Hi there, im having problems with my transmission on a 2002 1.6 ambiente. Seems to stick in one gear intermittenlty then its like someone (not me lol) steps on the brakes for a second. Thought it was shifting down to 2nd but now sure now. It may do this choking thing for a few seconds then go back to being stuck in one gear or if im lucky it starts changing properly. Anyone got any ideas?

Took it to the garage where it was bought, (Simpsons Barbados) they did some checks but cannot find the problem. They want $1000 to breakdown the transmission to diagonise the problem then perhaps another 3/4k to fix. Can anyone suggest alternatives?

I would say change the oil and filter and see what happens. It could be an issue with the valve block, but I would have though once you get down to that an exchange gearbox with a gurantee would be a better idea.

Check the transmission fluid level and top up if necessary. If the transmission is definitely faulty, it will be cheaper to get a refurbished one with a warranty rather than have the existing one stripped down and overhauled.

:+1: - I don't know offhand who makes VAG's auto boxes, but ZF transmissions actually officially recommend changing the fluid and filter in their boxes every 50_000 miles (80_000km).

Got a local mech who works for a Volkwagen dealer he says the Octavia

is the same as the Bora. He used the diagnostic computer and got a solonoid

code error. So may not have to exchange the gearbox, hope not. Will keep you posted. Thanks for your input

Octavia is the same as MK4 Golf/Bora yes.

Might get away with changing the solenoid chest/block then. Might just be the interal wiring.