33 minutes ago, ApertureS said:

What did they actually do to diagnose the problem

 

Took an immoral amount of money for stating the obvious, something which the OP already knew from his own eyes.

 

30 minutes ago, StephenxP said:

What would you do in my position?

 

Accept responsability for the upkeep of the vehicle, accept that sometimes merde happens in life and appreciate what the M stands for in MTBF.

 

I hope you find a solution which you have confidence in as the car clearly means a lot to you, if you had any inheritance from your father you could rationalise that had it happened while he was alive he would have spent the money maybe even happily in the knowledge that he would be passing on a sound vehicle to you so in those terms you would not be spending your money.

I'd be going for a refurbished unit from a gearbox shop. There's no reason that they should fail like this other than lack of maintenance or major impact from outside. I think we got lost with the term "sealed". It is most definitely sealed to stop oil escaping and dirt etc entering as many mechanisms are. It is not open to the elements that it may allow grit in and jam it up. Sealed as a term is usually reserved for units that don't have a service schedule and are expected to be left for the life of the car.

A used DQ381 will cost between £1200 - £1500 plus fitting and oil service.  Just beware that there was a Technical bulletin issues which prompt the dealers to update the software which in turned lead to many DQ381 failing.  The resolution going i think is to change the pump and filter at the same time of the software update.

 

Pity yours hasnt got the DQ250 as Im upgrading mines to a DQ500 and will be up for sell in the next few weeks, I have the TVS stage 3 software on the DQ250  

7 hours ago, Awesam said:

A used DQ381 will cost between £1200 - £1500 plus fitting and oil service.  Just beware that there was a Technical bulletin issues which prompt the dealers to update the software which in turned lead to many DQ381 failing.  The resolution going i think is to change the pump and filter at the same time of the software update.

 

Pity yours hasnt got the DQ250 as Im upgrading mines to a DQ500 and will be up for sell in the next few weeks, I have the TVS stage 3 software on the DQ250  

Thanks @Awesam. Shame yours isn't a DQ381. If anyone here knows of where I can source a decent refurbed/replacement gearbox (code/ID is SWV), please let me know. I have tried eBay and BreakLink but haven't found an exact match yet.

I think any DQ381 will need to be coded in to match your car as it has a immobiliser in it.  I can ask around if you like and see how much it would cost in total including fitting and recoding. 

Edited 8 September, 20232 yr by Awesam

1 minute ago, Awesam said:

I think DQ381 you get need to be coded in to match your car as its a immobiliser in it.  I can ask around if you like and see how much it would cost in total including fitting and recoding

Thank you, that would be great!