Keep us updated. Hope you get it sorted.

VAG being as it is, it is very unlikely the gearbox of the Up GTI is only used in that car. The 1.0 110PS engine is used in a huge variety of other VAG cars (including Skidpan's Fabia) and they will almost certainly use the gearbox too (maybe with different ratio's though). I read various motoring magazines, at least two of which have ran Up GTI's as long term test cars and i don't recall reading about any gearbox problems.

Absolutely correct.

Back in the days of the 1.2 TSi and the 1.4 TSi the 1.2 TSi and the 122 PS 1.4 TSi used a different gearbox to the 140 PS 1.4 TSi. It was not just the ratios, the box in the 140 PS was a heavier duty box.

I would suspect that the box used in the 1.0 is the same box used in the earlier 1.2's possibly with different ratio's. The Up GTi will have exactly the same box as the wifes 1.0 110 PS Fabia but I am pretty sure I have read that the Up GTi has a different diff ratio to make the car more responsive.

Considering how many of these boxes are out there it beggars belief that one owner has managed to have 2 faulty ones.

Or is it the way the owner drives the car?

It'd be interesting to know what gearbox is fitted - it should be shown on the car sticker. I wonder if they have just put in the same version as the lower powered non turbo cars?

The mq200(200Nm tourque) fitted to my 1.4tsi Superb (125ps) still seems perfect at about 75k miles. I think the later EA211 150ps versions have the mq250 gearbox.

I thought that it was the 200 which was the least reliable, but as with DPFs and diesels, I still think what cars (engines) they are mated to and especially HOW such components are used and maintained make as much of a difference reliability-wise as their original design and construction.

For some, all it takes is a relatively short period of ownership under adverse circumstances (non-sympathetic diving, poor maintenance) for major issues to arise, rather like someone riding the clutch in a manual car all the time and burning it out in a few weeks/months.

I think that too many people (especially in recent years) have been lulled into a false sense of security as regards this soirt of thing, and its now biting them in the proverbial backside, especially financially.