Audi A3 Gearbox Change

As this car was my first I had a connection to it, I didn't want to see it end up in the scrap yard. Although nobody in my family is a mechanic, I began researching the feasibility of replacing the gearbox myself. From Audi, a new box was £6,000 but from an independent reconditioning shop I could have mine fixed with a warranty for £700. From my research, I managed to get hold of the Audi ElsaWin software that provided me with all the exploded diagrams and Torque specs.

Here's what I did. I started by carefully removing the battery tray, air box, slave cylinder and starter motor, followed by the gear linkages connecting the shifter to the gearbox. Next, I slid underneath the car to remove the undertray, dog bone mount and driveshafts. With a jack supporting the engine, I removed the gearbox side engine mount. Once the bell housing bolts were removed, I carefully dropped the gearbox down onto an old mattress. After taking the gearbox to the reconditioning centre I turned my attention to fitting a new clutch and pressure plate. I carefully lifted the gearbox back into position using an engine hoist and reversed the entire process to reassemble the car. Taking the box out took me about 6 hours, and re-installing took me around 15. I spent a lot of time ensuring all parts were tightened to the correct torque specification provided by Audi.1 year and 3,000 miles on, it’s been faultless.

Working on my car has taught me so much about the design considerations engineers make regarding the packaging, longevity and repairability of motor vehicles.