I have an issue that that I am hoping I can get some pointers on in here.

 

Can a flywheel replacement be linked to a DSG oil/seal failure causing transmission fluid leak from the bellhousing where the gearbox meets with the engine? It has been suggested to me that the seal could have been damaged or dislodged when the engine side/shaft was rejoined with the gearbox, and it could take a hundred or so miles of driving for it to become known/worse/fail. This happened to us after about 200 miles of normal driving, resulting in a loss of most if not all fluid in a pool under the car. This is heading down the route of a new gearbox being required (probably rebuilt/reconditioned).

 

Generally, is it a fair scenario or is it far fetched to link the two?

Would it be good practice for the garage to check all seals for wear and leakage when everything was off teh car and viewable? They may have done this, but the short time period has me wondering why this could have gone so quickly if it was checked.

 

Thank you for your input and help.

Having done some research and asked some questions from within the motor trade etc., it seems the answer is yes.

I would think it is possible to damage the seal and the coincidence of timing and the severity of the issue coming on that quickly from no fault noticeable previously, make it possible or maybe even probable that tge seal has been damaged.  They may fight it. In which case you will probably need an expert report based on inspection. 

Doesnt follow that it was damaged, simply disturbing a seal can cause it to start leaking, **** happens sometimes.

The general consensus in real life and online seems to be that there is enough of a connection between the two to raise it and see what happens.

I can see the potential delemma here, as it is not obviously 100% one person's responsbility. That may make things a little more complicated.

 

If allowed, you may see the car on here for 'spares or repairs' in the future. That would be a shame as the rest of it is in good condition.

 

I thought I would post an update on this, just for interest and information.

 

I do have a question that I hope someone can answer. It takes 6.5 hours to take out and put the DSG gearbox back in on the Octavia. Is this uniqe to the DSG model, and why does it take longer than a normal manual or auto gearbox?

 

The car is now for sale as spares or repairs. I have not totally given up on getting it fixed, but if it sells in the meantime so be it. What happened is just down to  bad luck. Seals wear over time like other parts, and unless you get warnings like oil/fluid under the car you may have a sudden failure like I did. As it happens, I had been keeping cardboard under the car as I wanted to make sure I did not have an oil leak, just for peace of mind. There was nothing from any part of the engine bay, and nothing was picked up during the flywheel or DSG service when the covers were off either. Even the recent MOT test did not see anything of note.

 

What have I learnt from this experience? There are numerous garages that are scared to even touch a car with a DSG, even for something like a flywheel replacement. They seem to think they are a nightmare, when in fact I suspect that many have had bad experiences from not reading up on the procedure before. Thankfully there are specialists out there who know what they are doing and have good reputations.

 

You can buy a secondhand gearbox for £500 upwards, and some come with a warranty, but how good that is would need to be checked. I have found, generally, 6.5 hours labour at a local garage is going to cost around £350-400 including VAT. Adding transmission fluid (if needed) is going to cost around £70-100 which may get you mobile, but you may want to consider a Skoda legacy DSG service pretty soon after for about £179 if I remember correctly.

 

The gearbox essentially has three parts, the mechantronics unit, the cogs, bearings and gears and finally the clutch plates. All can be serviced, fixed and repaired. In my case, some of these may be damaged or all. If the latter, I can go for a fully reconditioned gearbox with fitting and a 6 month warranty from a specialist, or if I was lucky less work, parts and a lower price than the replacment unit. Incidentally, a new DSG 6 speed gearbox from the dealer with fitting would be about £5200., which is eye watering.

 

I have liked this car and would buy one again, but probably a manual. I DO trust the DSG, and I do think they are reliable etc. My car has done 220,000 miles on the original box and clutch plates and they were working fine until the above. There was no clunking, noise, hesitation, gear hanging or faulty reverse. Perhaps, at that mileage, I should have got the box removed and taken apart for a full overhaul, but it could be argued that until it presented a problem or fault, leave it be.

 

I hope the above is interesting and possibly helpful.

 

Mmm. Interesting.  That is a fair bit of mileage. To me it just seems remarkably coincidental you had a catastrophic seal failure within extremely short period after having the box out for flywheel work.  You had been monitoring the car for oil leakage and previously none at all.  My experience of seals is that they generally start leaking and progressively get worse. Unless, for example they are damaged or were not seated correctly.

 

I've never pulled the DSG out but have done lots of manual transmissions on various cars. Without looking into service manuals etc I don't see why it would be a lot longer. Sure if the clutch plates need inspecting and replacing and maybe some adaptions one re-installed but just taking the box in and out not much difference I wouldn't have thought...  Waits to be corrected.......

 

Thank you for your reply and information. I agree about the coincidence and what you have said about seals failing.

 

Without goodwill and accepatance of blame, it would be hard to prove. I have consulted with three 3rd parties and they have said they thinbk it is possible for both the flywheel and subsequent DSG fluid service, but it would be hard to prove as it is not without possible doubt. Because of this, none are prepared to write an engineer's report that could be used in a small claims court.

 

The sad reality is that I will never really know, and trying to prove this one way or the other would be difficult. That said, I do trust the garage and that trust has been earnt. If they felt they were responsbile, it would not cost them that much to fix, so based on what I know about them I understand their view, even if I do not like it very much.

 

Sadly I concluded that I have to put this one down to experience and maybe bad luck linked to general maintence and wear and tear. I have had a sensible offer on the car today that I have accepted, so we will see how that pans out.

I shoudl also add that I do realise that the last information on this thread contradicts what people in the industry that I asked said further up. When put on the spot for an engineer's report their answers swung more to 'possible' than 'definitely'. I guess that is part of teh life of car ownership. 😕