purchased a part that didnât work, either right away, or failed within a week.
I do think the comments above about the shop not replacing the master cylinder along with the slave have merit. That seems a questionable practice. But the exact nature of what you told them has to be considered too. If you told them you were short on funds and had to keep the cost of this job to a minimum, then not replacing the master cylinder is one way to do that. Iâm not recommending that practice, I wouldnât do it if it were my car, but there could be a reason for it. And are you sure they didnât replace the master cylinder?
The other comments above about relying on Yelp to find a shop is something to consider too. IMO anyway, thatâs not the best way, b/c you havenât much idea who it was that posted those positive reviews. Could have been a friend of the shop owner, who knows? The best way to find a shop is to ask people you have a trusted relationship with, friends, co-workers, fellow church goes, fellow bar-friends, whoever you know, ask them which shop they use for fixing their own cars. Then from among that list, choose a shop that specializes in your make. Best time to do this is when the car doesnât need fixing, so you can take your time interviewing several shop owners.
A few more things . . .
I just reread the original posting, and it appears the flywheel may have been replaced, not resurfaced
This seems a little unusual to me
As long as the flywheel still is within specs after cutting, I would think thatâs preferable, versus a new flywheel
Personally, I would rather have a factory flywheel resurfaced, provided itâs still within specs after machining, versus perhaps going with an aftermarket flywheel
And I still canât figure out why the shop would literally replace everything, EXCEPT the clutch master. That makes absolutely no sense. Thatâs like installing a new headlamp assembly, but reusing the 15-year old original bulbs
Thank you so much for the thoughtful response. Makes me feel much better about the situation. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt until the car broke down a second time, and I guess my mind just started to wander⊠I did not mention to the shop that money was tight, as when they initially looked at the car, I was only getting a diagnosis/estimate from them. I wasnât sure at that time that I would be using them for sure, but after they initially looked at it and I did some Googling, it seemed like a fair price. I didnât have much to tell them about the problem, as my car was working fine one minute, and was broken the next. Just before I had it towed to their shop the first time, I was at a red light in neutral. The light changed to green, so I stepped on the clutch to put it in gear, and the pedal hit the floor and stayed there. And that was it. The car was fine up until that point. I donât understand after reading all of the comments, why the shop did not replace the master cylinder, but maybe they honestly thought it was okay. I am looking forward to talking to them in the morning. I have been back and forth up until this point on whether or not I should let them continue to work on the car, (or if I should get a second opinion), but as long as they reimburse me for having to tow the car there yesterday, I guess Iâll give them one more shot. In any case, thanks again for your response. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for your response! They shop told me that it was actually cheaper for them to replace the flywheel than to just âfixâ it, and as I donât know anything about cars, I said okay. This experience and reading all of these great responses has taught me A LOT about this kind of car problem, so needless to say, if this ever happens again, I will be well prepared. I still canât figure out why they didnât replace the master cylinder⊠if they donât tell me it needs replaced tomorrow, I will definitely suggest it and see what they say.
You must have told them more than that, that is not enough to suspect a hydraulic problem.
Is it possible that the towing driver pulled the clutch pedal up to make the vehicle easier to load and unload?
This vehicle has a dual mass flywheel, it is standard practice to replace rather than resurface.
I have never replaced a clutch master with a routine clutch replacement and I have never observed a co-worker doing so.
Are you an auto club member?
If so, you should have a few free tows per year, as part of your club benefits
Exactly!
I was trying to come up with a good analogy, and you did it before I could come up with a good one.
At the risk of casting aspersions, Iâm wondering if the flywheel was touched.
Had I been the car owner Iâd have asked the shop, âUh, tell me again how the flywheel has anything to do with the clutch pedal sinking to the floor.â
I agree with you, in the sense that a clutch hydraulic problem really has nothing do with the flywheel
That said . . .
the shop claimed the clutch was worn, and itâs very common for a worn clutch disc to savage the flywheel, which is why they routinely get resurfaced, sometimes even replaced