Club 80-90 Forums

Ok

Right ho, a couple of days on the rebuilt box with the correct adjustment. Smoothe up and down and pulling well on hills. Previously(before and after the rebuild) on the first start of the day I'd have to wait a few seconds to pull away or it would feel like the clutches were slipping. Adjusting the accelerator/rod cable has put this right so if anyone else has the same symptoms get the adjustemt on the throttle cable checked, mine was about half an inch out. The rebuilders were Newoods in Southend, experienced and knowledgeable but also pretty busy. Did 75mph on the motorway and there was more left. It's been a revelation and actually worth every penny

E D I T. This gearbox soon Failed and Harry Harpics were useless and fobbed me off. The son called me a beggar when I asked for a partial refund

The throttle rod adjustment cannot affect the slipping from cold. That is, most likely, the torque converter draining down into the 'box over time. When you start up, the internal oil pump purges the air from the TC and after a few seconds normal drive returns.

Sent from my B1-830 using Tapatalk

Couldn't bad adjustment hold a valve open? A coincidence then but a happy one as its slipped for years and now stopped.

Had a problem in reverse so went down to the company that rebuilt it. They agreed there was a problem but said it wasn't the work they'd done but transmission or torque converter but did a few adjustments to get it to kick down at the right time as this affects automatic gearbox pressures. Today my gearbox failed in reverse on a hill, had to unload the family and get pushed back enough so that I could move forward into the road and get home.

The gearbox was removed and refitted by one company and repaired by another. It cost me £1100 in March. The garage that fitted it wrote a long disclaimer on the receipt which queried with them when I read it at home.

I have been up and down many times to get the gearbox put right. I'd really like to start afresh with a different repairers. Do I have any legal right to ask for a full refund and to start again?

Hi,
Not sure if this will help.
I have an auto box and it has some minor leaks, has done for years.
1) I do not have to top up the fluid that often so I leave well alone. It works well.
2) There is an 'automatic garage' down the road from me in Tonbridge, Kent who apparently has a good reputation. He has a web site. Stanton Automatics. I have never used them, just know of their existence. Reasonable run down from your area. I am quite happy to help with transport if that is any use.
3) I think I heard/ read somewhere that any main VW garage could work on it. They would have access to the tools etc
Might be worth a phone call or two.
4) Try John Bowles, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks. Independent VW garage. Good reputation. He might be able to help.
Let me know if I can assist.
Don

Thanks Don. I paid a classic VW "specialist" in Southend the £1100 originally . Started off with a leaky seal, which they had problems with, it seems that the thought they were doing the pan when they took on the job! I had to get technical info from people on here and email it to them. Wish I'd stopped then and told them not to do anything. They didn't have a ramp high enough so everything took ages. When I got it back it wasn't right and they'd lost first gear. Took it back to them they said it was fixed but the second I got in I could tell it was braking in reverse gear. The owner kept driving it back and forth even though the gearbox was screeching and banging in reverse-the whole van was shuddering. Next time they said it was fitted properly reverse went altogether a day or so later. They then took of the gearbox part only and sent it off for repair but even then it was wrong changing at the wrong time kicking down at 60mph. They fobbed me off to the repairers who have adjusted it twice-telling me I should just sell it on the other day. I lost reverse totally again on a big hill with my wife and kids on board over the weekend. The Southend garage makes out they've done me a big favour by charging just four hours labour to remove and refit the gearbox. Some favour, it cost £300 more including the seal than locally not including loads of trains fare up and down. It still doesn't work and I have wasted so much time, had loads of cancelled appointments by them for illnesses, forgotten prior appointments, having to leave early because the gearbox would take too long without ramp.

They seem very nice and olde worldy when you meet them but they've taken my money an effed me off when they should have put things right.

If you read some of the American comments on VW classic sites they don't have a bad word to say about these auto boxes. There seem to be any number of olde world shops over there that can rebuild them and repair them in a jiffy. Surely you would think that some places over here would be able to do it?? The Auto's have always been the main gearbox type over there. Why do it yourself if the car can do it for you. I watched a man stripping one down once and he had it in pieces in less than an hour and back together in about the same time having examined it and cleaned it as well as changing some seals. I remember that he said the valve body was mega reliable as long as the strainer was good. Perhaps someone on here might learn how to rebuild these one day!!!!

Funny enough I was on Go westy today. They sell the entire transmission rebuilt from top to bottom. It's been in another garage for nearly 5 weeks now. Got an email today saying that they've found the missing part. My belief that the garage in Southend damaged it during repeated testing which the gearbox clearly didn't like. They wouldn't offer me a penny back so I'm going down the legal route. Had enough of being given the run around

Sir Brixalot wrote:Funny enough I was on Go westy today. They sell the entire transmission rebuilt from top to bottom. It's been in another garage for nearly 5 weeks now. Got an email today saying that they've found the missing part. My belief that the garage in Southend damaged it during repeated testing which the gearbox clearly didn't like. They wouldn't offer me a penny back so I'm going down the legal route. Had enough of being given the run around

Good for you. Keep us posted on how that progresses. Certain places just take the pi**, especially when you go there because they say they will fix something. By the sounds of it they made things worse which isnt fixing it.

Hopefully them finding the part will sort it now. Your still not planning to sell it are you??

Turned out to be the wrong part so back to ordering the £300 part from Europe. Yep I'm done with it. Just bought four brand new decent tyres as well so someone is going to get a good buy, with sorted rebuilt engine and complete transmission rebuild, rebuilt alternator etc etc Steps will need doing and at some stage above rear wheel arches. Going to put it for sale before Easter but won't drive it in meantime.

I was talking to Dan from CVC earlier.it would cost about £4600 to import one of the Gowesty boxes.

Funny enough I was on Go westy today. They sell the entire transmission rebuilt from top to bottom

Yes it's a lot but I had to hire a car over Xmas. The last gearbox was £1100 plus a couple of hundred on travel and I'm going to have to pay again for this one. Also the time up and down to Southend again and again. About three weeks without the van last time - going to be at least 6 weeks this time. It doesn't seem so bad then. It's not the van that I've had enough of its the repairers. Mostly things have got worse when I've used them

Nearly 7 weeks later and still not repaired. The current repairers are saying the previous garage have messed something up inside and its not changing into 3rd until it hits 50. They're talking about sourcing another valve body if they can find one.

Got a spare valve body here.