T6.1 Transporter transmission wobble/judder
Discussion
Hi everyone,
Thought I'd post this on there to see what folks opinions are...
I took the plunge this year and decided to change over from a car to a van to suit my lifestyle. A few months ago I settled on a 1 year old approved used Transporter T6.1 from a VW dealer. Not so long after having it I became more aware of some strange judder coming though the clutch pedal at low revs in either 1st or reverse gear - the van only had about 13k on the clock.
I took it straight back to the same dealer (1) I bought it from who denied there was any issue. Being unconvinced by this response I booked it in at another dealer (2 - different franchise) to take a look.
Dealer number 2 confirmed there was an issue within the gearbox area which gave me sufficient evidence to go back to the original dealership (who would better placed to handle the cost since it was being suggested as chargeable work to resolve if found to be faulty as a result of abuse).
The clutch and dual mass fly wheel were duly diagnosed as defective and as such were replaced. I was unable to ascertain any reasoning as to why this fault had occurred in the first instance or what the defect was and adding some unexplained 70 extra miles.
After an initial drive things felt different, the judder was gone and the clutch action was smooth in 1st and reverse at low revs.
However, after doing 500 or so miles I sense that something is not quite right and to me if feels like this judder is starting to return, it's intermittent. There is also something else I will try to describe, almost like there is a looseness/wobble in the transmission, this has always been present but wasn't so noticeable when the parts were changed - it can be felt if you draw up the clutch pedal too soon or sometimes something as simple as putting into gear in neutral.
This all makes me wonder if the crux of the clutch/flywheel problem is down to something else being defective which will lead me back to these components faulting again. The thought did enter my mind that maybe the dealer didn't actually change all they claimed since I know they were complaining about the loss they would be making since these parts could not be claimed under warranty but surely they wouldn't risk their reputation on doing something like this.
Having driven other T6.1's mine definitely doesn't feel the same and I'm convinced something ain't right.
I may take this back to dealer number 2 for an opinion this time and see what they say.
If anyone has any thoughts by all means let me know.
Thought I'd post this on there to see what folks opinions are...
I took the plunge this year and decided to change over from a car to a van to suit my lifestyle. A few months ago I settled on a 1 year old approved used Transporter T6.1 from a VW dealer. Not so long after having it I became more aware of some strange judder coming though the clutch pedal at low revs in either 1st or reverse gear - the van only had about 13k on the clock.
I took it straight back to the same dealer (1) I bought it from who denied there was any issue. Being unconvinced by this response I booked it in at another dealer (2 - different franchise) to take a look.
Dealer number 2 confirmed there was an issue within the gearbox area which gave me sufficient evidence to go back to the original dealership (who would better placed to handle the cost since it was being suggested as chargeable work to resolve if found to be faulty as a result of abuse).
The clutch and dual mass fly wheel were duly diagnosed as defective and as such were replaced. I was unable to ascertain any reasoning as to why this fault had occurred in the first instance or what the defect was and adding some unexplained 70 extra miles.
After an initial drive things felt different, the judder was gone and the clutch action was smooth in 1st and reverse at low revs.
However, after doing 500 or so miles I sense that something is not quite right and to me if feels like this judder is starting to return, it's intermittent. There is also something else I will try to describe, almost like there is a looseness/wobble in the transmission, this has always been present but wasn't so noticeable when the parts were changed - it can be felt if you draw up the clutch pedal too soon or sometimes something as simple as putting into gear in neutral.
This all makes me wonder if the crux of the clutch/flywheel problem is down to something else being defective which will lead me back to these components faulting again. The thought did enter my mind that maybe the dealer didn't actually change all they claimed since I know they were complaining about the loss they would be making since these parts could not be claimed under warranty but surely they wouldn't risk their reputation on doing something like this.
Having driven other T6.1's mine definitely doesn't feel the same and I'm convinced something ain't right.
I may take this back to dealer number 2 for an opinion this time and see what they say.
If anyone has any thoughts by all means let me know.
ffvrs said:
Thanks for that reply and sounds plausible. It does feel like something like mounts. Even when I fire the van up it feels like the engine jolts more that you'd expect.
I'll have to get it booked back in to investigate.
Try slipping the clutch a little bit with the handbrake firmly on, maybe chock the wheels too.I'll have to get it booked back in to investigate.
Edited by ffvrs on Friday 31st December 11:47
Lift the bonnet beforehand and watch to see if the engine and gearbox are jumping about in an unusual fashion. The mounts on most things engines tend to keep movement to way less than an inch, especially on something so new.
Make sure you watch from a position off to the side rather that just in front of the van, and point the van in a safe direction.
From what I can tell it was a leased vehicle for 12months. Bodywork was mint condition, no dents or repairs.l so whoever owned it looked after it.
The juddering I originally felt has been cured with the new DMF/clutch, but I worry why it occurred in the first instance - the dealer said it was a defective clutch/flywheel. This could come back in 12months to haunt me at which point the dealer will just say it’s down to my driving.
Like most of you who read this, I’ve driven dozens of cars and a few vans and you know when something doesn’t feel quite right still.
Describing it in the right way that translates into something a mechanic will understand is half the problem. I’m worry it’s something that a dealership won’t class as significant enough to warranty investigation/repairs.
The more I drive it the more it feels like sloppiness in the transmission somewhere. If the van had 250k miles on I would assume it was worn but on a van with 14k sure something must be up.
The juddering I originally felt has been cured with the new DMF/clutch, but I worry why it occurred in the first instance - the dealer said it was a defective clutch/flywheel. This could come back in 12months to haunt me at which point the dealer will just say it’s down to my driving.
Like most of you who read this, I’ve driven dozens of cars and a few vans and you know when something doesn’t feel quite right still.
Describing it in the right way that translates into something a mechanic will understand is half the problem. I’m worry it’s something that a dealership won’t class as significant enough to warranty investigation/repairs.
The more I drive it the more it feels like sloppiness in the transmission somewhere. If the van had 250k miles on I would assume it was worn but on a van with 14k sure something must be up.
ChocolateFrog said:
Makes you wonder why it was traded in at such low mileage.
The initial symptoms do sound like classic DMF failure.
Whether you can get a torch and peer underneath as someone rocks it backwards and forwards on the clutch you might see something obviously not right.
How much movement would appear not right to the untrained eye ?The initial symptoms do sound like classic DMF failure.
Whether you can get a torch and peer underneath as someone rocks it backwards and forwards on the clutch you might see something obviously not right.
Hi,
Did you ever get to the bottom of this problem?
I have the same problem on my T6.1 150bhp 6 speed manual. I have many years experience as a mechanic although I have been out of it for 15years.
My van has 100k on it so some wear/sloppiness in the drive train is to be expected but my previous t5 with 245k drove without fault.
My symptoms:
Knock from underneath when starting engine.
When changing gear or going on on off with accelerator there is mechanical chatter/ gear backlash. this is intermittent and sometimes there is nothing and it drives perfect with no noise/chatter.
A gearbox specialist found the front engine mount split but also suggested that the DMF might be noisy and locking up intermittently. I had front engine mount, rear engine mount, clutch and dual mass changed but to no avail.
I took to VW who seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable for a 4 year old van with 100k on it.
There are 2 more mounts that could be replaced but I cant see how a worn mount could cause it to be intermittent.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Did you ever get to the bottom of this problem?
I have the same problem on my T6.1 150bhp 6 speed manual. I have many years experience as a mechanic although I have been out of it for 15years.
My van has 100k on it so some wear/sloppiness in the drive train is to be expected but my previous t5 with 245k drove without fault.
My symptoms:
Knock from underneath when starting engine.
When changing gear or going on on off with accelerator there is mechanical chatter/ gear backlash. this is intermittent and sometimes there is nothing and it drives perfect with no noise/chatter.
A gearbox specialist found the front engine mount split but also suggested that the DMF might be noisy and locking up intermittently. I had front engine mount, rear engine mount, clutch and dual mass changed but to no avail.
I took to VW who seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable for a 4 year old van with 100k on it.
There are 2 more mounts that could be replaced but I cant see how a worn mount could cause it to be intermittent.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Kenwah said:
Hi,
There are 2 more mounts that could be replaced but I cant see how a worn mount could cause it to be intermittent.
The mount won't cause an intermittent fault but different circumstances might make it more obvious/prevalent.There are 2 more mounts that could be replaced but I cant see how a worn mount could cause it to be intermittent.
eg. Uphill/downhill/fast change/slow change/hard acceleration/deceleration etc.
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