C5 Clutch Life
I bought my C5 on April 16, 1998. It was a 1997 6-speed with 7k miles. I have since driven the car 102,000k. It is my daily driver. I have raced the car, done track days with it at Texas World Speedway, and occasionally spanked a Cobra or two.
My clutch started slipping at about 101,000 miles. I had it replaced by a Chevy dealership here in Texas. Be ready for the sticker shock.
Clutch pack (Clutch, pressure plate etc.) approx - $750
Labor - Don't ask!
Total retail price to replace clutch - approx $2280
Final Price paid - $1108.47
The dealship also changed some seals they noticed were leaking when they changed the clutch. It also took them forever (two weeks) to complete the repair. They had never performed a clutch replacement before and did not have the five special tools required. Just about the entire back half of the car has to come out! They also had to reconfigure the lift so that when the rearend was removed the car wouldn't flip forward off the lift. I had been quoted an approximate figure of $1400 to $1500 by my local dealer, but had to use a different dealer because the slippage became too great while I was out of town on business.
Bottom line: my wallet is lighter, the car moves quicker. My only gripe is now that the rear suspension bushings have been disturbed, the suspension squeaks a little louder than normal.
I have owned several cars, some high performance, most not. I can tell you that this Corvette has performed well. I do take very good care of the car, but considering what it has been through, the clutch life was phenominal!
Manuel
