Clutch Noise: Causes and Solutions

Since yesterday, I've been hearing some very strange noises that I hadn't noticed before.
My brother pointed out where I had parked, and he was standing next to my Golf Variant 2.0 TDI, manufactured in 2013. However, it already has 285,000 kilometers on the odometer.
And since I didn't like the noise, I removed the transmission today. And sure enough, it was exactly as the noise suggested: a spring had broken off the pressure plate.

Hi!
Thank you for the picture.
I've seen a few clutch automatics fail, but not like this, where something actually pops out. And usually, under heavy load, the clutch would slip.
On my Golf, the pressure plate broke after 15 years and a similar mileage.
It's just that when the intended lifespan is far exceeded, you sometimes run into bad luck and experience strange defects.


Is there any more damage?
Somewhere, that part must have rubbed or worn down.

Hello, there was some grinding noise coming from the transmission, but I think it's okay now. I don't think anything else is wrong, especially since I already removed the transmission. I can take a picture of the transmission later today if you'd like.
If all the parts arrive today, I will reassemble it. I've already ordered everything new, including the ZMS, which makes sense given the mileage. I hope this is the only problem it gives me. And, of course, it always happens when you least expect it. I'm actually in the process of recovering from my cancer therapy, but that's life. But everything will be alright.

"So, they've been together again since Friday. And of course, I, being the idiot, forgot to take a picture of the gearbox. But it wasn't much that was ground down, maybe just 1mm. The problem I'm still having is a slight vibration in the steering wheel when accelerating above 120 km/h. But he already had that before the clutch failure. And it only happens during acceleration; once the speed is reached, it disappears. I had the wheels balanced about 6 weeks ago, but that didn't help either. Does anyone know what that could be?"
Best regards from Northern Hesse, Frank.

I'm just throwing out the idea of a tripod joint.

Rüdi wrote:

I'm just throwing out the idea of a tripod joint

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It's possible that the mileage is incorrect. Are there any ways to verify this?