I bought the car in December of 2020 with 82,000 miles on it. I drive it quite easy and rarely got on the throttle or did much downshifting through quick corners. So it came as a shock when my clutch started slipping. Shortly afterwards, the transmission would skip while in gear, preventing the car from accelerating safely as I merge in to traffic.

I brought it to the dealer expecting to pay what my 2010 MKVI clutch kit & DMFW cost me at 155,000 miles. I was wrong to assume; the same job would cost over one thousand dollars more.

I didn't have any other choice but to pay. The car was undrivable. I'd see that the flywheel was scored with heat marks and had multiple breaks around the perimeter of it's edges.

Typically I'd say the previous owner wore it out. However, the clutch was decently healthy when I bought it. About 3,000 miles of non-spirited driving short distances to work and back shouldn't destroy a clutch at all - much less eviscerate the flywheel.

My best guess is just conjecture, so I'll end my report here. But do be cautious when buying. I wouldn't trust a decently healthy clutch on another used MKVII GTI.