Renault Trafic: Dual mass flywheel failure — rattle at idle and shudder pulling away

Dual mass flywheel failure is one of the most significant issues affecting Trafic vans from 2006 to 2014. The flywheel is built in two halves with springs between them to smooth out the diesel engine's pulses, and those springs wear out. It shows as a rattle at idle that goes quiet when you press the clutch, a shudder as you pull away, and a general graunching from the bellhousing area. What makes it expensive is not the part but the position: the gearbox has to come out to reach it, and by the time it is out most workshops will recommend replacing the clutch at the same time because the labour is already paid for. On a working van with a long clutch life behind it, that is a substantial bill arriving all at once.

• Rattle or chatter at idle that stops when the clutch pedal is pressed
• Shudder or judder as you pull away, felt through the whole van
• Rattle when switching the engine off
• Vibration through the floor or the gear lever at low revs
• Clutch feeling heavy, grabby or slipping

The single most useful test takes ten seconds and needs the van running and stationary. Sit in it at idle in neutral with everything off and listen for a rattle or chatter from the gearbox area, then press the clutch pedal to the floor and listen again — a rattle that disappears when the clutch goes down is the classic dual mass flywheel symptom, and it is nearly conclusive. Do it a few times. Then switch the engine off and listen for a rattle as it stops turning, which is the same fault showing itself again. On the drive, pull away several times from a standstill on the flat and then on a slight uphill, feeling for a shudder through the floor as the clutch takes up. Feel whether the clutch bites smoothly or grabs, and check it is not slipping by accelerating hard in a high gear. Note any vibration through the gear lever at low revs. Ask how long the current clutch has been in and whether the flywheel was done with it. If a workshop inspection is possible: ask for the flywheel and clutch condition to be assessed together, since they are one job.

Parts involved: Clutch.

$1,200 to $3,800 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Does it rattle at idle, and does the rattle stop when you press the clutch?”
• “When was the clutch last replaced, and was the flywheel done at the same time?”
• “Is there a shudder when pulling away?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.