Hi there fellow briskodions i have noticed that sometimes when trying to engage first gear on my 07 vrs tdi with 22000m its a right pig and you struggle to engage the gear even with foot flat to floor on clutch is this a trait or is it driver error.

please help cos i dont want to go to dealer and look like a right prat:thumbup:

Had same problem on one of my past Golfs. The clutch wasn't disengaging fully, because the long rod between the master cylinder and the clutch release bearing was very badly worn. Presumably not hardened properly during manufacture as the car had only done 12,000 miles. Fixed under warranty and fine thereafter.

Worth going to the dealer and checking I think.

My wife's Fabia went through a phase of being difficult to get into 1st. As a work-around, if it wouldn't go in, she put the clutch in, put it in 2nd, and then if she kept the clutch in, it would go straight into 1st after that. It was a linkage somewhere that needed adjusting, in the end...

similar problem with SWMBO's Seat Leon when she first got it and as Ap0gee said selecting second then going to first worked OK. We went back to the dealer and they said this happened a lot and they wouldn't look at it unless it still did it after 10k miles.

The problem did disappear after a while.

similar problem with SWMBO's Seat Leon when she first got it and as Ap0gee said selecting second then going to first worked OK. We went back to the dealer and they said this happened a lot and they wouldn't look at it unless it still did it after 10k miles.

The problem did disappear after a while.

All my cars including current Mk4 Golf, Toledo, Octavia, had difficulty engaging reverse gear sometimes.

I just put it into 1st and roll foward an inch or so and then retry .... Bingo !!

Would this have been a similar issue to that of your wife's car, where she would engage 2nd and roll forward and then engage 1st ?

She didn't even need to move the car or release the clutch. Just putting it through the gate into 2nd was enough to re-align whatever was out of position, and then it would slip into 1st easy as pie! :ne_nau:

Obviously something that is either too stiff or has become loose and not being moved enough when you go to engage first but going to second is enough to move it out the way or whatever to be able to slide it up to 1st.

I would report it to the dealer and they will either look at it or tell you to leave it a bit longer or both.

Doesn't sound like driver error from the other comments anyway.

Out of interest is the gear leaver operated by a series of cables on these?

Phil

Hi there fellow briskodions i have noticed that sometimes when trying to engage first gear on my 07 vrs tdi with 22000m its a right pig and you struggle to engage the gear even with foot flat to floor on clutch is this a trait or is it driver error.

please help cos i dont want to go to dealer and look like a right prat:thumbup:

Sounds more like a problem with the car than the driver.

I have a similar car to yours with a very positive gear change.

As mentioned by others above, report it to your dealer. Apart from making the desicion there and then to look at it. If they put it on record for your car and something else happens or it does not go away you can refer back to the original date that you reported it to them. This will make it easier to make a warranty claim now that it is in its final year of manufacturers warranty.

Cheers chaps will contact dealer today and tell the wife she doesnt need a self shifter