I came across this interesting article written in May 2015 about the F-type manual transmission:

Jaguar F-Type V6 S Manual: Driven | PistonHeads

Does this part of the article sound familiar to anyone ...

"Slippery character
Then the clutch started slipping. Oh dear. It wasn't often but on, er, spirited upchanges with the lever firmly in position and foot off the clutch drive just wasn't there and revs would continue to spin. Obviously it whiffed a bit too.
According to a Jag engineer this was an issue uncovered in their 'abuse testing' associated with maximum torque changes and there will be a different clutch for customer cars. We are nothing if not thorough in our examination! Manual F-Types will be arriving in the UK soon so we'll be sure to try one again and establish if the issue has been rectified."

Looks to me like the "Jag engineer" forgot to make the change in the first production cars.....

 

They obviously knew all along that the first clutches wouldn't hold up to vigorous shifting. The new clutches were probably just not quite ready in time for first production.

 

Far too lazy to research, but I knew I was getting the 2016 around Nov 2014. I think the Jan/Feb reviews said the clutch was a disappointment, and then the March/April reviews came out saying "they've obviously improved the clutch", and there was a lot of confusion between v1.0 for test drives, and v2.0. I think they *definitely* improved the clutch between first journalist test drives and the one that more autorags and bloggers got their hands on, but it obviously was our v3.0 upgraded to the proper parts.

Let me tell you... this new clutch is just the best. I am so pleased.... my 20-70 onramp speeds, especially on weird hill inclines, is so solid now. It's so enjoyable to have this thing performing properly.

I really, REALLY hate to think Jag is transparently reporting this to dealers, such that people might be getting a run around or skepticism from the people they bought their cars from. It literally disappoints me to think some of you aren't getting this fixed, if it exists on your car. Keep pressing them!! =)

 

+1000.

 

Just had my best (read worst) slippage incident ever. I was approaching a traffic light that was just turning red. I was making a right turn. I decided to take the turn anyway -- the oncoming traffic had just started to move on their green light.

As I gunned it around the corner, I could feel as if the engine was trying to move faster than the wheels could take it. The odometer was in the 7000 RPM range but I was in second gear and only travelling at 60km/h (35mph) The feeling can best be described as if you were driving with the clutch half engaged -- lots of revving but no traction.

It was a strange feeling -- I purposely lifted my left foot in the air and off the clutch entirely so that there was no doubt (at least in my mind) that this was actually happening for real and not a figment of my imagination. Once I got to the next traffic light, the stench of burned clutch overtook the interior cabin.

I have an appointment at another jag dealership to take a look at the clutch again. If I have to "occupy" the dealership until something is done about this, I will.

 

You have just experienced VCS (Volvo Clutch Syndrome). When they pull the clutch it will have "Volvo" stamped on it. Best of luck!

 

You manualites (manualistas?) will find this amusing. Some of these designs are plain stupid.


When the Car’s Gear Shifter Is Too Clever by Half

 

The amount of clutch stench I experienced in the first 4k miles of manual F-TYPE ownership was just ridiculous. Essentially, I couldn't even drive the car in a relaxed manner without having to deal with it - if I actually tried to do spirited driving, it was so bad that I fully expected the thing to fail at any given moment.


Of course, now that I've put about 1200 miles on my new clutch, I haven't smelled clutch burn a single time. NOT ONCE. And, I haven't babied the clutch at all - I've been driving aggressively. I've been driving the way one is supposed to drive a SPORTS CAR. The difference is truly "Night and Day."

 

Outstanding!

 

Absolutely! Now... to get some new pedals sorted out for better heel-toe driving. The stock pedals aren't well suited for it. Frankly, they kind of suck.

 

+1. What do you think of the Ultimate Pedal set with throttle pedal extension?

 

I must have missed that - is there a link to the pedal set?

 

ULTIMATE PEDALS

 

Interesting... difficult to tell as to which one I'd be happiest with. I tend to heel-toe with the side of my foot, so it looks like I'd want a pedal that was slightly wider at the top. Of course, a slightly wider brake pedal would accomplish the same thing, I would think...

 

heel/toe can be executed with at least 3 different foot orientations. The side to side method you describe seems to be the easiest to execute if the pedals are poitioned right. Unfortunately, it may take some trial and error to get the right pedals. Low priority project for me at this point.

 

Yes. The new clutch is absolutely delightful and no smells and no slips and just the best.

Also, relevant:
Do You Heel-Toe Or Toe-Heel?

 

I finally have an update to my clutch slippage issue → A "new" clutch has now been installed on my F-type!

If this were a post game interview, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank SinF, Unhingd and Uncle Fishbits for their advice throughout this situation. SinF even let me test out the new clutch when we met up last week as he was driving through my area. THANKS!

Here’s what happened:

• I was not happy with the attitude/approach of the tech at the first Jag dealership that I went to. He not only discounted the opinions/experiences of other forum members, but he also didn't follow up with me after I asked him to make inquiries to SinF’s dealership – to better understand the clutch issue.
• I decided to go to a different dealership to see if they could diagnose the problem.
• I found a much more understanding service representative. He was honest – but not defensive like the first dealership. He genuinely wanted to sort out the slippage issue.
• They opened a "technical case" with JLR headoffice.
• I was frustrated by the fact that the slippage couldn't be reproduced "on demand" but this was a *known* problem by JLR. I decided to escalate my concerns with the clutch directly to JLR's Quality Assurance team in England.
• Initially, there was a proposed solution that would have JLR install a “data box recorder” in my vehicle. The box would record exactly what I was experiencing – and then they would be able to identify the slippage. While the process of installing the data box seemed very involved (ie multiple trips to the dealership), I was willing to do it.
• Ultimately, JLR told the dealership that they were abandoning the idea of the data box – instead, they would replace the clutch. If I still experienced the slippage post install, then they would reconsider the data box.
• Within a week of approving the installation of a new clutch, the parts were expedited to the dealership. I left the vehicle with the dealership on Tuesday of this week and picked it up this (Thursday) morning.

My impressions:

• There is no question (in my mind) that this is an entirely different driving experience with the new clutch.
• The weight of the clutch is much heavier
• The sweet spot (engagement point) is clearly deeper (much closer to the floor)
• The responsiveness is also way better
• I haven't been on the highway yet to *push* the new clutch -- so, I'll report back when I have the chance to drive the car more aggressively

Conclusions:

• Despite the fact that I probably drove JLR and the dealership crazy, I have to say that I was entirely impressed with the way they dealt with this issue. Aside from the first dealership’s passive attitude, the rest of the people I encountered seemed genuinely interested in solving the problem.
• It is good to know that JLR stands behind their cars – while this might seem like a given, having dealt with other manufacturers (ie Nissan/Infiniti), by no means is good customer service the standard within the auto industry.
• JLR and the dealership would not admit (and in fact expressly denied) that there were any changes to the clutch parts from the date the manual F-Types went into production. Faced with the new part numbers, I was told that part numbers could change when a new manufacturer is used to produce the exact same part -- this was not considered evidence of a new part. There was also a flat out denial that they ever used “Volvo” clutches.

Thanks again for the input/support of this Forum – you all kept me sane throughout this ordeal.

 

Very happy for you!

 

Ok -- I'm not complaining -- but for those with the new clutch, did you notice that the pops / crackles of the exhaust are not replicated at the same RPMs as prior to the new install? I used to get some wicked crackles shifting from 1st to 2nd in the 3-4k RPM range. Maybe there's some learning the engine software has to do OR my own learning to find the new sweet spot....

Loving my **NEW** car

 

You have to take it higher in the rev range now before you shift for good popping. Ideal is right at 6750.