VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand?

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 17:58
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Bethiboo22

Any advice would be appreciated. Asking on behalf of son. He's come home from Nightshift this morning and gear box has gone. He said went from 1st gear into 2nd crunched and now won't go back into first. He's adamant he's just going to buy a second hand gearbox but I think he should get it reconditioned or at very least get a quote for a recon.

I just think at least having it reconditioned he'll get a little guarantee but with a second hand gearbox there's nothing to say same won't happen.

Tried to have a look to see if it's a "common" fault and can't find anything at all. Think he's been driving it aggressively tbh.

What would you do?

Thanks

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 18:14
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - badbusdriver

Tried to have a look to see if it's a "common" fault and can't find anything at all. Think he's been driving it aggressively tbh.

Really, you can't find any info relating to DSG gearboxes having issues?

Not sure where you looked, but they definitely do have issues. They can be reliable and I'm assuming a GTI would have the stronger wet clutch version, but long term reliability is largely going to be down to how it is driven. And if the car was bought 2nd hand, how would you find this out?.

What would you do?

Get it fixed for as little as he can get away with and then sell the car. If he really wants a Golf GTI, tell him to get the manual.

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 18:30
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Bethiboo22

Can find lots about DSG. Should have probably stated it's Manual transmission.

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 18:32
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - elekie&a/c doctor
First to second shift faulty tends to suggest it’s a manual gearbox. I’d be looking at the shift linkage before condemning the box .
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Sun 18 Dec 2022 18:39
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - badbusdriver

Can find lots about DSG. Should have probably stated it's Manual transmission.

Sorry, just assumed!

Not aware of problems on the manual box, but if it is often being driven hard (and perhaps unsympathetically?) one thing can lead to another.

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 19:10
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - sammy1

1st and 2nd always going to get most wear. I would get proper diagnosis first, linkage or even clutch might be issue. Cheaper to get a second hand box than mess about with recon. Should be plenty in breakers

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 19:03
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Big John

I'd look at linkages and engine/gearbox mounts first. Also the clutch - can you engage 1st with the engine turned off?

Edited by Big John on 18/12/2022 at 19:05

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Sun 18 Dec 2022 20:12
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Bethiboo22

Won't go into 1st with engine on or off just wants to jump into reverse.

Clutch seems fine as gets into all other gears no problem at all, cables are sound. He bought it 2nd hand and gearstick has had a wobble since he bought it and he has been putting off renewing them.

The more I've spoken to him about it the more I think he's ragged it into gear himself and damaged it. He doesn't seem that angry about it if you get what I mean. If it happened to me and I'd been driving normally I'd be raging about it all day and night, he's just too relaxed about it.

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Mon 19 Dec 2022 06:50
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - edlithgow

It could be argued that ones past relationship (abusive or otherwise) to ones gearbox is one's own private affair.

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Mon 19 Dec 2022 12:54
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - skidpan

I had gearbox issues in my Mk 2 GTi after about 6 years and 100,000 miles. The car had led a hard life, I towed a trailer with a Caterham on it (total weight about 1200 kg) most weekends from April to the end of September thus I was not really surprised when it became very noisy but there was no issue changing gear.

Took car to a mate in the motor trade (he specialised in Ford Gearboxes) and after a look he suggested that he could fit a recon box or get my box rebuilt by a VW specialist, the price for both options was the same. The choice of fitting a 2nd hand box was never discussed, it might have been as bad as mine was and cost me far more in labour and hassle.

I chose the get my box rebuilt option because there was always the chance the recon box came from a write off with other issues and the GTi had unique ratios and there was a risk of getting a box without those ratios.

It worked out well, car drove like new, box had all new bearings and synchro's plus diff bearings as well. Cost back in 1996 was £220 plus £50 for mates time removing and refitting (no VAT). Going to be way more than that now.

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Mon 19 Dec 2022 14:34
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - gordonbennet

Last manual gearbox failure i encountered was an a 3 litre Supra i used to look after for a chap, box was really noisy, i took the box out and over to a gearbox specialist and picked it a few days later fully rebuilt and as sweet as new, can't remember cost now but a fraction of the cost of an exchange box.

I agree with Skipan, better getting the present one rebuilt assuming its not past saving, and don't forget to get the clucth checked and if necessary replaced whilst the box is out.

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Mon 19 Dec 2022 15:20
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - skidpan

don't forget to get the clucth checked and if necessary replaced whilst the box is out.

Whilst mine was apart we replaced the clutch. Used a Valeo or LUK 3 part kit, not too expensive but good quality. Seemed sensible after all the towing the car had done. But looking at the driven plate it might not have been necessary, after 100,000 miles it still had plenty of wear left, seem to remember that when compared to the original it was about 1/2 worn. Chap at work with a Vento GTi paid the same for a new clutch at the VW dealer as I paid for the gearbox and clutch at the mates.

Just a shame the mate has now closed his doors and only looks after a few customer track cars from a nice big workshop on his garden.

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Mon 19 Dec 2022 23:54
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Bethiboo22

Thanks for responses, really appreciated. We've got a couple of local gearbox specialist transmission repairs pretty local to us neither had chance to ring today but definitely be giving them a bell for a guesstimate in the morning. It's just that awful time of year for it to happen, places winding down ready for Xmas break so might be after New Year yet and then means he's taking my car to work and so I'm stuck having to wait for him to get home off days if I need to go shopping etc. I WFH so suppose he's lucky in that sense he's not having to try and get to work by public transport at silly o'clock in the mornings.

I had the original gearbox reconditioned on my old Polo, had a bearing issue around 8yrs ago and it was around £300 Iirc so thinking poss looking at around £5/600 but unsure if it'll just be a set price or not.

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Tue 20 Dec 2022 09:08
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Big John

We had the gearbox or our Panda rebuilt by a local specialist about 5ish years ago as there was a bad bearing noise. He did a fabulous job and it's still going strong. Including labour, a new clutch & replacement of all parts within the bellhousing such a clutch fork all in it was about £600 inc labour.

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Tue 20 Dec 2022 08:59
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - edlithgow

I've only rebuilt a gearbox once, on a Triumph 1300, co-owned with a couple of friends

Long story. Gearbox top forms the bottom of the sump on those, and had a crack in it, so engine oil leaked into the gearbox and final drive, then overflowed out of the diff breather hole.

These days i would without hesitation epoxy-bodge up the breather and let it run in engine oil, but we were young, clueless, and wanted to do it properly, so we got a scrap gearbox,(rip-off) and then, quite unnecessarily, swapped all the cogs out of the original casing because they "looked better".

We managed to accidentally blag some new bearings free (from a bearing company, NOT as car parts) "Small order, not worth the paperwork". This was in Leeds when there still was some industry.

Astonishingly it worked perfectly, but it was an epic hassle and I doubt I would try it again. In Taiwan I probably wouldnt trust anyone else to do it, (Cue Robert Morley "They are an absolute shower" gin-sodden expatriate routine) and I probably couldn't get the bits to DIY.

None of which is directly relevant to you since I don't suppose you are considering DIY, except that, if we could do it ok, theres a fair chance that a pro can.

Edited by edlithgow on 20/12/2022 at 09:08

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Tue 20 Dec 2022 09:39
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - Andrew-T

(Cue Robert Morley "They are an absolute shower" gin-sodden expatriate routine) ...

Sounds more like Terry-Thomas ? :-)

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Tue 20 Dec 2022 12:11
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - edlithgow

(Cue Robert Morley "They are an absolute shower" gin-sodden expatriate routine) ...

Sounds more like Terry-Thomas ? :-)

Yeh, but Robert Morley looks more like a gin-sodden expatriate.

(Must get myself a linen jacket)

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Tue 20 Dec 2022 14:33
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - galileo

I 'lost' second gear in one of my Hillman Imps while visiting Caernarvon. Drove home carefully and my local Rootes dealership removed and rebuilt the transaxle for £90 in 1975, which seemed a fair price at the time.

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Tue 20 Dec 2022 17:28
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - daveyK_UK
I would echo other comments and repair your current box.

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Wed 21 Dec 2022 05:19
VW Golf Gti Mk6 - Recondition original gearbox or buy 2nd hand? - expat

(Cue Robert Morley "They are an absolute shower" gin-sodden expatriate routine) ...

Sounds more like Terry-Thomas ? :-)

Yeh, but Robert Morley looks more like a gin-sodden expatriate.

(Must get myself a linen jacket)

Unfortunately expatriotism is not what it used to be. We are reduced to being beer sodden ;)

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