Gearbox Problems

[ACTGTI]

Yep good points you make.

Mine has been just fine thus far for a $25k car. I wouldn't say it's brilliant, but it's great value for money.

[Ben_GTI]

please keep me updated
mine does it and i thought it was just a characteristic of the car so i just smash it into 2nd lol

i've also been told that it can take upto 20k+ for the gears to settle but dunno about the validity of such a statement

Yea I just smash it in too. After 30,000km it still does it. I'm going to give it a shot again getting fixed.

[golfie_boy]

wwwvwzzz

i think if the vin number starts with wwwvwzzz the car is made in south africa i could be mistaken although i do know the they also made in spain for i am waiting on delivery of my gti from spain my 1.4 match polo i have now was made in south africa on delivery the radio had a south african station programmed when i turned it on for the first time

is it just the gti`s that have this gearbox problem because i have my 1.4 for a year and no such problem

[TobyG]

Gearbox problems

G'day everyone. Looks like there's a few more graunching gearbox Polo GTI owners out there... sorry to hear you have been unlucky too. I reckon this could be a potential problem for a good percentage of GTI's. Not sure how many people visit this forum ? But within several days, we've had about 4 or 5 people complaining with the same problem. How many others are out there that are just assuming this graunching is an acceptable 'glitch' with their car ? Wether the car is new or second hand - who cares - if it's done lowish km's - and it's under warranty - then it SHOULDN'T happen. Power in numbers guys - if Shaneth got a replacement gear box, then so should we - I suggest you all go into your local VW service centre ASAP and make a big fuss about this problem - VW should be made fully aware of the extent of this issue. I don't care that this car only cost 27K - I've driven my girlfriends 1993 1.3 litre honda civic many times, and you rev the ringer off that thing, and the gear changes were awesome - and the car had done 130,000 k's. Same with all my other 'nice' cars - gear changes were smooth (SV8 was a heavy mother - but never graunched once). Re: Products being built in foreign country's (i.e. - not germany, japan etc) - yes, this is the way the world of manufacturing is going....cheaper = mistakes - it happens with so many things these days - so frustrating.

[TobyG]

Gearbox Problems

... Also - I forgot to say - I took my Polo GTI in to VW on Friday last week. One of the technicians drove it (i was in passenger seat) - and the graunching problem happened when he tried it out - several times. The car is booked in for a diagnosis - in about 3 weeks, and also booked in for the 'fix' - in mid October - having to wait a couple of months is so frustrating. The technician said he reckons theres a 98% chance they will just replace the gear-box (which i'm hoping for). I don't want it repaired. Will be interesting to see how many other people discover this forum topic and mention they have problems too. I just wonder how many people rev there cars above 4500 - 5000 rpm in first gear ? The car is super torquey - so perhaps alot of people have the same problem, but change into second gear early (not revving it high), so haven't discovered the problem yet ?

[Timbo]

perhaps alot of people have the same problem, but change into second gear early (not revving it high), so haven't discovered the problem yet ?

Could be the case. With chipped Polo, there's little point revving out first gear. It's a cable-linked shifter, in any case, and doesn't handle snap changes -- in any gear -- all that well. Will be interested to hear what the outcome of your service is.

As for "diagnosis in September" and the "fix in October", clearly this VW dealer has WAY too much work to handle. Reflects badly on VWA, methinks

[Spec83]

Try pushing the clutch down the little bit further... mine does it on occasion but it's due to me not fully depressing the clutch in order to get a quicker gear change

I must admit, the polo is no different to any other manual FWD cable opperated shifter i have driven - all tend to grind slightly on quick changes

[Wand Weaver]

The Polo seems to have a notchy gearbox - it's certainly not the first car I've driven with a gearbox like that, nor will it be the last.

Oddly enough, it only really seems to affect the 1-2 change more than any other one. I've found that lifting off the throttle after you've put the clutch in (causing a momentary blip in revs) helps, but I don't rush the shift anyway, and let it slide in. Sure, that wouldn't be great while racing, but on the road, it's not too bad.

The old Alfa GTV6 I've driven has the gearbox from hell. It was the car that encouraged me to learn how to double declutch - you would literally grind on every downshift otherwise. It's a habit I continue to this day, even in the Polo

[Spec83]

Double clutching is an art every serious manual driver should master... providing the pedals are spaced close enough together

[pomme]

I was under the impression it doesn't make any difference where the pedals are when double declutching. Heel toe downshift yea.

Unless i'm confused... double declutching is...


clutch in
change to neutral
clutch out
blip throttle
clutch in
change to required gear
clutch out

and heel toe is

clutch in
change to gear
blip throttle (while still breaking)
clutch out


While double declutch will add a fair amount of time to a gear change for what i can tell no gain, heel toe will allow you to brake and change gears at the same time, while matching revs to stop the car lurching increasing car control while on the limit.

[poloplayer]

re. double clutching, instead of sticking it in neutral, couldnt you just blip the throttle while the clutch is pushed in?

Oh, and does anyone ever get a bit of grinding when putting it in to reverse? Mine seems to do that occasionally...

[TobyG]

Gearbox Problems

Yes - Pomme's description of Double de clutching is correct. With practice, one can do this using the heal & toe method, so you can use the breaks at the same time. My first car was a Toyota Corona (1967 model) - it had a column shift gear box that had NO synchro in first or second... so double de clutching was a must. Re: Poloplayers question: You must have it in neutral with clutch up to make it work. Just blipping revs between gears with clutch down wont prevent grinding (but is still a smoother down changing technique). My car also occasionally grinds when putting into reverse, so I normally put it in neutral, clutch up, clutch down, into reverse - this prevents any graunching... but again, what does it say about the Polo GTI gear-box ? Basically, it's **** ! Porsche use cable linkage gearboxes too, but don't seem to have any problems... i have driven several recent model 911's - and whilst not the slickest gear box in the world, they never graunch. I beleive the best, slickest gear box in the universe is on the Honda NSX - it's like a light-switch. Also, the Honda S2000 box is amazingly good. Later model S2000's have triple synchro rings for first and second gear.... perhaps VW should look at doing something like this too ??? They need all the help they can get

[Golf Loon]

Could the gearshift problem be an engine mount problem?

I see this lots in older VWs, engine moves under accelleration, making next gear hard to line up.

Thats why if you change slow the engine has settled back down and you can easily select the next gear.

Just an idea.

[GT3]

... but again, what does it say about the Polo GTI gear-box ? Basically, it's **** !

there's definately something wrong with your gearbox (or something else effecting it). personally - my gearbox is perfect and doesn't do any of the things you describe, and I consider it one of the best gearboxes I've ever used (notchy, tight, precise - German engineers describe this a degree of tolerance, ie amount of give and movement between components). Jap gearboxes feel a lot softer and easier to move around, it doesn't necessarily make them 'superior' - just different, which it seems you're still getting used to.

you should sort this out with your dealer and if that doesn't resolve matters, contact VWA, rather than making generalisations about about the pog based on your own faulty gearbox.

[Timbo]

Could the gearshift problem be an engine mount problem?

That's probably it. If you've seen the Polo being dynoed, you'll know how much the engine moves

Still, I've had no problems and would just suggest again that with the torque of this engine, there's little point maxing out 1st before shifting.