1999 Peugeot 406. 112000 miles. I bought the car a few years ago when it had 74000 (genuine) miles on the clock. The clutch pedal has always been heavy to use and while changing gear is no problem my wife finds that too many changes around town and slipping the clutch while manoeuvring into parking spaces is too much for her.
I feel that lubricating the cable with a motorcycle cable lubricator may improve matters. Has anyone tried this or even found it neccessry?

alan g, August 2009

change the clutch cable . i also had that problem.

john, March 2014

I was the originator of this question. I hadn't realised that the clutch on our car is the same as our Boxer 1.9TD motor caravan which my wife drives without complaint. The difference is the position of our feet on the clutch pedal.
So I removed the insulating board below the instrument panel (prise away 3 studs) and put a 15mm board under the rubber mat that keeps our feet off the carpet. Now our feet are in a more controlled position with heels on the floor and no chance of our toes being caught by the board.
Seems to be the answer.

alan g, October 2009

sometimes lubricating cable works but sometimes the clutch arm gets seized in gearbox bushes. sometimes its the actual clutch pressure plate itself getting siezed. the only way then is to replace clutch.

me, August 2009

Lubricating the cable will make it worse! Modern bowden cables have a plastic/nylon liner which will swell if oiled, making it tighter.
You could try fitting a new cable, they're about £25 from eurocarparts.com or gsfcarparts.com, probably about the same from local motor factors, but I dont think that'll solve the problem. A worn cable is usually hard to push down and jerky to release. If your wife is finding it hard to 'hold' the clutch, that's just the way peugeot clutches are.
Might be easier to get a Stairmaster and build up her leg muscles!

trent, August 2009

lubricating the cable may make a difference but it may not be the the cable itself i would disconnect the cable and see how freely it moves as it may be the clutch release bearing that is sticking inside the gearbox.

garthmole, August 2009