Last week our office cleaner laid up her decrepit Pug 205 and bought privately a '94 Mk3 Golf diesel with 91K miles. This week the Golf's symptoms (as near as I can determine through the tears) are poor gear selection from standstill or moving ie depress clutch and crunch the gears into first or third (will rarely find second from rest), clutch takes up normally, then finding gears on the move is a lottery. Sometimes she thinks the car is in gear and lets the clutch up only to have it pop out of gear.
The garage that looked after her 205 for years has not inspired her with confidence by greasing the linkage and ordering some bushes for the gear linkage, but the mechanics are apparently doing a lot of head-shaking and sucking their teeth.
She said the symptoms appeared suddenly; when she test drove it, she thought the gears were stiff, but put it down to being a different car. Incidentally, the MoT says it is petrol; despite this the log book says heavy oil and it runs happily on diesel.
I can't see the car as it's parked up the dale somewhere and she got a lift to work.
It sounds like the clutch is dragging but that doesn't explain inability to find a gear, or does it?
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Sounds like a hideous monstrosity some rip-off merchant has glued together from a selection of write-offs. For your friends sake I hope all is solved soon.
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I'd agree with Andy.
It sounds like the best approach is to go back to the original seller and start demanding money back. I do hope she didn't buy it privately. If she did, the law notwithstanding, she's probably in bad way.
Have you checked the various serial numbers ? Did she have whatever that theft/accident check is called done. etc. etc.
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Depending on what she paid and where she lives a gearbox rebuild might still make sense. She needs to consult the good garage guide on this website and take advice from an independent VAG specialist. Alternatively, a very kind and very knowledgeable VW expert may spring to her aid in this very Backroom.
HJ
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Darcy,
If it was first and reverse we might be thinking clutch slave/master cylinders or a problem clutch at the worse. The upper gears though are less frequently affected by the clutch, after all you can smoothly change without it from 2nd onwards.
You know I'm no VW expert but have I heard something here about selector linkage and bushes giving rise to this, it could if bad enough.
Having said that it does sound bad. My current Land Rover gearbox behaves as this Golf, just in the yard. I know why, because it's worn out!
Fingers crossed.
David
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It might not be all bad news !
The clutch cable - if it is a cable - on Passats it is hydraulic - could require adjustment, this would show the same symptoms you describe.
If hydraulic, there could be a leak.
The MOT certificate sounds a bit dodgy but could be a simple mistake.
VWs with 91 000 miles on are usually in pretty good shape.
Good Luck !
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Yep substitute cable for cylinders in my post if appropriate. Not sure why but I thought the diesel was hydraulic. Could be wrong.
David
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Thank you all for your advice and comments; I'll keep you posted.
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