Should I have a new clutch installed in my 2012 Corolla CE with manual transmission?

[William]

I have 175,000 kilometers on my 2012 Corolla now which I bought new. I need a new clutch now. It'll cost about $1,500 Canadian for the job. I really like the car.
I have the car rust proofed every year so the body and frame are excellent. Nothing has gone wrong with the car, just maintenance. Is it worth spending $1,500 on the
car? How many kilometers could my 2012 Corolla last? I was thinking of trading for the 2020 Corolla L 6M which is $18,900 Canadian, freight and taxes extra. Thank you.

 

[echarleswhyte]

If you like the care then yes it is worth it. I have a 2013 manual and love it. Corollas should last for a very long time.

 

[ZeCorolla]

$1,500 seems quite a bit for a clutch job. My cousin had to do a clutch job on his 2006 Acura TSX and that cost him ~$700-800 CAD including the clutch itself. Doing a clutch job on a Corolla is also a lot more easier than doing one on a TSX so you should look around and find a cheaper quote from a more knowledgeable and trustworthy shop.

As for if it is worth doing, I believe it is definitely worth it. The 10th gen Corolla is a very reliable car and 175k kms is barely broken in. My 2011 Corolla 5 speed had 241k kms on it and it still runs perfectly fine and I can see it doing another 200k kms easily. If you continue doing regular maintenance, you shouldn't have any problems with your car. A 2020 Corolla 6M is tempting though but it all comes down to what you want. A reliable car that's been good to you for the past 5+ years or a brand new car with newer luxuries.

 

[William]

Does 175,000 kilometers sound about the right mileage for needing a new clutch?

 

[ZeCorolla]

Does 175,000 kilometers sound about the right mileage for needing a new clutch?

I'd say that's about above average mileage for a clutch replacement based on normal driving. A clutch is a wear item so much like other wear items such as brake pads, it's life can be shortened or extended depending on how it's used. People who are still learning to drive stick will shorten a clutches life but I've also heard of people who have gone 250k+ kms on the original clutch so it's all up to the driver and their driving conditions.

 

[SuperchargedMR2]

Does 175,000 kilometers sound about the right mileage for needing a new clutch?

It all depends on how you treat the clutch. Normally I would say that a clutch should last 125k-150k miles if driven properly. It depends on what you want to do. I love ,my 10th Get Corolla and even though the new 2020 Corolla looks amazing a new car will cost a lot more than a new clutch. You need to shop around though as $1500 seems like more than it should cost.

I just changed the clutch on my daughters 1994 Corolla. I bought it used and had to have the original clutch changed at just over 100k miles. This clutch that I just replaced lasted 200k miles and I even taught my daughter how to drive a manual on that car. The good thing is that it cost $150 for a new Toyota clutch and we did the labor ourselves. With new Redline MT-90 transmission gear oil and $50 for a new flywheel we were into it for $250. It will be good for many more miles now!

All done and hood closed!! Good for many more years!!

 

[heatherc23]

For someone that is new to owning a Corolla, where can I find views showing me where all of the clutch parts are? My daughters clutch stopped working, no warning up to it. I recently drove the car and it was shifting great. She is a great driver, never rides her clutch. We do not see signs of leaking anywhere. The clutch goes all the way to the floor. Cannot pump it up at all. We are struggling on finding information to assist us with diagnosing other possible issues before getting into a whole clutch repair. Thank you in advance for your reply.

 

[SuperchargedMR2]

For someone that is new to owning a Corolla, where can I find views showing me where all of the clutch parts are? My daughters clutch stopped working, no warning up to it. I recently drove the car and it was shifting great. She is a great driver, never rides her clutch. We do not see signs of leaking anywhere. The clutch goes all the way to the floor. Cannot pump it up at all. We are struggling on finding information to assist us with diagnosing other possible issues before getting into a whole clutch repair. Thank you in advance for your reply.

What year is it? Does it have a hydraulic clutch or a clutch cable? It sounds like if it has a hydraulic clutch that the clutch master cylinder or slave cylinder could have gone bad. If you do have a hydraulic clutch check the fluid level first. If it's low look inside the car behind the pedals for hydraulic fluid. You may need to pull the carpet back to see if it's wet. If so the clutch master cylinder needs to me replaced or rebuilt. If that's dry look at the slave cylinder on the transmission to see if that's leaking.

If you have a clutch cable check it and make sure it didn't break. I had this same thing happen to me on a trip in my MR2 where the clutch master cylinder failed. I limped it 800 miles to Denver without a clutch and just rev matching it until I could shift. It doesn't sound like the clutch itself but one never knows.

Give us more information. Year and mileage would help.

 

[William]

$1,500 seems quite a bit for a clutch job. My cousin had to do a clutch job on his 2006 Acura TSX and that cost him ~$700-800 CAD including the clutch itself. Doing a clutch job on a Corolla is also a lot more easier than doing one on a TSX so you should look around and find a cheaper quote from a more knowledgeable and trustworthy shop.

As for if it is worth doing, I believe it is definitely worth it. The 10th gen Corolla is a very reliable car and 175k kms is barely broken in. My 2011 Corolla 5 speed had 241k kms on it and it still runs perfectly fine and I can see it doing another 200k kms easily. If you continue doing regular maintenance, you shouldn't have any problems with your car. A 2020 Corolla 6M is tempting though but it all comes down to what you want. A reliable car that's been good to you for the past 5+ years or a brand new car with newer luxuries.

I had the clutch replaced yesterday in my 2012 Corolla 5-speed manual, and they put in a new throw bearing. It cost me $1,356 taxes included in Canadian funds. The clutch now is light to push and quiet. I'd like to keep my car for many more years.

 

[ZeCorolla]

I had the clutch replaced yesterday in my 2012 Corolla 5-speed manual, and they put in a new throw bearing. It cost me $1,356 taxes included in Canadian funds. The clutch now is light to push and quiet. I'd like to keep my car for many more years.

That's good to hear! What clutch did you go with and do you know how much the clutch itself costed?

 

[Corolatepe]

1356 wow

 

[William]

That's good to hear! What clutch did you go with and do you know how much the clutch itself costed?

The parts of the clutch cost $371, and there was 8 hours labor at a cost of $825. I don't know what kind of clutch it is. I got over 7 years with the original clutch mostly city driving and not much highway.

 

[ZeCorolla]

The parts of the clutch cost $371, and there was 8 hours labor at a cost of $825. I don't know what kind of clutch it is. I got over 7 years with the original clutch mostly city driving and not much highway.

That's an okay price actually. The clutch must be a good OEM quality clutch for that price so you should have no problem with longevity. I still think it's possible to get a clutch job done for under $1000 CAD but that depends on your location as well as what shop does it for you. Either way, compare the $1,356 for the clutch job to the $18,900 (more like $23k with taxes) that you would have spent on the 2020 Corolla and you can see the savings already!

 

[William]

That's an okay price actually. The clutch must be a good OEM quality clutch for that price so you should have no problem with longevity. I still think it's possible to get a clutch job done for under $1000 CAD but that depends on your location as well as what shop does it for you. Either way, compare the $1,356 for the clutch job to the $18,900 (more like $23k with taxes) that you would have spent on the 2020 Corolla and you can see the savings already!

When you said my engine was barely broken in at 175,000 kilometers, I felt I wanted to put in a new clutch. Thank you.