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The definitive Pedal Box Thread


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Clutch pedal lower than brake pedal

Stiff gear change

Crunching into reverse

Hard to engage first

Clunky when moving 5th to 4th, 3rd to 2nd.

Very Low bite point.

Any or all of these issues means you should get your pedal box checked out.

As far as I am aware this is only a problem with Cable operated clutches, not hydraulic.

THE CAUSE:

On the left side of the box there is section that is pressed and welded to the main pedal box. It forms the stop for when the pedal reaches the end of its travel and it also holds the guide for the clutch cable. Unfortunately the original design has only spot welds holding the pressing onto the pedal box.

This means when you are operating the clutch, large shear forces are placed upon the welds which eventually break. The top spot weld is also positioned badly on a fold line for the pressing which can lead to cracks in the pressing due to fatigue on the fold.

Any or all of the welds can fail which will cause the pedal to drop slightly and therefore shorten the clutch cable travel meaning your clutch never fully disengages.

THE SOLUTION:

The original design specification stated the pedal box must collapse in the event of a crash to save the driver from crushing on the legs. The design meets the spec but at the cost of reliability. There is a newer design of pedal box which has no less than 20 revisions to it. These revisions include extra seam welds on the back of the pedal box strenghtning the joint but also still allowing it to collapse in an accident. (I obtained this information from a VW parts manager)

VW are well aware of the problem (something some dealerships will deny). The revised design IS the same as the Polo pedal box which was subject to a recall.

The lupo box was never subject to a recall but a memo was sent to all dealerships making them aware of the problem and also stating that goodwill would be given at 100% for any pedal box issues. This is subject to the vehicle being under 8 years old or 999,999 miles, whichever comes first. I have read this memo myself, all dealerships are aware of it.

VWUK customer service will always act on information given by the dealership, not the customer therefore in order to obtain goodwill the dealership must diagnose the problem correctly. This is where it becomes a bit hit or miss. Some "honest" dealerships will instantly recognise the problem, recommend goodwill and your problem is sorted free of charge. Others won't and will instead diagnose the problem as being caused by a "heavy clutch" or some other clutch related reason.

A heavy clutch could not ever cause the pedal box to break. If it was that heavy you would probably have severe trouble pressing the pedal and your clutch cable would give up long before the box.

You may also be told that the heavy clutch is due to the clutch been worn and that it would also need replacing at a cost of near £480. This is a miss-diagnosis. It would be impossible for a technician to establish whether the clutch is worn while the pedal box is broken. The pedal box influences clutch travel so much you would not be able to tell without first fixing the pedal box and then testing clutch operation.

In the words of a VW main dealer, VW have decided not to issue a recall to save face, they would rather fix the problem quietly on a one by one basis. However, I also believe that pressure is put on dealerships to diagnose the problem as being caused by something other than the pedal box design in order to save money on replacing the parts. Hence why some dealerships are genuine about the problem and some not.

CONCLUSIONS

The information I have given above is from my personal experiance and recent dealings with two VW dealerships. The information on the design revsions and memo are from VW employees who have asked me not to mention their names or dealerships through fear of disciplinary action by VW (that says a lot I think!)

If you have a problem with yours get it seen to asap, it does affect your clutch wear if you drive for a substantial time with the problem.

It SHOULD be fixed for free, this depends on diagnosis. If the garage diagnose it as a straight pedal box issue ask for goodwill. If they try and play it off as something else walk away and find another dealership. I am not going to name a shame dealerships publically on here.

Regards,

Adrian

PS - Can someone pin this for everyones benefit. Thanks.

  • Like 4
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cheers for writing that mate smile.gif style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

i went into my local vw today and pretty much told them i was having it done for free biggrin.gif style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

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1 million miles in 8 years, some going that... though on a more serious note, i have until next year to see if mine develops the dreaded demise of the pedal box (7 years old now, and about to hit 120k)

Good information that mate, cheers.

Pete

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  • 4 weeks later...
can the pedal box be repaired before it gets damaged and also without stripping the whole interior?(i heard the dash needs to come out)

not sure if it can be repaired but yes the whole dash does need to come out! i had mine done not that long ago, and occasionally it crunchs into reverse but i am assured that this is ok! hahha, it better not go again i can tell you that much! :P

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Hope some of you guys could help here, as I think this might have happened to me.

I basically put the clutch down, heard a snap, and then I had all the problems above, i'm assuming it's the pedal box?

If I got the car trailored to a local VW dealer, would they be able to fix it on a "goodwill" basis?

Thank you.

Liam

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iv just bought ours and the bite point seems ok but it is a bit stiff and a bit notchy it does crunch into reverse unless i wait a good 2 seconds after the clutch is in

how can i find out myself if its gone?

Edited by eatthisvr6
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Lookers at Middlesbrough have agreed to do mine on goodwill. Apparently the dash doesn't have to come out, and it'll be about 3/4 hours labour, but they're paying for that of course!

Big thank yoooo to Lookers at Middlesbrough!

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Liam thats good news, I always wondered if lookers Middlesbrough would honour the goodwill gesture.

Have you been in there today? You might have seen my tdi parked up in there feeling a bit sorry for itself!

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Didn't see your car Jon. Lookers have always been absolutely spot on with me when I go in there, I know a couple of guys who work in parts and everyone is very helpful.

Can anyone try and re-assure me that the pedal box has definetly gone on the car? I heard a snap when I pressed the clutch pedal down, then the pedal sank almost to the floor and I could barely change gear. I haven't driven the car since Monday when it happened and now it won't select any gear. Has my pedal box well and truly broken? Or is it something more serious?

Thanks...

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Didn't see your car Jon. Lookers have always been absolutely spot on with me when I go in there, I know a couple of guys who work in parts and everyone is very helpful.

Can anyone try and re-assure me that the pedal box has definetly gone on the car? I heard a snap when I pressed the clutch pedal down, then the pedal sank almost to the floor and I could barely change gear. I haven't driven the car since Monday when it happened and now it won't select any gear. Has my pedal box well and truly broken? Or is it something more serious?

Thanks...

my arosa done the same thing on thursday night, my pedal box is def gone. my mechanic said its mangled lol,, Sounds like yours is gone too

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  • 3 weeks later...
Hello ev'rybody...!

Can anyone tell me how can I lubricating my clutch cable and which product is good...!

;)

D.

I didn't got any of this problem:

Clutch pedal lower than brake pedal

Stiff gear change

Crunching into reverse

Hard to engage first

Clunky when moving 5th to 4th, 3rd to 2nd.

Very Low bite point

...but I need to know a way to got a lubrification to my cable before change it...!

Please,anyone for an help...?

Thanks...!

:blush:

D.

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Hi, i had heard all about this when i looked at buying my arosa, now it states above that if the pedal is lower than the brake pedal then its gone, but what about if its slightly higher? I have a 2001 x reg arosa sport so do seat also recognise this as a genuine fault and to replace on a goodwill gesture?

The pedal feels fine until about 3/4 pedal travel down, then it gets a tad harder to press...... any ideas guys?

If you could let me know it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Spanny

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Regarding the pedal box, best way to find out would be to try your local dealer. Seat dealer, not drug dealer.

If it's slightly higher, slacken the clutch cable? The clutch cable will affect the height of the pedal. I'm no expert on mechanics and stuff so wait until Rich or someone like that replies, they'll know 100% what is wrong.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Can anyone please tell me how I can check if the pedal box has gone in my 1.4s Lupo

Its 2000 plate and done 34k miles

The gears crucnh and i have to push the cluch to the floor and then a little bit more to get smooth changes.

The car is booked into Listers VW to have the pedal box done FOC :shades:

BUT

If its not the pedal box then I have been told I will have to pay £117 (1hr) labour charge. So I need to be sure before I go.

Any help please

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Can anyone please tell me how I can check if the pedal box has gone in my 1.4s Lupo

Its 2000 plate and done 34k miles

The gears crucnh and i have to push the cluch to the floor and then a little bit more to get smooth changes.

The car is booked into Listers VW to have the pedal box done FOC :shades:

BUT

If its not the pedal box then I have been told I will have to pay £117 (1hr) labour charge. So I need to be sure before I go.

Any help please

arm your self with a torch and lay in the footwell look up at the side of the clutch pedal and push is up and down with youre hand and look where the cable goes through the square hole the unit shifts clock wise as you push on the pedal which is why you cant diss engage the clutch fully, as the metal is painted brown you will also see a jagged shiny edge where the steel has torn away from the main part of the pedal box.

hope this helps

regards karl

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arm your self with a torch and lay in the footwell look up at the side of the clutch pedal and push is up and down with youre hand and look where the cable goes through the square hole the unit shifts clock wise as you push on the pedal which is why you cant diss engage the clutch fully, as the metal is painted brown you will also see a jagged shiny edge where the steel has torn away from the main part of the pedal box.

hope this helps

regards karl

Ok cheers

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