Thought I'd punt this to you guys before I take my car to the dealer....

The gearstick on my '05 Superb rattles under load, particularly if my hand is resting on the gearstick (say if accelerating though the gears). Doesn't seem to do it if cruising along.

Any suggestions?

Probably either a lack of grease or dried up grease at the base of the gear lever. To make a proper job of it, you need to remove the gaiter around the lever and free the cover (Item 11 on page 7A.3 of the Haynes Passat manual 4279). This will enable you to pack the large ball pivot with grease. The grease here often goes hard due to the proximity of the exhaust.

rotodiesel.