Volkswagen Golf Gearbox & Transmission Problems

It's probably easier to eliminate those that don't stack up, those being the VW Golf, Holden Cruze and Ford Focus.

All have transmission questions over them.

The best options would be the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai i30.

You have a reasonable claim against VW to have the gearbox replaced free of charge. The DSG gearbox is known to be troublesome and yours has a history of malfunctioning. Because the car is seven years old and VW isn’t very forthcoming on customer issues you will have to suit up and take them on, but the DSG transmission is a dud and the company knows it, and they should come clean and fix cars like yours that are having problems. If you can’t get anywhere with VW and give up, try an independent VW specialist mechanic.

No, it's not. I would be looking to have the transmission rebuilt rather than replaced, but if it has to be replaced I would be looking to do it with a used gearbox instead of a new one.

In a word, no. I'm not convinced the gearbox issues are fully fixed, and I certainly wouldn't buy one outside the warranty period.

In theory the DSG is a no-brainer, but it's different in practice because of the troubles that have plagued the DSG in all brands. The safe option is to go for the Focus; the riskier one is to go with the DSG. If it weren't for the well-documented reliability issues I would go for the DSG.

You've managed to shake VW out of its natural lethargy and agree there is a problem and to do something about it. The explanation of a problem with the synchro sounds logical and should be pursued. I would go along with what VW has suggested, but keep on top of them to make sure they do what they have said they would do. As you have been reporting it for some time I would expect it to be fixed without cost to you.

Volkswagen Australia spokesman Karl Gehling says: "Our customer care team has been in touch and arranged a loan car for her while we get her car in to address the issues she has raised. We will cover the replacement costs of her audio unit and have confirmed this with the customer."

It's still too early to know if VW has put all its troubles behind it and 20,000km is nowhere near enough in any case. We love the Golf but would still recommend that any friend be careful about long-term problems.

The recall you refer to related to cars fitted with the 7-speed gearbox, not the 6-speed. You could attempt to negotiate with VW over your concerns on the basis of goodwill, but your car is six years old and has been worked on by so many different people that I don’t think you have much of a chance of success.

The problems with the DSG gearbox, which VW claimed only affected the 7-speed unit, badly damaged the company’s reputation. But worse damage was done when it refused to accept there was a problem and stonewalled owners until it was faced with mounting public pressure to act. Then they only recalled cars with the 7-speed gearbox, not the six-speed that was fitted to your car.