I got an 2012 A3 from a second hand dealer on the 05.02.20 now i have been told due to noise when i press clutch down that my release bearing is on its way out. tried ringing dealer but he is "on holiday" so they wont tell me if they will fix it or what. I have had conflicting storys of it is its not covered can anybody shed some light on the matter. The noise is like a whirling noise only just audiable inside but louder outside

A clutch fault is the most likely possibility for the noise. Whether repair should be done by the dealer depends what guarantee he gave you and what it covered. 12 months? Three months? None?

Hello Glen,

Sorry to hear of your problem, and it does sound probable that the noise is associated with a release bearing issue, although it could be the dual mass flywheel ( if your particular model is not fitted with a solid flywheel).

I guess you mean you bought this on 05 02 19, and if so, this issue is manifesting itself in some 7 weeks of ownership. I would agree with Cliff that action by the selling dealer will depend on the guarantee the dealer gave you. The length of time is obvious easily assessed, but the ‘small print’ relating to what is and isn’t covered may be more difficult to assess, particularly since most will have some element of exclusion for wear and tear. Clutches, as with individual brake components for example, can be considered as serviceable items which are subject to wear and may not be fully covered, not covered at all, or covered on a partial contribution basis. Some guarantees cover the cost of the parts but not labour - the combination goes on - and only you will be aware which applies to you. 

You don’t tell us the mileage of the car, but if it is a release bearing issue, then the service life of these can be variable :- our A3 gave probllems at around 150K, but we have previous experience of another German engineered car which went before 60k. 

If this was my car, I would be e-mailing the garage owner and informing them (in writing) of the issue, rather than simply depending on a phone call message getting through to him when he returns from his holiday. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Thank you both.. The mileage is 68774 the warrenty covers the bearings but not the dual mass flywheel. Going to email garage and write a letter and give it to them personally and see how i go on from there .Ill keep you posted on the outcome