[Natalie E]

Looking for some advice- after my last post I took my 17plate petrol Rio to the dealer.....explained the clutch judder, they kept the car overnight and called the next morning to let me know they’d be replacing the clutch and fly wheel in warranty! Great! Although after 20k miles and less than 3 years old I still don’t think it should need one, apparently a fault clutch etc....
200 miles later, the judder is back. Dealer saying common when car is cold and all Kia’s including their courtesy cars do it.....if that’s the case, why has our other car( a 2014 Rio) never done it, why didn’t this one do it a year ago when we bought it?

Anyone have or having similar issues? I’ve read it could be because there is damp sat on the clutch that needs to ‘dry’ out.....but surely that can’t be normal can it?

 

[Jack Daniels]

A clutch that is submerged during a river crossing drys out pretty quick.

 

[RioSpanez]

I don’t have any advice but:

My Rio does the same thing (slight judder / studder) almost every time I go for a drive, but only the first time I use the clutch.

I think these clutches are prone to condensation which means the clutch has to “rub off” the water a bit.

Perhaps yours is extra worn or is more prone, but I’m glad they fixed it!

On My old Hyundai Accent the clutch would shudder after a long highway drive. I think what’s going on it because the clutch hasn’t been lifted in a while, it’s just kinda “re-seating” itself

 

[Sporty Joe]

I don’t have any advice but:

My Rio does the same thing (slight judder / studder) almost every time I go for a drive, but only the first time I use the clutch.

I think these clutches are prone to condensation which means the clutch has to “rub off” the water a bit.

Perhaps yours is extra worn or is more prone, but I’m glad they fixed it!

On My old Hyundai Accent the clutch would shudder after a long highway drive. I think what’s going on it because the clutch hasn’t been lifted in a while, it’s just kinda “re-seating” itself

Yes, condensation is a common issue on clutches first thing after a cold start. The resulting judder clears up very very quickly though, if that is the cause. It is brand and model agnostic, as it can happen on many brands. It is commonly found on Honda Civic and CR-V models, for instance.
There may be other reasons for a judder of course, especially if it is persistent.

 

[Scotty P]

Kia Rio 2014 Had it from new had to have a new clutch fitted last march at 24000 miles and then got the dreaded judder very soon after had it back to the dealer who said that they would replace it under warranty but when they striped it down they said it was down to the way we drive and Kia would not cover it under warranty I had to pay for a new one to be fitted, the first time i drove it from cold it had the judder as before only for the first few times each day but nearly every day, had it back to dealer again who then came up with the damp theory so I think i was conned paying for a clutch that had nothing wrong with it, it had only dun 4000 miles, I asked for the old parts back but was told that they have to be sent to Kia I did contact Kia who confirmed this, the car is 7 years old this year and I will be changing it but I definitely won't be look at Kia, it's a pity as I have had Kia's for the last 12 years but this has put me right off

 

[Sporty Joe]

Kia Rio 2014 Had it from new had to have a new clutch fitted last march at 24000 miles and then got the dreaded judder very soon after had it back to the dealer who said that they would replace it under warranty but when they striped it down they said it was down to the way we drive and Kia would not cover it under warranty I had to pay for a new one to be fitted, the first time i drove it from cold it had the judder as before only for the first few times each day but nearly every day, had it back to dealer again who then came up with the damp theory so I think i was conned paying for a clutch that had nothing wrong with it, it had only dun 4000 miles, I asked for the old parts back but was told that they have to be sent to Kia I did contact Kia who confirmed this, the car is 7 years old this year and I will be changing it but I definitely won't be look at Kia, it's a pity as I have had Kia's for the last 12 years but this has put me right off

This has nothing to do with Kia though. It is down to a lack of understanding about things mechanical. You can't expect to repair something that really doesn't have anything wrong with it that can be fixed but is a 'charcteristic'. Console yourself with the fact that you will know better next time, whatever brand you drive, if or when a similar thing happens.

 

[Scotty P]

This has nothing to do with Kia though. It is down to a lack of understanding about things mechanical. You can't expect to repair something that really doesn't have anything wrong with it that can be fixed but is a 'charcteristic'. Console yourself with the fact that you will know better next time, whatever brand you drive, if or when a similar thing happens.

Sorry to disagree so how come the first clutch that lasted 6 years and never once had a judder until it was replaced, to me there was and is something wrong with the clutches Kia are fitting now, and if it was a new characteristic with Kia clutches shouldn't the Kia dealer have pointed it out before striping it out or was it just a money making exercise for the Kia dealer, as for understanding about mechanica things I was a motorcycle mechanic in the past and have replaced several car clutches myself, and I have been driving for 50 years

 

[Sporty Joe]

Sorry to disagree so how come the first clutch that lasted 6 years and never once had a judder until it was replaced, to me there was and is something wrong with the clutches Kia are fitting now, and if it was a new characteristic with Kia clutches shouldn't the Kia dealer have pointed it out before striping it out or was it just a money making exercise for the Kia dealer, as for understanding about mechanica things I was a motorcycle mechanic in the past and have replaced several car clutches myself, and I have been driving for 50 years

Maybe some moisture got inside the housing somehow? Who knows. All I know is that this is a common issue on modern cars of all brands, as I wrote several posts ago. Would I be happy with it? Probably not, but unless the problem was persistent and not just at a cold start, with my knowledge of the issue I would not be pulling things apart for just this.

I think the problem is more common these days because of softer clutch dampers to enable smoother gear changes for most people. That's whether the damper is a dual mass flywheel or the traditional radially mounted springs with relatively loose disc in the clutch cover where the drive plate is attached. This is what judders, the interaction between the damper and the driven friction plate.

 

[Robsportage82]

I have this very issue on a 66 plate sportage 1.7 diesel. Seems to have gotten worse. Took it to the dealer who kept the car over night to drive it whilst cold and they found no issue with it. They asked me to monitor it and after two months of daily judder from cold some not so bad and some which makes the entire car shake badly plus gear changes seems difficult to operate smoothly. I've contacted them back and they will have another look. Hopefully another clutch will be fitted. Like i the above reply i understand how a clutch can judder due to condensation and if that's the case I'll just live with it but i may as well be looked at.
Plus the dealer seemed much more helpful this time as when i first dropped it off i had organise a lift back and be without a car because they wanted to charge me £10 a day for a curtesy car this time round they never mentioned a thing. Anyway i digress.
I hope you get this sorted.

 

[Scotty P]

I have this very issue on a 66 plate sportage 1.7 diesel. Seems to have gotten worse. Took it to the dealer who kept the car over night to drive it whilst cold and they found no issue with it. They asked me to monitor it and after two months of daily judder from cold some not so bad and some which makes the entire car shake badly plus gear changes seems difficult to operate smoothly. I've contacted them back and they will have another look. Hopefully another clutch will be fitted. Like i the above reply i understand how a clutch can judder due to condensation and if that's the case I'll just live with it but i may as well be looked at.
Plus the dealer seemed much more helpful this time as when i first dropped it off i had organise a lift back and be without a car because they wanted to charge me £10 a day for a curtesy car this time round they never mentioned a thing. Anyway i digress.
I hope you get this sorted.

Be careful if they have to strip it down to look at it and they cant find any faulty parts it will cost you big time I was quoted £500 this is from a Kia dealer just to look at it, they ended up replacing the flywheel and clutch the bill was £860.00 but I got a good will payment from Kia and the dealer as the clutch had only been in less than 6 months, I still have the same issue with the new clutch not going down that route again

 

[Scotty P]

Maybe some moisture got inside the housing somehow? Who knows. All I know is that this is a common issue on modern cars of all brands, as I wrote several posts ago. Would I be happy with it? Probably not, but unless the problem was persistent and not just at a cold start, with my knowledge of the issue I would not be pulling things apart for just this.

I think the problem is more common these days because of softer clutch dampers to enable smoother gear changes for most people. That's whether the damper is a dual mass flywheel or the traditional radially mounted springs with relatively loose disc in the clutch cover where the drive plate is attached. This is what judders, the interaction between the damper and the driven friction plate.

I agree it's not the clutch plate it's the damper part of the clutch plate, to me it's not fit for purpose or a design fault that needs addressing, years ago clutches never had the damper part and worked well for years and years not a good improvement it certainly not smoothing out for the first few uses each day, it might work in a country that is hot all the time but it dont seem to work in the uk

 

[Sporty Joe]

I agree it's not the clutch plate it's the damper part of the clutch plate, to me it's not fit for purpose or a design fault that needs addressing, years ago clutches never had the damper part and worked well for years and years not a good improvement it certainly not smoothing out for the first few uses each day, it might work in a country that is hot all the time but it dont seem to work in the uk

In 50 years of clutch observation [sad I know], I've seen very few indeed without a damper. Usually it is part of the driven friction disc where the hub is mounted on a sandwich filling that is free to rotate relative to the outer disc, damped by radially mounted coil springs. Four of them in many cases. With tidy use these springs could fail before the friction material. The main difference today is that the damping range is greater and the springing softer.