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The definitive Gearbox thread


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One of the most common faults on the Lupo/Arosa/6N Polo after the Pedal box issue is the gear box failing! Usually the most common on 1.4 16v models

Symption of a Failing Gear box:

If your lucky like i have been with my gear box it will start to wyhine

Hard to select gears or grinding of gears (check its not pedal box first!)

Dont get the noise confused with the clutch release bearing, if the clutch release bearing is noisy it will be in neutral and you can usually feel it vibrating through the clutch pedal. the noise will also go when you put your foot on the clutch pedal!

The wyhine will start when you drive and will increase with gearbox speed.

The part usually at fault: is the Pinion Bearing, it can go without warning or it can start to be noisy and just get worse and worse but it will break at some point!

When it does go it will brake up and you will loose all gears and the gearbox is scrap!

What to do if the Gearbox starts to be noisy

Best thing to do is try not and drive the vehicle and get the box off and get it repaired, it will cost between £250 - £350 inc parts & VAT (its costing me £200 inc VAT & parts but i am removing the box my self).

VW/Seat dont seem to want anything to do with it tho its a common failure (but my car is 8 years old now!)

Please add your thoughts and your experencies on this issue!

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This is on my Polo GTI, but both cars share the same box.

At 50k miles a 6 years old my car has had quite an easy life.

Middle age man had the car for a year from new, traded it in at the same dealer who sold it to a young lady.

I did 8k miles in it, no abuse as such but I drove it how a Lupo GTI was designed to be driven.

My gearbox was fine,finest first it sounded like the realese bearing, and two or three miles later it was winding so bad it sounded like a supercharger.

I should have stopped, but I knew the damage had been done so I tried to limp it home.

It failed completly.

As with most failures, the bearings had failed.

As the car had been driven, the input shaft and 4th gear had been destroyed (the 4th gear is part of the shaft)

cost £300 for the parts alone.

If it was just bearings, the repair kit is only £80.

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Strange how the Arosa box has been noisy for so long with out failing!

Im shocked Andy how little warning your gearbox gave you! My contact who does all our race gearboxes told my the start to be noisy but can go on & on but in the end they usually go!

Sounds like you were lucky with yours in the fact it didnt destroy the whole box! Once the bearing has explodes it usually destroys the whole box!

I have seen a polo box that has gone and the amount of swarf that come out with the oil!!!!

Im lucky as the arosa box will only need the Pinion Bearing, i drained the oil a couple of days ago to see if there was any signs of swarf but it was clean!

Its only costing me £200 inc parts, labour and VAT but as you say Andy it only will need the repair kit!

Its not good that VW dont really want to know, i know warrenty is well and truelly over but if they know its a design/component fault they should at least help with costs.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Mines gone completely

just got a quote of 760 for a recon box fitted, anyone know if thats reasonable????

Hello Craig, have you got it fixed yet? £760 for a recon box seems pricey to me!

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Mine just went this morning!

Luckily I was near a garage so just dumped it there. I hope it doesn't cost more than £300.

Not good dude!!!!! Let us know what went wrong with it!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just paid for my Polo 6n box to be repaired last monday. On the way home the selector broke & I took it back to them tuesday. Yesterday I was on the way to bristol volksfest & it jumped out of 5th gear & put it in 4th & jumped out of there aswell. Took it back again today they can select all gears fine but Ive told them too keep the car overnight so they can look on the ramp as I dont want to go back again with further probs. I got taken in on an rac lorry.

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Just paid for my Polo 6n box to be repaired last monday. On the way home the selector broke & I took it back to them tuesday. Yesterday I was on the way to bristol volksfest & it jumped out of 5th gear & put it in 4th & jumped out of there aswell. Took it back again today they can select all gears fine but Ive told them too keep the car overnight so they can look on the ramp as I dont want to go back again with further probs. I got taken in on an rac lorry.

Thats not good, who did the repair for you? They dont sound very good! Have you got it fixed now?

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Right so my gearbox is silly stiff, not noisy and doesn't slip out of gear just hard to select gears most of the time, i originally thought Lupo's had bad gearboxes however after driving a polo 6n then getting back in my car i realised just how bad it is.

its sounds like it going to be expensive but

any ideas ?

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Right so my gearbox is silly stiff, not noisy and doesn't slip out of gear just hard to select gears most of the time, i originally thought Lupo's had bad gearboxes however after driving a polo 6n then getting back in my car i realised just how bad it is.

its sounds like it going to be expensive but

any ideas ?

Before you do that I'd suggest you change the gearbox oil. Don't under any circumstances top it up because the fresh oil just doesn't mix with the oil already in there! It takes about 2.8 litres of oil and its sold from VW at about £5 / Litre.

My 1.4 16v Sport is on 63k+ and its still going strong. It used to be stiff but its not so bad now with that oil change.

The only trouble I get is when I'm sitting at a set of lights, drop the clutch and it doesn't engage 1st gear, solution is to drop it in neutral and throw it back into 1st gear. This suggests that the gear linkages for my gearbox are incorrect.

I had the main man down at Dub-Tech in Leyton drive my car and he said it was absolutely fine, you've just got to make sure the clutch pedal is flat on the floor. He had a Lupo 1.4 16v s in the garage with a refurbished gearbox and it was slick, it wasn't one bit notchy where as mine is notchy. Again it could point towards the gearbox linkages but he said its nothing to worry about.

Edited by Niche
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got to be worth a try, the cars on 74K and it seems to have been neglected by all previous owners.

I'll change the oil and fingers crossed it'll be a bit better, excellent advice Nick

Thanks

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got to be worth a try, the cars on 74K and it seems to have been neglected by all previous owners.

I'll change the oil and fingers crossed it'll be a bit better, excellent advice Nick

Thanks

Jowey,

Did you get a chance to change the 'box oil? Going into 4th is a little stiff sometimes (going from 5th down to 4th), but the gearbox isn't at all noisy, and all other gears go in nicely.

Also, sometimes the clutch is a little squeaky (new cable needed???). Bear in mind that my mileage is currently on 26,552 :confused:

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my gearbgox went on wednesday afternoon... *sigh

i have a 1.7sdi and have lost 4th gear... but its only a matter of time before the rest go so have deicded not to drive the car. will a gearbox from a golf or polo... or even an arosa fit? how much should i be looking to spend on getting this fixed as im absolutely broke and cant live without my little lupoghini :'(

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Jowey,

Did you get a chance to change the 'box oil? Going into 4th is a little stiff sometimes (going from 5th down to 4th), but the gearbox isn't at all noisy, and all other gears go in nicely.

Also, sometimes the clutch is a little squeaky (new cable needed???). Bear in mind that my mileage is currently on 26,552 :confused:

not had chance yet mate, next few weeks going to get that sorted.

yeh thats what mines like accept its like it in every gear bar 1st and reverse.

a squeeky clutch isn't good, sounds like the symptoms of pedal box failure

my gearbgox went on wednesday afternoon... *sigh

i have a 1.7sdi and have lost 4th gear... but its only a matter of time before the rest go so have deicded not to drive the car. will a gearbox from a golf or polo... or even an arosa fit? how much should i be looking to spend on getting this fixed as im absolutely broke and cant live without my little lupoghini :'(

quotes on a previous thread were between £300 (with gear box sourced separately) and £600, a VW specialist would be your best bet for getting it sorted rather than a dealers

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My only advice if your going to buy a second hand box who's to say it wont have the same problem later down the line!

My advice is if you have only lost 4th gear get the box out and get it rebuilt! least you know it will be right then!

It cost me £210 to get my gear box rebuilt!

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  • 5 weeks later...

hmmm am looking at getting a 1.4 16v aswell but I keep hereing bad things. and seeming as though this post is only 2months old there has been quite a few gear boxes go in that time!

What are peoples thoughts on these models?

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The 1.4 16v sport is like any car, there are good ones and bad ones, however most bad lupos seem to be sports!

By looking in this thread first you are already on your way to buying a good one! Just go and have a look at a few and check carefully the pedal box, gearbox, service history etc. There are lots to choose from so if the clutch or gearbox feel odd then haggle or walk!

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The 1.4 16v sport is like any car, there are good ones and bad ones, however most bad lupos seem to be sports!

By looking in this thread first you are already on your way to buying a good one! Just go and have a look at a few and check carefully the pedal box, gearbox, service history etc. There are lots to choose from so if the clutch or gearbox feel odd then haggle or walk!

Aggreed!

The Gearbox on my Lupo sport was perfect and that was coming up to 80k but then the Gearbox on my Arosa sport started to get noisey at 60k!!!!!!!!!!!

But the pedal box on the arosa has been fine (touch wood!!!!!!!!) but it failed on the lupo!

Just got to remember the lupo is no longer a new car!

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  • 2 weeks later...

My gearbox has started to do the same thing, it is so painful to change gear, 1st gear is the worst it is so stiff.

I read about topping up the oil, does anybody know how to do this? I think i'll try and attempt that first before sending it to a garage.

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You don't want to be topping up the oil, best off draining it and replenishing. Think I read on here that it's 2.8 litres. Not sure on the precedure for changing the oil though, maybe do a quick search

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