a few months back I found it harder and harder to impossible to get the car off from a stop smoothly. NO matter how smoothly I worked the clutch the clutch would judder during engagement and take offs were well, not smooth. Additionally the transmission developed a reluctance to shift smoothly. It seemed like I was not pushing the clutch in far enough. Of course I mentally made a note to push the clutch in more fully but this didn't help.
Now with at that time way over 260K miles on the clutch and transmission and in spite of regular transmission fluid changes I figured the clutch if not both the clutch and the transmission were just wearing out. I had the transmission fluid changed not too many months prior to this to so I had confidence the fluid was ok.
I got to talking to the service manager about something and I mentioned this behavior and he looked up when the car was last in for a clutch/fluid flush/bleed. Over 2 hers, almost 2.5 years was what he found. So I booked the car in for this service. I'm going to throw some money at an overdue fluid service before I have the clutch replaced or the transmission rebuilt even with over a quarter of a million miles on them.
Well, believe it or not the clutch and transmission behavior was like night turned into day after the fluid service. The judder in the clutch was gone and the transmission once again shifted very smooth.
While I didn't feel any difference in the braking, and it was without any odd behavior before the fluid service, the improvement in the clutch's action and the shifting was well worth the cost of the service, which while I can't recall the cost was not IIRC eye watering. 'course many do this themselves, which is ok provided it is done correctly.
My experience really drove home how important this service is. Now I might not have encountered the clutch and transmission behavior had I had this service done at the 2 year interval. I've had the clutch/brake fluid service done in the past, or done it myself, at two year intervals and except for what I would see coming out of the bleed nipples of the rotors there was no change in brake or clutch or shifting action afterwards.
I have to admit that even with no change in the brake or clutch or shifting behavior what I see coming out of the bleed nipples of the rotors is enough to know that an every 2 year brake/clutch fluid flush/bleed is a good thing a dare I say it critical bit of fluid service for two vital subsystems of the car. But my experience showed me there is a real negative hit on the clutch and the shifting performance from letting this service go.