💬 སྣུམ་འཁོར་གླེང་བསྡུར་ འབྲུག་ཡུལ། (16.08.2026)

Hello community, my Hyundai i20 manual clutch is starting to smell burnt and slips badly whenever I try to start from a dead stop on the steep incline near the Memorial Chorten in Thimphu. Is there a reliable garage here that can change the clutch plate package quickly, or do they have to order the parts from Phuentsholing border?

Burning clutch pads is a very common issue in Thimphu because drivers tend to ride the clutch pedal while stuck in uphill traffic. Most standard Hyundai parts like clutch kits and pressure plates are stocked by dealers down in Phuentsholing, so it usually takes only 1 or 2 days to bring them up via taxi or bolero pickup. Bring it to my shop near Babesa, we can diagnose if the flywheel needs resurfacing too.

To prevent this in the future, always use your handbrake technique when launching on steep hills instead of balancing the car with the clutch and accelerator. Our mountainous terrain kills gearboxes and brakes fast. Also, remember to switch to a lower gear when descending long roads to use engine braking, or you will completely overheat your brake pads.