€2000 for a gearbox?

Lafortezza

1999 Skoda Octavia 1.6

I bought it in May this year, been running sweetly since then and in the last 10 days the gearbox has graduallly become borked.
I can still drive it but I have to stir the gearnob to get it into 3rd and 5th and it pops out of gear into neutral every now and then, so drivable but definitely not enjoyably so. And it's getting worse, I'd give it another week of occasional driving before it fails completely.

I went to a local garage (there's no main skoda place up here in Donegal that near me), and they said they would try to get a re-conditioned gearbox, that's probably cost about €750 to buy and fit, expensive for my pocket but I'd be happy to suck it up and have a working car.

I rang them back to day and garage guy said that he was having trouble getting a re-conditioned gearbox, and that alternative was to get a new model gearbox (from the newer model Octavia) and fit that instead.
Only problem there is that this would require several new bits and pieces to be fitted under the bonnet, drive train etc.

And this will cost €2000.

Anyone know anything about skodas?
And does anyone know if these prices are ballpark correct?

pedro ferio-vti

€2k is retarded. Take the car to another garage. You can get a gearbox specialist to repair/recondition the gearbox for much less. The rest of the cost is the labour of pulling the gearbox off and reinstalling it when it's been repaired.

Can't recommend anybody in Donegal unfortunately.

lomb

expensive, try ringing traynors in the north ask them if they have a skoda gearbox in the year u need.
it wont be a recon, so it will b a gamble, any clutch place will fit it for u for 150-200 euros, and the box shouldnt cost more than 2-300 euros, so a fair gamble, just make sure they change the gearoil and if the clutch hasnt been changed since new and it has more than 60000 on it, change that also.
just to add, anytime a clutch is replaced, the gearbox HAS to be removed and replaced anyway, so this isnt a 'big' job. see if u can get a low miler breaker.

maidhc

It is hardly worth putting a new gearbox into at its age. It should be possible to source a gearbox out of a crashed car. The Octavia is a reasonably popular car, and logic would suggest a good few have been written off.

A golf gearbox *should* do, but there is always the risk something unforseen might crop up. Car manufacturers have a nasty habit of changing finicky fittings without any obvious reason. It has happed me so often that I bring something home under the illusion it is the same, but turns out to be completely different.

Lafortezza

maidhc wrote:

It is hardly worth putting a new gearbox into at its age.

I paid €7k for it, it's only got 44k miles on it which isn't bad for a '99 and it got full service history and was running perfectly until this gearbox thing came up.

Should any garage be able to order parts and fit the gearbox, or would taking it to an official Skoda dealer be the best thing?

mike65

I'd deffo look for a breakers yard example first, try Dunnion Car Breakers or this place here

Mike.

AMurphy

lafortezza wrote:

1999 Skoda Octavia 1.6
...
I can still drive it but I have to stir the gearnob to get it into 3rd and 5th and it pops out of gear into neutral every now and then, so drivable but definitely not enjoyably so. And it's getting worse, I'd give it another week of occasional driving before it fails completely.

I went to a local garage (there's no main skoda place up here in Donegal that near me), and they said they would try to get a re-conditioned gearbox, that's probably cost about €750 to buy and fit, expensive for my pocket but I'd be happy to suck it up and have a working car.
.....
?

Two choices I think, both previously mentioned. Get a box of a crashed car.. $500 would seem adequet to me,

meanwhile, you could retain the old one and try repairing yourself, you might need it again, or could sell of off as "re-paired" at least.

first, are you sure the problem is inside the box and not in the external linkages. given it is effecting 3 & 5th, It may be the linkage is not getting engaged well enough, cause synchros usually onle effect one gear at a time.

And it could be nothing more than a loose shifter rod inside teh box, no new parts required, just correction.

$750 to remove, repair and reinstall and box seems a good price for me. Nearly cost that alone to remove it here.

pedro ferio-vti

lafortezza wrote:

Should any garage be able to order parts and fit the gearbox,

Yes

and

lafortezza wrote:

or would taking it to an official Skoda dealer be the best thing?

No

BrianD3

AMurphy wrote:

Two choices I think, both previously mentioned. Get a box of a crashed car.. $500 would seem adequet to me,

meanwhile, you could retain the old one and try repairing yourself, you might need it again, or could sell of off as "re-paired" at least.

first, are you sure the problem is inside the box and not in the external linkages. given it is effecting 3 & 5th, It may be the linkage is not getting engaged well enough, cause synchros usually onle effect one gear at a time.

And it could be nothing more than a loose shifter rod inside teh box, no new parts required, just correction.

Yep. I'd like to know how exactly have the garage come to the conclusion that the gearbox is fecked and needs to be replaced. As AMurphy says, it could easily be the linkage or something not too expensive inside the box. It could even be that the gearbox and/or engine mounts are excessively worn, this can cause gear selection problems.

Also this business about getting a box from a new model Octavia, fitting additional parts to get it to fit in the old model and then relieving you of 2 grand. To me that sounds very dodgy.

I would get a 2nd opinion. Maybe someone here can recommend a good garage/mechanic for you. Also you might try and get talking to someone in the service dept of a VAG garage and try to see if you can get any info out of them. At the very least they should be able to confirm/deny that new gearboxes for 99 Octavia are available to buy. If they are then you might conclude that there was something dodgy about the info you were given by the garage you went to initially

Lafortezza

According to the garage I went to the gearbox casing is cracked and it's leaking gearbox oil.
The diagnosis consisted of me saying "I'm having to force the car into gear, its popping out of gear and there's a weird whining/whirring noise in 3rd and 5th". Mechanic took it for a spin, then put it up on those hoist thingies and looked at the engine from underneath and said the gearbox casing was cracked and the problems were due to no oil in the gearbox.


I've very little clue about the internal workings of cars so I'm basically stuck trusting what the nice man in the overalls says. But I'll definitely seek a second opinion.

stevenmu

I heard of a guy with a seat leon (both VW Golfs really) have what I think was a similar problem. Dealer said it needed a brand new gearbox, so he took it to an independant mechanic who took a look and saw the box had no grease left in it, stuck some in and it ran fine. Could be worth trying another mechanic first and mention that to him.

edit: just saw your last post, if it really is cracked then naturally that's a different issue.

BrianD3

No harm seeking a 2nd opinion - however this new piece of info you've posted does make things clearer. The diagnosis by the garage is likely to be correct. If the gearbox is cracked and has been run for a while without any oil then the box is probably fecked.

So now that we know that you probably *do* need a replacement box or at least substantial work done on the existing box.

AMurphy

That makes some sense, if the casing is indeed cracked.
did you see the crack?. takes a lot to crack a gearcasing, like running into a manhole cover, concrete block, being dropped, jacking at the wrong point, whack of a sledge, etc.
And sure if it is cracked, and leaked oil, it will eventually destroy the bearings and gears, start whining and be very difficult to put into all gears.

However, if you do not see an external crack which leaked the oil, but there is oil coming from the bell housing (clutch area) there is another possibility.

the bearing at the bellhousing end has failed, therby leaking the oil, making matters worse. However this bearing (and oil seal) are cheap & easy to replace. $750.

First off, add some oil to refill and determine exactly hwere it is leaking from and if you do or do not have a cracked casing. ie you can see the crack and the oil leaking out....
if you stop on the road, how much oil will it leak while stopped?.

Don't give up yet. Get a cleared picture of the crack.

Rudolph Claus

If a gearbox is leaking oil in general, would you notice the leaking oil on the ground beneath the car? Or would it just be an internal leak type thing that wouldnt be obvious to you?

Sorry, for gatecrashing, im just interested in knowing this.

Dcully

Lafortezza ,i would as suggested shop around for crashed octavias or reconditioned gearbox.
However that car is worth putting 2,000 into.
Afterall mileage is very low and rest of car is fine.

StRiKeR

2000 for new gearbox fitted sounds about right, but its up to yourself rather you want to wait and get a recondition one or new.

ds20prefecture

Give Mick Shaw's in Longford a ring and get a quote. Main Skoda dealer for the midlands, and doesn't rob you blind.

You do not need a gearbox from a new Octavia. They're still making the old model as the "Octavia Tour", and will make the parts for some time yet.

If the gearbox casing is cracked, replace with a new one or one from a scrap Octavia. Given the low mileage on the car, I would steer towards a new one.

€2000 is exhorbitant. You are being gouged by the garage.

Lafortezza

Quick update: Was on the phone to garage again today and they found a reconditioned Octavia gearbox that arrives next thursday. 850 euro for the box and fitting it, depending if the clutch or any other bits and pieces need replacing at the same time.
Not good for my pocket but better than 2 grand!
Thanks for all the advice!

lomb

850 is actually reasonable good luck with it.

Dilbert75

If that deal should fall, take a look at http://www.dempseysdismantlers.com/secondhandparts/cars/skocta.htm

AMurphy

Nuttzy wrote:

If a gearbox is leaking oil in general, would you notice the leaking oil on the ground beneath the car? Or would it just be an internal leak type thing that wouldnt be obvious to you?

Sorry, for gatecrashing, im just interested in knowing this.

No such condition as an "internal" leak on these items. Any leak will be external and definitely put oul on teh ground, expecially when hot (of course you'd need oil in the box in teh first place.).
leaks from the end of the box and the drive shafts, linkage entry points, are easy to locate.

Oil from teh bell housing is more difficult, as it coud be coming from either teh engine or the input shaft seal. You'd have to identify the oil as being GB or Engine, Usually pretty easy. Engine oil is black, GB oil, tends to remain Brown or grey, and often smells like horse pee.