Expert: Sean Halliday - 10/30/2007

Question
I recently rented a 2007 Nissan Altima Manual Shift in Ireland.  After 3 days the clutch which had been slipping went out completely.  Hertz wants me to pay to have it repaired (I bought their insurance).  One of my cars in the US is a manual shift; I've never had any clutch problems.  Have you heard of other Nissan Altimas having this problem?

Answer
You should have taken the car back right away and told the person who gave you the car.There is no history of Nissans with clutch problems.What has happened is a person who has burned out the clutch either deliberately or just by a  case of really bad driving.It is possible to destroy a clutch in minutes depending on how hard you want to.Otherwise,a clutch will last for thousands of miles.My own car went 160000 miles before it started to slip.Toyota.Its a 1988.I replaced it last year.Too bad you didnt return the car immediately because i dont know where you stand legally.