i have a 2002 M3 with a squeak in the clutch pedal that seems to get worse after i drive in the rain. a reconditioned clutch was installed 2 years, 4 months ago. at that time the clutch also squeaked, and hesitated such that i almost had a head-on. the service rep said there was rust in the clutch when they repaired it. last night the squeak sounded more like a creek and was coming from under the car near the transmission. i called BMW America, who said there was nothing they would do since i was 4 months past the warranty expiration and they had no reports of other similar problems. when i took it to the BMW service department 2 weeks ago, they said they didnt think it was a problem. i think its getting worse. could the slave cylinder be going, or the throw-out bearings? is there any way rust can get inside a manual transmission? should i just bite the bullet and spend the $1200+ its going to cost to get it diagnosed?
Could the sound be coming from the pedal?
When does it squeek? If it’s relatively silent most of the time and squeeks loudly when you step on and hold the pedal down with the engine running, the throwout bearing has gone bad. If that’s the case, another new clutch assy is in order as tearing it down for JUST a throwout bearing is not economically feasible. $1200??? For a DIAGNOSIS??? I had a clutch replaced in a 325i last summer for a total of $430. You DO NOT need to use the BMW dealer for this repair. I’m assuming that their diagnosis involves a complete teardown. If the throwout bearing is causing the squeek, you already have your FREE diagnosis. There is a portion of the Car Talk website which will help you find a competant independent mechanic in your area. See: http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/ .
Tell us, are you one of those drivers who is about to STOP keeping your left foot on the clutch pedal when you’re waiting at a stoplight? The throwout bearing is the greatest point of wear in those cases.
With the engine turned off do you hear the squeaking sound if you depress the clutch pedal repeatedly?
That “rust in the clutch” is malarkey and 1200 dollars to diagnose a clutch noise is equal malarkey.