Gearbox Repair Norwich

"It needs a new gearbox" is one of the most expensive sentences a driver can hear, and it is wrong more often than people think. A crunch going into second is often a worn clutch or a low fluid level; a whine can be a wheel bearing; jumping out of gear can be a tired gear linkage or a broken mount letting the engine rock. At Ber Street we diagnose gearbox and transmission faults properly on manuals, automatics and dual-clutch (DSG type) boxes, fix what can be fixed, and only talk about a replacement unit when the diagnosis says so.

Diagnosed firstthe fault found before it is quoted

Quoted before worknothing added without your say so

3-month guaranteeor 3,000 miles on workmanship

Open 7 daysfree parking on site

Manual Gearbox Faults

• Crunching into a gear, especially second or reverse: worn synchromesh, but first rule out the clutch not releasing fully and low or wrong gearbox oil.
• Difficult or notchy selection: gear linkage cables and bushes, or clutch hydraulics.
• Jumping out of gear: worn selector forks or detents inside the box, or a broken engine or gearbox mount.
• Whining that changes with road speed rather than engine speed: often a wheel bearing or differential, not the gearbox itself.
• Leaks from driveshaft seals or the input shaft, which starve the box of oil if ignored.

Automatic and DSG Gearboxes

Automatic gearboxes are far more sensitive to fluid than most owners realise. A conventional automatic with old, burnt fluid slips, flares between gears and shifts harshly; a fluid and filter service at the manufacturer interval prevents most of the failures we see, and many "sealed for life" boxes are nothing of the sort. Dual-clutch boxes (Volkswagen group DSG, Ford PowerShift and similar) have their own service schedule and their own faults, from mechatronic units to clutch packs, and a diagnostic read of the transmission control module usually points to the cause. Hesitation, jerking at low speed and warning lights are all worth a proper look before a replacement is mentioned.

What We Do In-House and What We Source

We diagnose, road test and read the transmission control unit; we change gearbox oil and filters; we replace clutches, dual mass flywheels, mounts, linkages, seals and driveshafts; and where a manual or automatic gearbox genuinely needs replacing we source a reconditioned or replacement unit and fit it. We will tell you plainly when a repair is not economic on the car's age and value, and when a specialist rebuild is the better route, because a wrong call on a gearbox is an expensive one.

Good to know

Is a crunching gearbox always expensive? No. A crunch, especially into second or reverse, is often a clutch that is not fully releasing or low gearbox oil, both far cheaper than gearbox work. We check those first.

Gearbox Oil Changes

The cheapest gearbox work there is and the most neglected. Manual boxes on many cars have a change interval nobody follows, and automatics and DSG units have a fluid and filter service that is essential to their life. If your car is over five years old and nobody has ever mentioned gearbox oil, ask us to check it at the next service.

Booking and Quotes

Call 07933 900901 with the registration and the symptom. We road test and diagnose first, quote in writing, and do nothing without your approval. If the answer is the clutch rather than the gearbox, our clutch replacement page explains what that involves. Open seven days with free parking at 100-106 Ber Street, and every repair carries our 3-month / 3,000-mile workmanship guarantee.

How a Repair Works Here