Clutch problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle

Clutch needs to be replaced in my 2002 vw new Beetle. I commute 200 miles a day. . All freeway. . And after purchasing the car used and using it for 5 months, the clutch needs replacing already. I have almost always owned manual transmission automobiles and have never had a clutch problem. I do not drive a lot using the clutch seeing as most of my driving is on the highway. I am glad I noticed this problem early and was only driving to the store instead of on the freeway.

Just after reaching 35,800 miles, my 2002 vw nb suddenly and without warning on the freeway lost power and speed. The engine began to rev erratically from a low of 1000 rpms to 6000/7000 rpms while the speed continued to drop below 50 mph. I took the car to a va dealership for the 35,000 mile service and bought the erratic engine behavior to the attention the of service manager. He advised me that he had "no idea what-so-ever" (indicating so on the service papers for the car) about what was causing the cars erratic behavior but would test drive it to troubleshoot the problem. I received a call later that day that they had found the problem with the car. The "fly wheel" was "falling out" of the car and would have to be replaced ASAP. Furthermore, while troubleshooting the car the mechanics had actually broken the fly wheel (clutch) rendering the car undrivable. The service manager advised me that in the 3 years the service department had serviced my car they had never checked my clutch as it was suppose to be self-regulating and that he found it unusual that the clutch would fall out with so few miles on the car. However, the service manager informed me that the clutch is not under warranty and would cost me approximately $2,000 or more to repair. I contacted va of America to inquiry as to why the clutch is not serviced regularly with the rest of the car and why owners are not advised of the so-called self-regulating clutch which is not mentioned anywhere in the owners manual. The consumer representative stated that even if the part was defective now at 35,000 miles that I should have taken action to have the part replaced when it was under warranty even though she could not specifically state when the fly wheel was under warranty or whether it is still under warranty. As yet the car has not been repaired.