Gearbox repair

[culzean]

My quote from Mr gearbox is £780

Gearbox £350
labour £200
Clutch £100,
VAT £130

Its heart stoppingly expensive considering the value of the car. I had rather hoped that it would be closer to £320 that Jocko mentioned.

It might be because they’re replacing the whole thing rather than repairing it in situ. But can’t I ask for them to do that instead?

Not every place will repair in-situ ( in fact there may be very few who can do it ),  and if you need a new clutch I believe they would have to take gearbox out to fit it anyway ( did you keep original clutch Jocko ).   Taking the gearbox out involves removal of large bits of suspension and is a PITA...   may be cheaper to drive to Jocko's place in Scotland to get work done.... even if it means a night in hotel or B&B...

[Jocko]

The company that did my repair stripped the gearbox, in situ. They did not replace the clutch, as the "bellhousing" was not removed. They told me that they did so many Jazz gearboxes that they had perfected the knack of doing them in place. I have not had as much as a drop of oil from the casing since the repair was completed.

[sparky Paul]

Not every place will repair in-situ ( in fact there may be very few who can do it ),  and if you need a new clutch I believe they would have to take gearbox out to fit it anyway ( did you keep original clutch Jocko ).   Taking the gearbox out involves removal of large bits of suspension and is a PITA...   may be cheaper to drive to Jocko's place in Scotland to get work done.... even if it means a night in hotel or B&B...

I agree, there's not many garages than would contemplate that, most of them get exchange gearboxes from rebuilders anyway. Very few actually fix them themselves, even the gearbox 'specialists'.

The idea of a drive up to Scotland is sound, the only problem I can see would be if they open the gearbox up and find that it needs more than bearings.

[Dufus]

Thanks to all

I’ve had to bite the bullet. Everyone has baulked unless they took the box out. So I’ve found the cheapest; MT Gearboxes £576 inc VAT and a new clutch.

[Jocko]

£576 inc VAT and a new clutch.

That is not a bad price. I would have been happy to pay that if my clutch had been replaced. My local garage had an ex Honda mechanic who had rebuilt the gearbox before, and they quoted me £1200.

[sparky Paul]

Thanks to all

I’ve had to bite the bullet. Everyone has baulked unless they took the box out. So I’ve found the cheapest; MT Gearboxes £576 inc VAT and a new clutch.

As Jocko says, that's not bad really with a new clutch. The gearbox is the only significant weak point on the old Jazz, at least you should be good for the life of the car now.

[Dufus]

Just a final note, MT Gearboxes came up trumps. 

The car drives now like a dream - and for a very fair price - crucial for a car of this age - where sadly it is one large bill away from the scrapyard.

I’m now hoping to get many more years out of this pleasant little car.

I’m so glad I joined this forum, I’ve saved money and learnt a little bit about the (thankfully repairable) foibles of the Jazz’s gearbox.

I was originally facing a £900+ bill from Halfords had I not taken the advice from you guys. £576 - Including a new clutch is far more palatable. Again, thankyou so much!   

[jammyhartley]

Three months ago I purchased a 2006 Jazz for £2000, which was visually, what I considered 90% "new car condition" and was was very pleased with the condition and the way it drove - perfectly smooth in every way -  so I was a "Very Happy Bunny" with 81,000 miles clocked, even at £2000 for a 14 year old vehicle, I had considered I had a bargain!!
But after covering approx. a further 2000 miles I have noticed a quiet whine coming when accelerating through the gears.  So perhaps not such a bargain, as the 3 month warranty had expired. and assume the noise will get louder.
The whine can be he heard, but not too noisy yet, in 1st. 2nd & 3rd.gears, but not 4th of 5th yet, or is this because of road/engine/wind noise?
From Jacko's post earlier "Best way  way to check  is in neutral, engine running, Quiet with clutch down, noisy with the clutch up" Identical to my vehicle, so unfortunately I will soon be looking for a garage for the work. 
Any recommendations to garage in Tonbridge area of Kent, that could do the job? (too far from Rutherglen!!)
Will the gearbox whine just get louder and louder until replacement fitted or will a collapsed gear wheel leave me stranded? I wish to know this particular question answered as there is a 850 mile journey I need to  cover in the next fortnight.
But I must say that even after being caught out by this worry- I still consider my Jazz on of the most rewarding car of the many that I have owned.

[culzean]

The lower gear put more thrust on the dodgy bearing,  good news is it will get louder but never break and leave you stranded. The old style ( very whining and noisy all the time even when new - listen to BTCC and rally cars ) straight cut gears did not transmit any appreciable thrust down the gearbox shafts and into the bearings, the modern quiet helical cut bearings however ( as the name suggests ) the teeth are not parallel but at an angle to shaft they are mounted on, this means as power is transmitted there is a force along the axis of the shaft ( thrust ) which needs to be handled by the bearings  so modern gearboxes use deep groove ball bearings to stop shaft moving axially - it is only one bearing that causes the noise and IIRC it was faulty bearings rather than bad design.

[Jocko]

Mine got so noisy it was embarrassing!

[sparky Paul]

From Jacko's post earlier "Best way  way to check  is in neutral, engine running, Quiet with clutch down, noisy with the clutch up" Identical to my vehicle, so unfortunately I will soon be looking for a garage for the work. 

How bad is it? It's not unusual to hear a little 'dry bearing' type noise when you let the clutch up.

As said above, the bad bearings will not collapse suddenly and let you down, they just get noisier. It can take quite a while to get to this stage, so I would just monitor it for a while and confirm that it is actually deteriorating, before considering any action.

[jammyhartley]

Thanks for your advice sparky Paul, which I think is good advice.  The sound - a whine with a slight whirring sound is, at present, not too bad, is in first, second & third gears, but is not audible in forth & fifth, but I assume is still there but  cannot be heard over other sounds when accelerating.
So I will just keep my eye on it (and ears) and take no action at present.
Many thanks to you & Jocko, and will post any further developments.