Hello! I'm in need of some advice as I don't know whats the best option right now as I'm financially limited and un-knowledgeable about cars in general!

History:

I bought my Skoda Fabia HTP 1.2l 12v (2006) in 2016, which had 2 previous owners and 65,000 miles on it. Autumn of 2017, I managed to mess up the gearbox completely, and so I replaced the gearbox for a 2nd hand reconditioned one and input a new clutch (which cost half the price of what I paid for the car).

Now:
My 5th gear has started slipping/popping into neutral when ever I attempt to overtake/at high revs, and proceeds to pop out more often once heated up. (*It has also been the hottest week in the UK this year*).

Gears 1-4 & reverse are fine,
I can shift it into 5th gear with no problems/resistance,
When parked (and in 5th) and applying pressure to the accelerator it wants to move forward.

But my main question is:

Is it a problem with my 5th gear or my (2nd hand reconditioned) gearbox?

 

I took it to a mechanic, who adjusted the gear selector as it was slightly loose, but it hasn't amended the problem, where he thinks it could just be the fifth gear - however, he recommended that (because of the age of the car) that if its showing problems now then it'll only get worse and be more costly to keep on the road so, I should look to either fix it to sell it or part-ex it.

I spoke with some garages on the phone and they said it was the gearbox, and if it needed another gear box then I would have paid the value of the car in gearbox replacements and its not worth it.

I've got a really limited budget (an understatement) and need to understand what the best option is as I need a car for the nature of my work and really cant afford to make a mistake on this decision as I can't afford to fix it to have it break down again 6-12 months down the line, and cant really afford anything over £2k (and wouldn't know where to begin on a new car).

Do I replace the fifth gear and hope it amends the problems (as its apparently accessible from the side, and you dont need to take the gearbox out to fit it)?
If its the gearbox, do i replace it with another 2nd hand reconditioned gearbox and hope for the best (ride her til she dies)?
Or do I just part-ex it (autotrader says its approx value is £400) and get a new car [open to recommendations]?

I'm in a serious bind and need to act quickly, so any/all advice would be very much appreciated!

Thank you fellow skoda community, I wish I had some valuable input to give however I'm an absolute dunce when it comes to cars.

If you changed the gearbox less than a year ago (Autumn 2017- Summer 2018) it should still be under warranty and you should be able to get it fixed for free.

Hi Wayuls, probably worn synchro dogs or broken / weak detent springs on the 5th gear cluster - it was probably already pretty worn when it was taken out of the car it came from. Unfortunately "reconditioned" might not really mean much - your replacement box was probably just given a bit of an external clean up after being removed from a write-off. How long was the warranty given with the replacement box? - the place who fitted it might offer to fit another box for a reasonable charge.

 The problem could be fixed fairly easily by a gearbox specialist, but as the box would have to be removed first, the hourly labour rate could possibly make this uneconomical.  

The warranty on the reconditioned gearbox was only for 3 months, and I completely empathise with Warrior193 I’m that god knows where they got it from or what it had been through.

 

Realistically speaking, I don’t have the cash/capital to open her up and check as I’d need a working car at the end of it, where, fixing the gearbox again is no guarantee it won’t have more problems down the line. Given the age of the car, I don’t know if this is just the start of many problems to come.

 

I bought the gearbox online and had my local garage for it, but they wouldn’t be able to it for cheaper (apart from saving 75 bucks on a new clutch as the clutch is fine) and i’d effectively spend the value of the car in gearboxes.

 

Financially, I don’t have the means to get a better car and feel it would cost just as much to fix and sell, as I would get for part-exing it (Approx 400 to fix [just the fifth gear] and 400 part ex).

 

Thanks for your responses though! Please, keep the advice coming and if possible - what car(s) I should be looking at it I were to part - ex it.

 

A three-month warranty is not really acceptable on a reconditioned gearbox, I suggest you approach the supplier and ask their opinion since they may offer to fix the problem as a gesture of goodwill if you send the gearbox back to them.

 

I realise it's a cheap car but the value is in the utility, not in the market rate. Do not attempt to compare the cost of repairing and maintaining a car with what it cost to purchase.

 

Buying cars this cheap is a brutal minefield since most of them have serious underlying issues which mean you can only really expect to get a years use at best, you talk about £400 as if it were a matter of life and death yet it's really only about six tankfuls of petrol and is probably the amount of money most people spend annually on simply servicing and maintaining their existing vehicle.

 

If the car is not 'paying it's way' then it isn't essential and is a luxury item and you should get rid of it.

If  only 5th is not working correctly why not use the car  with the gears that do work until you can save enough to mend it or buy something better.

12 hours ago, seriesdriver said:

If  only 5th is not working correctly why not use the car  with the gears that do work until you can save enough to mend it or buy something better.

Thank you all for you advice, tbh I think I’m just going to have to cruise in 4th til I can afford something better.

 

Any recommendations of what to look at/keep in mind for the future?

 

Much appreciation!