Hi,

mechanic says I need a new clutch. How much should that cost? Should I get one from Honda - does it matter? I replaced it almost 3 yrs ago but I can't remember how much I paid because I had a bunch of things repaired so I just remember the grand total. I'm in Canada so the cost in CDN funds would help. thanks!

He says I have to change the timing belt at the same time - will doing them at the same time save me any money in labor costs?

 

What year and trim Civic you have?

 

I Have a 99 SI and am in the process of replacing your clutch. While you do it I would replace the clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing, timing belt and possibly the slave cylinder. That will be about $400 max in parts if you get them off of ebay. As for labor, depending on the garage expect anywhere from $350-$500

 

i would take exception to the flywheel, and also possibly to the clutch cvlinder.
dont think the shops will allow you to bring the parts - but maybe that just depends where a person goes.

 

dont think i would do the honda one - probably too expensive.
clutch and timing belt are not interrelated (as far as working goes).
so, no use to do the timing belt at the same time.

 

I use three different garages depending on what is getting done adn all fo them let me bring in my own parts. If your garage wont let you buy your own parts I'd stop using them and find someone else. Cause they are probably ripping you on parts and maybe even other stuff. If your clutch has worn out I'm sure your flywheel has considerable wear. The two things I'd replace would definetly be the flywheel adn clutch.

 

I have a 95 Civic CX HB. I had the clutch master cylinder replaced when i bought the car over 2 yrs ago - would that really have to be changed too? I put about 60K-65K on it since I got it (I can't believe I drive that much!) I still have the records from the time I made all the repairs to my car when I bought it. I'll go check because I can't remember what else they changed.

 

you do NOT need to change the timing belt when you change the clutch, if your mechanic told you that, go to another mechanic.

a clutch would cost between 150-250 in parts + labor if it was to be installed by someone. however if you are confident in your abilities you can do a clutch job yourself it just takes time to do it, its just removal and replacing it.

 

i have a '95 civic ex vtec i got a stage 1 competition clutch for $275

 

What did you do to your clutch? Your post does not sound like you raced this car, and now you need to replace the clutch after barely three years and 60K under normal wear?! This is way too early. 10 to 15 years and at least 150K would sound more reasonable to me. You might save yourself some money down the road, if you figure out why you have to replace the clutch that early.
And yes, I would change all the clutch parts down there, just because it's expensive to get there to change something, compared to the parts price. And clutch master cylinder and timing belt do not belong to the list of parts to change with the clutch, just because they are located in the different areas of underhood space.
And NO, you do not want to buy no-name parts, if you don't want to replace your clutch another time in a year or so. It doesn't have to be honda, but it has to be some reputable brand.
Misha