Or is it just that EVERY car I look at for my gf, where the seller has told me it's "spot on" has got a dodgy release bearing?!?!?! ARGH!!

 

My friends car was a mk4, I think R reg and that was silent in that dept.
tabetha

 

Loads of them do it, my mates got a 02 plate (last of the mk4 shape) 1.25 which he's had from new and thats always had an audiable release bearing!!!

Went back loads under warranty and ford always said it was a characteristic!

 

I have got this on the one i am selling, i questioned it when i first bought it and had it checked over but it is just how they are i am told...

 

Wow really? I discounted a number I looked at the first time around because of the noise. I always thought a release bearing should be silent.

 

Your not the only one, i have had a few people walk away from mine saying the bearing is going...

 

They almost all do it.

We've had numerous ones in the familymk4 mk5 and mk6...my z-s did it from brand new to when I sold it at nearly 70k miles

Not an issue to be honest

 

So the only way of telling if it's ok is by the height of the biting point and whether or not it slips then?

 

I dont think the biting point changes much..arent they self adjusting?

What kind of age/miles are you looking at, my clutches used to last forever on those

 

they are self adjusting and the later ones are hydraulic, the clutches last for ever as long as they have not been abused.

 

Looking at around the 80k miles upto a max 100k. She has one now and the 1.25 is a fantastic little engine. Hers got hit by a truck though and has a dented rear quarter, it wants brakes all round, the front O/S suspension has taken a hit sometime in the past as the wheel cannot be set totally straight, it leans slightly, and there's a knocking coming from the front suspension also. It won't pass its upcoming MOT and it could have other probs we don't know about so I think we're better off spending £700 on a new one in good nick, with full test, rather than spend £500 on this one, and still be stuck with it looking a state thanks to the rear quarter.

When we looked for the current one we walked away from alovely lovely car because of that clutch bearing. It had loads of history etc and was real nice. It's quite frustrating finding this out now!