Whether you drive a manual or automatic vehicle you probably have some sort of clutch installed.

In fact a lot of the things you use daily have some form of clutch .From cordless drills to a chainsaw to even some yo-yo’s clutches form an integral part of life today. Put simply a clutch is a mechanical device that allows for power to be disengaged and engaged from the driving shaft to the driven shaft or from the engine to the gearbox and eventually the wheels.

In a cars clutch a flywheel connects to the engine and a plate connects to the gearbox or transmission .When your foot is off the clutch pedal, the springs push the pressure plate against the clutch disc, which in turn presses against the flywheel. This locks the engine to the transmission input shaft, causing them to spin at the same speed.

Why not just change gear ?

This is necessary so that we can stop the gearbox from spinning while we change gears and once we have engaged the new gear our synchronizers can help match the engine speed to our gears once again.We have all heard the grinding noise our cars make if we have not fully depressed our clutch pedal now imagine that on every shift?

What about automatic gearboxes?

Automatic gearboxes are more complex and involve torque converters, multiple clutches or clutch packs and planetary gear sets that work with hydraulic pressure .Each clutch is engaged or disengaged by pressure entering or exiting a piston in the clutch. This is all controlled by a computer system that changes hydraulic pressure whenever a new gear set is required .These are very complex systems that don’t have a “one size fits all,” way to describe them if you’d like to see a video showcasing how these clutches work please see the video below

Some automatic transmissions like CVT gearboxes make do without using a clutch but these are special case transmissions that are not very common in many vehicles just yet

DSG gearboxes work similarly to a manual gearbox but involve two independent clutch systems which are engaged and disengaged by a computer system in a similar manner to conventional automatic transmissions

At RDG we diagnose and repair any gearbox or driveline related problem from clutches to full gearbox overhauls or gearbox exchanges using up to date diagnostic equipment and OE approved replacement parts from manufacturers like Sachs and LUK. RDG will repair your vehicles transmission back to its factory standard.

With Branches all around Southern Africa, warranty approvals from Opel, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Nissan and many more along with our bulletproof warranty of 1 year 20 000km on passenger vehicle transmissions and 1 year unlimited mileage on commercial gearboxes .We offer peace of mind and trust that you’ll have more happy miles in your vehicle

Call your nearest branch today.

or better yet leave us an online enquiry and we’ll call you back