SS_RTR

I'm getting ready to do a clutch replacement on an '03 A4 B6 that my daughter will be driving once I'm finished. It has the original clutch with about 142k miles. No slipping yet, but petal position for the engage point is close to the end.

Most of the DIY info I've seen on this references the quattro. Are there any major differences with the FWD other that the obvious? I don't have a lift, so if anyone has done this without a lift that would be good to know. I understand that I need to get the car up high enough to get the transmission with jack out from under the vehicle. I did a de-sludge on this car in '08 and used (3) 2x12s with wedges cut for inner fender plus straps as a makeshift engines support. I'd assume I'd need to do the same when removing the transmission.

I had a quote from a local shop to do this parts/labor for $800. I assume they did not price a flywheel, but I was looking to go with the single mass flywheel if I do this myself instead of OEM. From a reliability standpoint, is this a good direction to take? What would be a good reliable and economical combination of clutch/flywheels. My goal here is to have something that will last another 120k+ miles. My daughter is already used to the 5-speed so she won't be "learning" on it. The good news is I have about 2 months of down-time on the vehicle to take my time.

Ranson

Northport huh? I'm originally from a small town near Meridian MS. Been through your area many times. Anyway, I have an 02 B6 1.8T FWD SP. I recently did the clutch and I could not get the car up high enough with my smallish jack stands. I used the typical scissors type transmission jack. I had to work the trans onto a piece of plywood then slid it out to do the flywheel. Doing the reverse to get it back on the trans jack was a pain but not a big deal. If I had it to do over, I would find a way to get the car up higher. Since there is no rear driveshaft, your tranny will have a different end piece where the driveshaft would normally attach, so it's actually a little easier. Be sure and get a new gasket for the turbo to downpipe. I went with a new Dual Mass FW, standard PP and clutch disk as I didn't want to deal with any of the shuddering or other issues associated with a light weight-high clamping force setup. I made it to 198K before the original started slipping. I had no need to support the engine (1.8T) since the snub mount provides that 3rd anchor needed. Good luck and just drop me a note if you want to know more about my clutch experience.