# Help plz really notchy gear change after clutch replacement



## Riam961 (May 27, 2016)

Hi guys,
Seeking your words of wisdom please!

Two days ago, i got into my Audi TT mk1 to find out that it wouldn't go into gear and the clutch has suddenly dropped. I turned the car off, and managed to put it into first with difficulty then drove it a mile to the closest repair shop, an Audi Specialist as it happens. Never used them before, but my regular go-to garage is about 5 miles away.

Turned out it was a clutch and dual mass flywheel job. Was quoted £1200 with transmission oil change.

I went today to collect it and all the gears apart from 5th to 6th were extremely rough to get into, both changing up and down! I even have to push hard to get into Reverse.

The "senior mechanic" told me it was how all gears are supposed to feel. I thought it was quite an affront and almost lost my cool but didn't budge and kept explaining to him how rough the change was as opposed to before. He held his grounds until i showed him the smooth gear change on the Golf in his repair pen. He relented saying it could be because of the oil change and maybe the gears will drop into place as i use it over the weekend. If not, come back on Tuesday.

I'm certain there is something wrong with the gears but have no idea what they could be.

Has anyone had the same problem after a clutch/flywheel change?!

Thanks ever so much


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## ollie2016uk (Jan 15, 2016)

Your gears shouldn't feel like that at all. I'd take the car back and complain if I were you especially being charged £1200 for a £750 job!!


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## Riam961 (May 27, 2016)

Thanks! i'll definitely be taking it back on Tuesday, but i thought it would help to tell him whats wrong or print out the page here to show him :evil:


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## Beunhaas (May 14, 2014)

Resetting the gear linkage might fix the job.


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## phoze (Mar 31, 2016)

Interested to hear what happens with this, my 225 is very notchy to get into second gear. It's actually quite a pain as it makes accelerating upto speed a bit unsmooth because of the little delay trying to get it into gear.

Have been reading a bit on the gear linkage adjustment today, I'll give it a go myself.

Riam961, give it go and see if it helps. If not I hope the garage rectifies whatever is wrong.


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## phoze (Mar 31, 2016)

Video link for a how-to:


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi Riam, Does the clutch pedal movement feel any different.Hydraulics may require bleeding again.
Hoggy.


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## Jay-225 (Mar 7, 2012)

ollie2016uk said:


> Your gears shouldn't feel like that at all. I'd take the car back and complain if I were you especially being charged £1200 for a £750 job!!


That is kind of a standard price if they have used genuine parts tbh ... would love to know where you can get the job done for £750 using genuine Audi parts as the flywheel alone cost around £600 let alone the clutch plate,cover and csc etc ..

First thing i would 100% do is reset the gear linkage as said above ( easy job ) , ho does the actual clutch pedal feel in operation ... is it nice and smooth ?


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

On the cost front a clutch and flywheel cost me a grand last year at a specialist.

No problems with gears though, nice and smooth!


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## 3TT3 (Aug 30, 2014)

The 1snt -2nd gear change is a bit "notorious".. Mine isnt great when cold,
After my clutch change like 2 months ago it was the same ..other gears are fine.
The gearchange adjustment is in the tt forums knowledge base....! Its some thing ill do ..sometime 
Either way my gearchange is exactly as it was before clutch change.Engagement point may have varied a little,not sure , Im used to it now.


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## Riam961 (May 27, 2016)

Thanks ever so much guys! This is most helpful  

I'm going to ask him to reset the gear linkage and see where it takes us from there. The video was great, makes it look so simple, however, i'm not know for handling delicate procedures well so i'll leave it to him to open the trim parts...

I took it for a 20 miles ride along A and B roads today. The clutch felt fine, tbh, it wasn't spongy or soft. Also, i'm not sure if i'm imagining things but i also felt that i had more power under the hood (is that a thing with clutch/flywheel change?).

The only let down was the really rough change, took away the fun from a completely empty, straight and camera-less 3-mile stretch ) and then the reverse while parking... had to push that thing quite hard to engage! [smiley=bomb.gif]


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## drone (Sep 24, 2014)

The other thing it could be is the splines on the friction plate. If your mechanic assumed that a genuine audi part would fit no problem. Wrong.
The fit needs checking very (very) carefully both audi and LuK emphasise this issue.
The spline has to be greased, LuK do a special solid free grease for this and the movement, to quote Candy, must be like a ball bearing in oil.
I'd raise both issues with the mechanic, for £1200 I'd expect a gold plated service.
If it turns out to be the linkage, all well and good, if it doesn't well this d-i-yer made damn sure the friction plate slides easily and smoothly so I don't have to drop the gearbox again.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Sorry to hear this and I hope you are not back to square one. I wasn't impressed with the comments the garage made either when you complained.

Difficulty going into gear especially when stationary is usually due to the clutch not disengaging fully. That could be due to air in the clutch hydraulic circuit or a leaking seal at the slave or master cylinder. Your clutch pedal staying stuck down points to the master cylinder feed hole not being cleared on release which is a well known fault. I would certainly investigate here first. If bleeding the clutch cures it then there's the answer. If the problem returns change the master.

I would certainly only change the clutch if the clutch was slipping under load or was contaminated by fluid if it turned out that the slave cylinder was leaking - which requires the clutch to be disassembled for access anyway.

The fact that you are now suffering similar gear engagement difficulties to before repair suggests three possibilities to me:

(1) The master cylinder has a faulty seal and needs replacing which could have been the fault in the first place meaning the clutch was replaced unnecessarily.
(2) After a necessary clutch change the hydraulic circuit was not bled properly - coincidentally giving the same symptoms as before.
(3) Incorrect assembly of clutch mechanicals as previously mentioned leading to clutch plate drag or selector fork engagement issues.

You can check the release point of the clutch when stationary with the engine idling - slowly raise the clutch pedal from hard on the floor whilst slowly pushing the gear stick in and out of reverse. At some point engagement should become stiff and small movement around here should defeat the synchromesh and should have the dog teeth grinding gently - hold it there, then movement of the clutch pedal will stop and start the grinding allowing you to identify the precise disengagement point. This point should be well above the floor. If it's buried in the carpet pile or you can't find it your clutch isn't dispensing properly. If it's well above the floor and it's just that the lever is stiff to engage then it's more likely to be a linkage adjustment issue.


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## drone (Sep 24, 2014)

Sorry to resurrect this one, there is another issue that can possibly have an effect on the smoothness of the gear changes and that is the bottom gearbox mount.
Any oil leaks will gravitate here and soften the rubber. OE bushes etc are reasonably priced and slicken up the change, mine was sloppy prior to my work but the renewal of the rubber mount has had a profound effect on both the slick and accuracy of the linkage.


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## TT Tom TT (Oct 9, 2015)

Jay-225 said:


> ollie2016uk said:
> 
> 
> > Your gears shouldn't feel like that at all. I'd take the car back and complain if I were you especially being charged £1200 for a £750 job!!
> ...


Disagree, special high torque withstanding clutch, flywheel, clutch plate and CSC for 525 and then 300 for fitting I got.


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