02 Jetta 1.8 Turbo with shifting problems

[jettajenn]

I recently took my Jetta to a mechanic, he fixed most of the problems, such as water pump, transmission range module, thermostat. He called me to tell me that my car was still not acting right. When he drove the car, it would not shift correctly. He said he would have to rev up rpm's to almost red line before it would shift. Then it would drive fine until the car dropped below 30 mph. He said he checked the tranny fluid & it was "burnt" and only had 2 quarts. He said he replaced the fluid and it's still not shifting. He told me I need a new tranny. I live 150 miles from a VW dealership and need some suggestions!! I know these VW's have alot of electrical issues and could be a number of things. I did some research and found out the transmissions on VW's are supposed to have special VW tranny fluid. Is this true as well?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated before I go dump another $1,700 or more into this crazy lil car!! Also, my car does not say Jetta it says Bora...what does this mean?

Thank you in advance for any help!

Jenn

[Boost Addicted]

Volkswagens certainly need VW approved transmission fluid only. That's gonna be a big factor with performance and longevity, but probably wouldn't show any immediate symptoms of something going wrong. Really the only thing you can do to start diagnosing this issue is to find somebody local with a vag-com (volkswagen scan tool) and have them scan the transmission control unit for error/fault codes. Until then, you're shooting in the dark. Dealerships ofcourse have the same scan tool, but will charge an arm and a leg to do the scan. And then they'll try to sell you a ridiculous ''fix''..

Check out the regional forums here, and on www.vwvortex.com to find out if you have any local dubbers.

[jettajenn]

ok thank you! I live in Wyoming so there's not too much to choose from. I will go to your link and see what I can find out. The "foreign car guy" here in Sheridan wouldn't even bother looking at it. I'm having this issue all over town. Thanks again!

[Boost Addicted]

No problem. Good luck with the search.. Hopefully you wont have to take it to the dealer.. That's pretty common though, about your foreign car guy... People tend to get weak in the knees when they hear that a volkswagen needs work. Truth is, they're no more difficult than other cars. Infact, I personally find American cars to be the biggest bitches to work on.

Anyway, let us know how you make out!

[brittyxbaby]

I had the same issue w. my vw. About 3 weeks after buying it my tranny wasnt right. I wouldnt shift right from 1st to second it would red line before going into gear. I took it back and they had my car for a week doing a tranny flush and that did nothing at all. Then they change censors or w.e and that did nothing either. Finally the tranny was rebuilt and it worked alot better for a few moths and now when it goes into second gear it slams pretty hard. So now i'm scared its going again. The tranny on this car has been nothing but a head ache.

[Boost Addicted]

I had the same issue w. my vw. About 3 weeks after buying it my tranny wasnt right. I wouldnt shift right from 1st to second it would red line before going into gear. I took it back and they had my car for a week doing a tranny flush and that did nothing at all. Then they change censors or w.e and that did nothing either. Finally the tranny was rebuilt and it worked alot better for a few moths and now when it goes into second gear it slams pretty hard. So now i'm scared its going again. The tranny on this car has been nothing but a head ache.

Take it to your local autoparts store and have them scan the ECU. Dumb things like a bad/dirty mass airflow sensor can cause shifting issues with automatics. It's not necessarliy transmission related when you have a problem with gears going in hard.

[RadRacer]

I just went through the same problem with me 03 Wolfsburg. Turns out a senior in the transmission (09a IIRC) went bad. It ohms out fine, but the resistance of the cylinder is high when cold, and lowers once it warns up. If you try to manually shift, you'll see the indicator change but the gear wont. Get that solenoid replaced and id bet youre good to go; I'm at 4k miles since gettng it done and it shifts perfectly still :-). Costs $75 for the part, then labor; I was quoted $300 for the part and knstal, but had a friend help me put it in (~4hrs)

[brittyxbaby]

Take it to your local autoparts store and have them scan the ECU. Dumb things like a bad/dirty mass airflow sensor can cause shifting issues with automatics. It's not necessarliy transmission related when you have a problem with gears going in hard.

Thnaks ill check that out. and Radracer i've change the solenoid before i got the transmission rebuilt. It didnt help at all the car was just as bad as before it was changed. Like i said it doesnt slip anymore since its been rebuilt it just feels like it goes from 1st to second real hard.

[Boost Addicted]

If you're in the Albany area I can always check it out for ya too.

[jettajenn]

On my way to Albany!! It's only around 2,000 miles away!!! See ya soon haha