[Irish]

I have a loan car til tomorrow, brand new 1.4 comfortline but the gear box is totally different to my 1.8T??? It needs a good kicking to get into 1st and 2nd and that's when it's cold and warm and in general feels very sloppy whereas the gear change in the GTI is very smooth, never had a problem with it and changes with ease?

She has 800 miles on clock so not as if it's only getting used to change!

Can they be diff transmissions?

 

[Gti Fly]

It's a loan car!

ps. have you tried the 6speed box in an Anni? That redifines 'sloppy'!

 

[Chris]

lol ....... yeah, being a loan car, its probably never had the clutch used when changing gear []

 

[Irish]

Nah it's not that it's a loan car, my car's gear box feels much firmer and to the point...Come on it's got 800 miles it can't be that thrashed yet!

 

[Pottsy]

I've had 4 MkIV's and the 'boxes all felt quite different.

'98 TDI S 90 5 speed: Slick, long throw

'00 1.8T 5 speed: Bit stiffer, not precise

'01 TDI 115 6 speed: Stiff and baulky, noisy third gear

'03 TDI 150 6 speed: Very light and very precise

I was driving just yesterday and wondering why it took the entire life of the model to get it right!

Pottsy

 

[MK4_Fraz]

The 'box in my 1.4 felt pretty good when i first got the car, but since then it has become pretty sloppy and every now and then it takes a bit more effort to get it into first and second gear.

As for comparison to the 1.8t....i will tell you in 2 months when i get mine

 

[Irish]

Well Pottsy my Golf sounds like your TDI 150 so must be something different going on!

 

[GrahamOliver]

Gearbox in mine is like that too, needs a good push into 1st and 2nd, won't let you change down until you've got the speed down low enough. I guess with it being a smaller engine, it's gonna be more prone to damage if you were to accidently slip it down in 2nd instead of 4th maybe?

I think it's quite a good thing in a way - stops me from ragging my car to bits, though I hate to say it the gearbox is nowhere near as smooth as it were in my old Ford [:O]

 

[Wish]

LOL at GTI Fly !!!!!!!

But oh so right, it takes a lot of getting use to !!!! When i first got mine it was horrible but i suppose its something you get use to.

 

[ToneD]

quote:

Originally posted by Pottsy

I've had 4 MkIV's and the 'boxes all felt quite different.

'98 TDI S 90 5 speed: Slick, long throw

'00 1.8T 5 speed: Bit stiffer, not precise

'01 TDI 115 6 speed: Stiff and baulky, noisy third gear

'03 TDI 150 6 speed: Very light and very precise

I was driving just yesterday and wondering why it took the entire life of the model to get it right!

Pottsy

Pottsy, what was the characteristic of your noisy 3rd gear in the 115tdi and did you get it fixed under warranty?? My TDI130 has noisy 3rd and 4th gears (whining at 40mph) but 1st dealer I've taken it to says 'within tolerances etc.etc. Will get 2nd opinion but just wondered if yours was same symptons - sounds like manual gearboxes aren't VW's strong point

 

[matt747]

I had an unusual problem with first gear on my 99 1.8T..occasionally I was not able to s elect first gear(as if gate wasn't there). If you moved forward in 2nd, you could then s elect first easily. The frequency of this fault occurring was completely random..might occur twice in a week then go for 3 months with no problem. None of the gears are very smooth..much worse than previous car(99 1.6) and mother's car(99 GT TDI).

Matt

 

[Rally_Chris]

About the 1.4 shift....

I believe that the 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines use a rod gearchange, whereas the 1.8 upwards use a cable operated gearchange so that is probably why they feel quite different. I had a 1.6 before and thought the gearchange felt awful, particularly when trying to get 2nd gear. My 1.8T however is completely different - much lighter to shift and more like my experience of Audis.

Chris

 

[AndrewM]

Ive got a 1.4, 38k on the clock. When it was new it was tight and notchy, like I would expect a new car to be.... its now so smooth and light... occasioanally I get (a) passenger to change gear just to show it off! Gearbox and clutch v good - pull off at full power, I can get thhe tyres squealing in 2nd, in a 1.4, legend!

 

[GrahamOliver]

Ouch, I'd never go for wheelspin in 2nd in my 1.4! It is easy to get wheelspin if you try without much power.

Although the gearbox in my 1.4 is notchy in 1st and 2nd, I love the fact it is so direct so you definately know you're in gear.

 

[_veedub_]

i think the mk 4 gear box is spot on! it seems to slide into 1st and 2nd, its a joy to drive compared to my 1.3 polo i had last..

remember its only a 1.4 its not the doggys danglys like some of the other golfs out there.. considering its the bottom of the range mk4 im well impressed..

 

[AndrewM]

I think you'd know you weren't in gear because you'd bloody well stop old chap!

I don't bang the clutch up that often, just occasionally, its hurts to think of the potential damage... and I'm a student with a long way to go!

 

[AndrewM]

didn't you say you'd had a bimmer?

 

[GrahamOliver]

What I mean Andy mate, is when you're changing gear, you can actually feel through the stick that you've moved into where it belongs. If it were a soft fit into each gear, you wouldn't get the same feedback.

 

[Toff]

Ooh..

I'm a bit worried now.. as a few of you may know, my 2.0 is at RSD where they are attempting to fit a 6 speed from a Seat Leon Cupra (a 2002 car.) Am I right in saying that'll be the same 6-speed as the Anni?

GTI Fly: When you say "Sloppy" do you mean it's difficult to get into each gear? Please can you describe it in more detail for my benefit..?

Cheers- Toff.

 

[andoni]

the anni gear shift is lovely, the gears click into place nicely

you want to try the mk1 gti's gearchange, now that's stiff as hell!