Originally Posted by porschelady

according to "Click and Clack", manual drivers should shif into neutral at every stop rather than hold it depressed. It prematurely wears the throwout bearing and necessitates a new clutch as well.
I can't corroborate that as I've never had the problem. However, my ex-wife burned out the clutch in a fifteen minute period in a 78 Jeep CJ 7 trying to get it unstuck back in 78. I could smell the clutch a quarter mile away. I started to quit hunting and shoot her. As it turned out, I should have.

Originally Posted by 09RedGTS

Does it slip under WOT in the lower gears? If not, it still has some life left! How much remaining life can only be determined by driving it until it slips. I have never had a clutch fail and have driven several over 100k miles.

Originally Posted by cab83_750

The throwout bearing is the one that wears prematurely. Th clutch is normally replaced as "while I am in there" item.