Rebuilt auto gearbox supplier advice

[Dino D]

Hi All,

I'm looking at having a rebuilt gearbox fitted to my MK2 V6 (5sp tiptronic).

The car is a good one so I don't mind investing in a gearbox to last another 100k miles.

Does anyone have experience or can recommend a company?

I'm based in Kent and came across these guys: http://automatixkent.co.uk

I will not fit it myself. If the supplier is not local that may not be an issue (I believe there are suppliers the ship it on a pallet to your garage and your garage ships the old box back once drained of oil).or I could drive up and have then exchange it in day (car drives fine, but showing signs of gearbox on its way out).

If I'm going to spend 1k or so in this I want to make sure it's a reputable company that know their stuff and offer a warranty...any advice appreciated.

[Chrispb]

Hi Dino

I have used Automatix a few times on different cars in the years Iv'e lived in Chatham and the last one being our MK2 Galaxy, have always found them very professional and helpful, I think they had the car for 3 days from start to finish.

[Dino D]

Just a quick update:
Automatix very friendly and knowledgable.
They think the issue I have (clunky shift from 2-3) is due to a broken disc in the box that keeps the pressure right).
Their full rebuild price is 1400+vat and they use the existing box. 3 day turnaround.

Then spoke to Terry Mead at Meadspeed in Faversham. Super knowledgable and helpful. He suggested checking that coils, plugs, MAF, battery, throttle position sensor and for error codes first.
He thinks my issue may be that te solenoid is opening incorrectly because of duff info from sensors or the solenoid is faulty.

Just had it serviced and fitted new plugs. No error codes. Car runs smoother but I still think it can be smoother so will play with the coils.
The shift between 2-3 seems a bit better but I need to drive it properly to really be sure (and find the duff coil).

I will have Meadspeed drive it to see if they think it's just solenoid or if it definitely needs a rebuild.

The rebuild is higher than I hoped but given the low price as excellent condition on the car it's still worth it for me (however the temptation to just go get another V6auto at a bargain price is tempting too!!).
Wish I had more driveway space...!!

[Dino D]

Hi Chris,
How did the car feel after the new box?
Have never driven a 'fresh' v6 auto to compare mine. It might jut be that after being is DCT and DSG Equipped cars my expectations of 12yr old tiptronic is a bit skewed!

[Mirez]

There is no comparison between a normal autobox and a DSG!!! Massive, massive difference!

[Dino D]

I here you Mirez.
Been passenger in many a DSG/DCT car and when they work well super smooth (been in a knackered DSG car that kangarooed badly too!).
Have also owners a CVT honda jazz, now that is super smooth, no shifts at all!

Also been in SMG cars including the V10 M5. That makes the Galaxy feel very smooth by comparison. It's horrible at low speeds even from new!

[Chrispb]

Hi Chris,
How did the car feel after the new box?
Have never driven a 'fresh' v6 auto to compare mine. It might jut be that after being is DCT and DSG Equipped cars my expectations of 12yr old tiptronic is a bit skewed!

Before the rebuild it had delayed engagement when pulling away when cold and shuddering in third and slipping under hard acceleration in fifth, all back to normal after rebuild.

[Dino D]

Just a bit of an update.
The shift is better since the service (oil plugs and filter).
She runs allot nicer too- these engines do like frag oil and plugs.

I still have a slight misfire on cold start and a some vibrations at low revs which I think is misfiring caused by a coil. There are no error codes (my garage checked and I have checked on the Dashcommand and EOBD Facile apps via an EML wifi apaptor).
Car also passed mot so no emission issues.

So it seems like it could be solenoid getting bad signals due to the engine not running 100% rather than a worn out gearbox.

I still need to swap around all the coils to see if I can isolate the one that is misfiring (assuming it's the coils anyway).

[Chrispb]

Have a look around the injector wiring as that's been known to fall apart and cause bad running.

[helifx]

Hi... What's wrong with your gearbox? The Mk2 V6 has a Jatco Transmission which in my opinion (and many gearbox dealers) is a fantastic box... Found in Jaguars, Mazda, Galaxy's, Passats, Jetta's... The list goes on and on and on... Such a good gearbox... You might not need to spend as much as you think compared to swapping it out!

[Dino D]

I thought the box might be on the way out due to:
Very clunky shift between 2-3 at light throttle.
Not as smooth when cold (in my opinion but not having driven another V6 auto I can't be sure if that is just the way the are. For comparison our previous Honda CrV was smoother but that was a lighter vehicle with only 4 gears and a small engine).

There is no slip in the gears that I can tell.

It appears that the clunky shift is engine related as since a service the shift is much better. So still have to eliminate any issues with could or injectors etc and then see if it still clunky.
Meadspeed think that it may just need the solenoid changing but want to look at once the engine definitely running 100% smooth to eliminate issues caused from bad signals from the engine ecu to the gearbox ecu.

The car runs fine and we use it daily but I like to get things running 100% if I can.