Polo 6N gearbox - 1.4 TDi

[TwinCam88]

Does any forum member have a problem with an occasionally stiff gearchange mechanism in a 1.4 TDi engined Polo? My son has a 2001 model year Polo 1.4TDi (6N model) with a fairly high mileage, 104K. The engine runs great, but on most journeys, the gearchange is very reluctant to change between 3rd and 4th gears. The change is cable operated, I know, but is the fault, which is intermittant, caused by wear in the change cables, the gearchange lever mechanism in the floor, or, more sinister, to do with the gearchange selector forks and associated gubbins in the gearbox itself? There are never problems selecting 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 5th!
Any help / comments much appreciated!

[cubic]

Allthough I do not know what part of the gear system is causing your problem, I'd like to comment that I own the exact same vehicle and I sometimes experience some reluctancy when gearing between 1st and 2nd gear. 3rd and 4th is no problem for me. Mileage is about 95k.

"They" say that gearboxes are the weak spots in the somewhat older VW Polo's, but it seems to be quite individual from car to car. Try talking to someone with experience in overhauling gearboxes for VW/Polo and check if they can provide you with any details. I've heard more than one story about successful "revival" of what seemed to be broken gearboxes. Ofcourse, you could try grab a used one from another car, but, then again you would have no idea whether or not the same problem will turn up again soon.

Not much help, but just my two cents.

Regards,
Rune