I've done a bit of searching on this forum, and various other VAG forums and this seems to be a common issues.

Basically, if I change into second gear quickly, from first, third or fourth, I get a crunch, like what you'd get if the clutch wasn't pressed properly, accompanied by a shock of vibration up my arm as the gears try to eat each other.

It doesn't happen all the time, tending to happen more when the engine/gearbox is warm. I'm guessing it's case of new gearbox oil, a linkage adjustment of some sort, or a warn synchromesh-thingy. It's become more common now the temperatures are a little warmer outside too.

Now, I believe if I baby the car and make sure I don't change into second quickly anymore, it should be fine until I win the lottery and can afford to get it looked at?

Has anyone else had this problem and made their gearbox last a decent amount of time? Or do I need to light up the Batdebt Phone at the bank and get it sorted asap before the box eats itself?

I'm 5000 off a service (which at my current rate of mileage should be June/July), so would ideally like to leave it until then and get it looked at a the same time to save extra labour.

Any info on your experiences will be much appreciated!

You say it doesn,t do it all the time so can,t really be a synchro gone or something.I have read in the MK2 Fab and Roomster section a while ago that a gearbox oil change seemed to cure this problem with them.Would certainly be a good thing to do for starters.

Good luck hope you sort it out

try resetting your gear selectors. i never had a crunch but its certainly made things more smooth and free flowing. its a bit of a fiddly job as you have to take out the plastic intake system, battery and casing to get to the linkage.

linkypoo's:

OK. Brilliant. Thanks both of you, that gives me some reassurance that it's could be solved reasonably inexpensively at least.

with not having a driveway (or a workshop jack), I'll probably be best getting a garage to do the reset/oil change, but at least I have something to go on. There are a few reasonably priced VAG specialists around here, so I'll ring around them to see how inexpensively I can get each job done to see if it helps.

At the moment, if I leave about 1.5-2 seconds before engaging 2nd gear from neutral, it's smooth, so I think I can modify my driving around that until I get it sorted.

A quick update on this. Took it to a gearbox/clutch specialist this morning, and after a test drive, they reckon the sychros on the 1st and 2nd gears need attention, and that it would be a good idea to replace the clutch while they have it all open. Even though the clutch doesn't appear to be slipping, I see their logic in that, as the current clutch has done nearly 80,000 miles. Depending on the gearbox, it may be cheaper to fit a refurb one and a new clutch.

Looks like that's me bankrupt then. Ah well I got a good 2.5 months service from the car before its first major repair. I suppose I'd best get saving for MOT time