Hi

I took my 56 Fabia 1.9Tdi in for a service and mot today and mentioned I've been getting a crunching when going from 1st to 2nd gear. I've actually had the problem for a couple of years now but just lived with it.

Any way the garage rang me this afternoon to tell me that the gearbox would need to come out and be stripped something about the synchro mesh having gone. Would have to be sent away and would take about a week. They said if it all went smoothly would cost £680.

Without being exact with the details does anyone know what my problem is and does the cost sound reasonable?

My inclination is to live with it and let it develop?

To get the car through the mot and serviced is going to cost £300 as it has a binding brake and suspension issue.

The garage is IVA in Leeds if anyone knows them they have always been decent in the past but first time I've been for a few years.

The car has not cost much in the past and despite it's age has only done 35k .

Knocjed me for 6 to be honest today!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Have you adjusted the gear selector cables, they need doing time to time but the symptopms also involve trouble getting into reverse, hows yours?

As for the binding brakes, which one is it?

Somtimes they just need free'ing up and some fresh copper grease putting on them, if its the rear brake (discs and pads) they suffer fom the handbrake sticking on, this is well documented on here and involves fitting helper springs on the return arm of the caliper.

Hi

Thanks for the reply. All the other gears select fine nice and smooth. The change from 1st to 2nd crunches the higher the engine speed or so it seems. I'm not technical so haven't adjusted anything.

The binding brake is rear offside.

I'm really trying to figure what is costing me £680 - sounds like a new gearbox and would that be a reasonable cost?

If i just let it progress what's the worst case scenario?

Thanks

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I would perhaps live with it. Guess you need a bit of rev matching etc yes?

I'm really trying to figure what is costing me £680 - sounds like a new gearbox and would that be a reasonable cost?

If i just let it progress what's the worst case scenario?

Its a reasonable price imo, its pretty much the same Labour as a clutch and flyweel.

I'd imagine they will get the gearbox recond which will cost around £300+ might be more as thats just what they have cost for me.

This obviously means removing the gearbox which is quite a time consuming job meaning large labour costs, if you go ahead with it, i'd think about checking the flywheel and replacing the clutch for what a clutch will cost ontop of the bill anyway.

Noone knows worst case, but at a guess the gearbox will shout bang at you and smash a whole in the side of it leaving you with no option but to get a new gearbox, but on the other hand could do another 100,000 mile of trouble free crunching.

Edited 11 December, 201213 yr by hutchysrs50

Hi mcc,i had exactly the same symptoms as you with my vrs,had the cables adjusted..better,but still a problem,then had new clutch,flywheel and release bearing fitted and was instantly better,although tbh,i can still feel a little bit of notchyness..but previously it was horrendous to get into 1st,2nd and reverse.hope this helps??

mick.

My reverse and first are a bit I a fight somtimes to get in.. On banks seems to be worse for reverse but always goes in when driving just when I stop if that makes sense

This seems to be a common issue, I remember reading a lot of articles about a certain gearbox oil or additive which seemed to sort out the notchy crunchy shifts?

My first and reverse are quite tight as well, think i just need to adjust my cables when i can be botherd.

Edit: ^^^ would be interesting to see if anything els comes of this.

Edited 11 December, 201213 yr by hutchysrs50

Thanks for all the replies guys.

On the basis that I've taken various cars to this garage over 20 years I'm pretty sure they're being straight with me.

It's tempting to just let the problem develop but I guess a new gearbox would cost me a packet!

I'm veering towards getting the work done in the new year. Had a new clutch in Jan 11 which has only seen 10k miles so should be good but will probably ask about the fly wheel.

Always been really pleased with my furby in the past but this has been a big wake up call! Still hoping to keep the car for another 2 to 3 years yet.

Thanks

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

It should only be a 5 speed box so wont cost much for a second hand one tbh...

Sorry about hijack

Just This sounds an interesting topic. I have a 2005 vrs and noticed slipping in my clutch with no problem with gear changes from 1st to 2nd but obviously slipped under accelerating changed the clutch and slave cylinder and now every so often it takes a double dip or more to get it to disengage before it will allow it into 2nd.

Wondering if similar issue to yours ir not

Yours could be down to gearbox oil then, depends what they've put in after changing the clutch.

True. Not sure what they put back in. Do you know they should have put in?

After my experience with the same problem I wouldn't leave it!

We had crunching from 1st to 2nd and also 1st gear was very hard to engage.

I changed the oil and re-aligned the selector etc but it still remained.

Eventually it started to whine in 1st and 2nd and then one day when bang with horrible knocking noises coming from it.

Basically the bearings had gone and the gearbox ate itself.

Second hand recon gearbox, DMF, clutch and slave cylinder later and all is fixed. Cost us £1,200 in total though!

Phil

Just what I needed, thanks a lot.

Also sometimes the gear oil can be changed as I have read and that will cure it. But in my experience it didn't work.

I saw a 59 plate VW Touran TDI the other day that crunch as they changed to 2nd. It's very common it seems.

Try the linkage re-alignment first then try the gearbox oil as that's only about £15 from the dealers.

Phil