Dacia Duster – Clutch Problems? Real Case from Our Workshop: Clutch Repair vs Full Replacement
Last week a regular customer rolled in with his 2015 Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi – 125,000 miles on the clock, mostly city driving mixed with some motorway runs. He said the clutch was slipping under load, especially when pulling away in 2nd or 3rd gear uphill, and the bite point had crept right up to almost the top of the pedal travel.
First thing we did was a proper clutch repair inspection: dropped the gearbox, checked the clutch disc thickness, pressure plate fingers, release bearing play and the concentric slave cylinder for leaks. The disc was down to maybe 2–3 mm in places, pressure plate springs were weak, and the flywheel showed visible wear grooves + some play in the dual-mass springs. The slave cylinder was still holding pressure, but seals were starting to weep.
We explained the options: could try just fitting a new clutch disc + pressure plate + release bearing and hope the flywheel holds for another 20–30k miles. But honestly – with that amount of wear on the DMF and visible damage to the friction surface – it would be gambling. Most likely the new clutch would start juddering or slipping again within a year or less.
Customer decided to go the safe route and we ended up doing the full job: new LUK clutch kit, brand new dual-mass flywheel and a fresh concentric slave cylinder. Why all three? Because skipping the flywheel almost always bites you later – the old rattling DMF will chew through a new clutch disc way faster than it should. Same with the slave – if it starts leaking in a few months, you’re dropping the box again and paying labour twice.
Symptoms before the job:
After the full clutch replacement everything feels factory fresh again – smooth take-off, easy gear changes, no noise, no smell, pedal nice and progressive.
Moral of the story? If your Duster is already showing multiple clutch symptoms (slipping + judder + high bite + noise), don’t try to patch it with half-measures. A proper diagnosis + full kit in one go saves money and avoids being stranded later.
Seeing any of these signs in your Dacia? Book a free clutch inspection with us – we’ll drop the box, show you exactly what’s worn and give you a fixed, no-surprise price before we start.
Drop us a message or call Pitair Motors – we’ve done dozens of these on Dusters and know exactly what fails and when.
