Tight gearbox

[Casbantam]

Hi all,

I have a 1.2 TSI Match 2016 6600miles. I've owned it for 2 months now and it's a great little car.
One thing I have noticed is that the gear change can be quite tight. Occasionally it doesn't always engage reverse gear easily which is normal I have found in most other cars. However engaging 1st is sometimes difficult also. For eg when stationary to put the car in 1st it doesn't always go straight in, it seems to get stuck halfway. If I pop it back in neutral and then try it goes straight in.
Does this seem normal and is it a case of maybe trying to be a bit firmer. Never owned a VW before so maybe this is normal? It's very low mileage for the age. Would it loosen up over time or could it a potential issue
Any replies are most welcome. Thanks Casbantam

[veteran]

If you operate the clutch a few times and then and only then attempt to gearshift into 1st, do you get the self same baulking still happening?

If the clutch mechanism within the bellhousing has been contaminated by grease or oil, there'd be a tendency for the clutch plate to stick and not retract properly. That would then give, as a possible symptom, a difficult gearchange.

Do you, by any coincidence, always feel a slight forward lurch of the car at the instant of firing up the engine? I do on my 2017 TSI Match 1.2. I believe my clutch may well have become oil-contaminated.

[fleagal]

I had a similar problem with an old Ford Focus some years back. It transpired that the clutch was leaking fluid and I stupidly ignored the stiff gearbox and the unwillingness to engage first or reverse. The result was a new clutch. Check your fluids and your usual parking space for signs of leaks.

[gaza1994]

I've noticed this is an issue with my car

Its normally fine after it has warmed up though

[Kss47]

Hi,
It occasionally happens on my 2017 Match 1.2TSI but it's so rare that it's never been a problem. It also occasionally happened on the Golf mk2 GTI, 2 Lupos and 2 Polos that I've previously owned. The worst was the Golf mk2 GTI which after a long motorway run followed by getting stuck in stop/start traffic would sometimes refuse to go into 1st gear so I'd have to used 2nd gear.
Keith.

[Casbantam]

Thanks for the replies people. Will check for leaks tomorrow.
Much appreciated feedback

[veteran]

Where and how do you intend looking for any evidence of the clutch being contaminated by oil? I can inform you that it won't be easy; it'll require not just a passing glance but a modicum of work on your part. If there is oil contamination of the clutch, and especially if it continues, then eventually gearchanging will become considerably more difficult, especially when going from neutral to first. So, it'll be important to perform a thorough inspection of the underside of the gearbox bellhousing and the gasketing/joints around the lowest points of it, for signs of oil that might have eventually dripped out. Unless and until the leak(s) is so bad, and enough of the oil has swum around the engine/gearbox-side of the undertray that it drips out then from the undertray and you start to see it on the ground, you won't be able to determine what's really happening. Just peering down the gap in front of the engine won't be enough. Instead, the undertray will need to come off. It's held on by about 11 screws. The front of the car will need to be raised to gain the requisite access. Once the undertray - I'm assuming you have one on your Match 2016 - is off, you'll then be able to see the true extent of the leak - if any - and you'll able to inspect and feel also around those lower joints.

Before you even do that, though, check the engine oil level in the sump with the dipstick - obviously, on level ground but only after the engine's been off for at least 30 mins. If on the dipstick it's at max, or even more than that, then it's highly likely that someone's overfilled at some stage, and because the engine oil now recommended by VW is that much thinner than a few years ago, the oil has blown past the main shaft seal(s) into the clutch (one very good reason why I do my own maintenance and have stayed with the former, thicker oil). On the dipstick, there's very little difference between 'amply full' (about three-quarters) and 'max' - perhaps 50 - 80ml of oil? Bear in mind that the combustion process will produce water in the sump and that too will add to the dipstick level; the water will only likely boil off if the car's driven for a long time and the engine's allowed to get really hot, so lots of short journeys won't help in this.

Another possibility is that the contamination - if in the clutch at all - has come from not the engine oil but from the hydraulic oil of the clutch slave cylinder. The latter is found at the nearside top of the bellhousing and the working part of the cylinder pokes into the bell housing. Any leakages from the working end of that cylinder may well find their way spun along on the primary shaft and into the clutch components.

Of whatever kind, any oil constantly finding its way in amongst the clutch components will eventually drain out of the bottom of the bellhousing and/or from the gasketings thereof. The oil will then drip on to the undertray. But even though, on careful inspection, you might see and feel the oil around those lower parts of the engine/gearbox, you'll find it difficult to determine whether it's engine oil or hydraulic oil, because both oils are thin and both start off as having a vague yellow tint.

Of course, we have to assume that your gearchanging difficulty isn't being caused by insufficient oil in the gearbox. If you bought the car secondhand (inferred by you saying the car's mileage is 6600 after 2 months of driving), then the dealer may have emptied and then refilled the gearbox at some point as part of pre-delivery checks.

If there are oil leaks, from wherever and to wherever, and you get the dealer to investigate the matter under warranty, then the dealer's in all probability not going to give you the truth if it's discovered that the leak, or the difficulty in gearchanging, has been caused by anything done by them prior to the handover of the vehicle to you.

Beyond these tips/ideas, my advice would be to keep a running check on the engine oil level as shown by the dipstick, if necessary drawing off and discarding some of the oil if, after a scheduled service, you find the level at max. If the getting from neutral to first is, however, only an occasional difficulty, and the sump hasn't been overfilled, then this might be something you can learn to live with.

[Casbantam]

Well I finally decided to get it checked out at the dealership after getting a little fed up of it.
Initially they said they couldn't find anything wrong after a test drive but then when they were checking the gear linkages they spotted something. Apparently they use a special tool to tighten the linkages and when they were checking the main linkage (not sure of exact terminology) they said the tool would not fit so was out of alignment. They managed to loosen it and then realign and tighten back up.
So for a few days I am sure that it was considerably better. All other gears did seem smoother and I didn't experience the really tight 1st gear that felt like it needed to be forced home. However after a few days I think I am back to how it was???
Question is was it just Placebo effect and I convinced myself that it was fixed? Have the linkages come loose again or is the issue something different? I did say when I booked it in that someone said it could be low on oil but that was scoffed at and they said there would definitely not be an issue with the oil. Would this be something that they would normally check as part of there fault finding?
Probably going to be something to just live with I think!

[RUM4MO]

I think that you need to push this before the factory warranty has run out as that will be the easiest form of warranty to get proper resolution to this.

Did you buy this car from a VW dealer or where, if so did it come with a used car warranty?

No one should be expected to buy a relatively new car and have to suffer, it should be a joy to own and drive no reason for it not to be.

As that dealership have accepted that it was not okay, that work carried out will have been logged and charged to VW UK if still under factory 3 year warranty.

[Casbantam]

Yes VW dealership. Manufacturer warranty expires May then till November with dealership warranty.
It is probably ok 90% of time but when lights go green and it wont go in without force it's not good.

[RUM4MO]

Maybe a strange or weird way of thinking, but so far with dealing with a 6C Polo issues while under factory warranty, there does seem to be a ploy/way of operating that goes like this:- at first workshop visit have a quick look at problem and maybe that customer will stay away, when it is in for a second visit, they start to look deeper into the reported issue as now they have a problem customer, ie one who has chosen to want their faulty car fixed!

I can understand VW Group working this way as they do seem to be building too many cars with annoying problems and their revenues are required elsewhere.

Book it back in, it should be pleasant to drive, you have not paid Lada prices for that VW!

Edited to correct spelling - wired should be weird.

[Casbantam]

Yes, think I will book it back in and see what happens.
Cheers

[Casbantam]

Still having issues with the intermittent tight gear shifts. Reverse is also difficult or not possible most of the time without messing about through other gears or lifting clutch slightly till it drops in.
Garage test drove car but couldn't replicate issue so back to square one.
Any advice on next course of action? 1st and reverse are the most troublesome.
Cheers

[RUM4MO]

Maybe try another VW dealership before the warranty has run out.

[Casbantam]

Booked it in again for a few weeks time. They are gonna keep it for a few days and one of the technicians will drive it so fingers crossed they will experience what I am.
VW Assist said t was a dragging clutch. The garage said it wasn't it was gear linkages so adjusted but either way it is still not right.
I noticed this morning that after trying and failing to get in reverse multiple times if I pumped the clutch a few times it went straight in. Possible air in system?