T5 gearboxes to suit 1.9 TDi..

Absolutely do the clutch while it's apart.

The gearbox is a bitch to remove from a T5.

That's weird. I replied to the last post yesterday and it hasn't appeared. A novice at this, so I must have done something wrong. Now, where was I....
Yes, good advice re doing the clutch at the same time, thank you.
Right, cancel my previous comment about the city and highway gearboxes being interchangeable ( as VW apparently assured my mechanic they were). Absolute bollocks - everything is totally different!
My understanding is that the city transmissions, as in my 2005 1.9 Tdi Transporter, were originally made by an independent supplier...and routinely die at about 100,000 ! Incidentally it seems the same box was in the early T5 petrol 2.0.
VW must have got onto this reasonably quick as they then changed to ZF to supply basically exactly the same gearbox which appears to be quite a reliable unit. I'm told that VW Aust has about 25 of these, just sitting on the shelf - waiting for the first series boxes to blow up.
Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this - just recording what I've been told for the benefit of any other poor sod who find themselves down this street.
We are now haggling with VW to try and get a half reasonable price for a new box - $5700 is rather big! I really think they should come to the party on this to remedy a problem caused entirely by a major component of most un VW like quality! :(

I can concurr the trannies in the 2.5 128 kw are also a troublesome beast and its an auto !! VW tell you its sealed for life and doesn,t need to have its fluid changed , bollocks as when ours played up VW,s answer ??? no we dont fix them we just replace the trannie $7500 plus for a van thats only done 100,000 kays . VW should be responsible when their products are proven to be unreliable in such short time . And before any one says well maybe you are too hard on the trannie this van is driven mainly by my wife and she is not a hoon. Howard

Aw, don't tell me that Howard, my brother's got one of those! :(

Lets be realistic I am not saying that all of them are a problem it seems that some of them are fine and others are playing up , as I have said before there is no way a manufactuer can predict how long the auto fluid will last . My experience from owning other brand cars with automatics is that regular servicing with new fluids are essential but VW have a different slant on this they seal the transmissions at the factory and claim that they don,t service them . Every single driver drives different to each other so a component like the tranny should be able to stand up to a multitude of situations ,and then there is the enviroment that we drive in . I bet the Germans didn,t bring these vans to Australia to test in the real world that we have to endure . Its fine in Europe where the majority of the time its cool enough not to cause degredation of the fluid but with our extreme summers etc I am sure it has a bearing on the fluids ability to cope . Howard

Yep, fair comment re our climatic extremes, I bet they don't get that. But then of course, there is the Dakaar...
Anyways, my new ZF gearbox arrived from VW today, all nicely boxed up. Just waiting for the clutch to show up now.
Just by the by, my mechanic tells me that a number of auto transmissions, previously classified as "sealed for life" are now starting to be classified as "serviceable", albeit with prices well into the upper teens $.
I suppose that is progress of sorts.

Question Guys..................if one is looking at buying a T5................ how does one know if it has the 'crappy box' or the 'good one' ?

Good question...if it's built in 05 and hasn't had a new box yet, it's the crappy one. VW Aust should be able to tell you when the ZF box equipped vans started coming through. As would the codes, but I don't know what they are. My guess would be some time in 06. Cheers, Dubswin

Ok.........so would this crappy box issue be relevant to a 2005 dual cab with a 128kw engine and a 6 speed box?

doublecab, assume all the autos will give it up somewhere around 150,000 ks
Then look at the price of the van you may buy, add say $7,000 for a rebuild (I have heard they can be done for around $5,500 now) and see how the price looks then
If it's too high, haggle it down so including a rebuild in works ok price wise
I did that when I bought my 06 second hand
They guy was bleeding, but sold
6 months later, at around 150,000 ks the box sh*t itself
Now 'supposedly' the rebuilds will last longer, better valving etc (American instead of German, go figure!) so I'm hoping to get another 200,000 ks off this one


M