As stated in the title, I have a 2001 VW Golf TDI w/ 216,000 miles. My x-mission is doing weird things now. Some times going from Park to Drive it doesn’t engage right away and I have to tap the gas pedal slightly and it will catch, and same thing in reverse some times. Other times I have to almost red line the engine for it to start to engage and move forward. After that first shift it works great until I park it, shut down the engine. After I start it back up, same thing. It’s not low on x-mission fluid that’s for sure. Any ideas?
Most likely the transmission is dying. Nothing you can do but replace/rebuild it. Do not take it to one of the national chains, but take it to a reputable VW repair shop and have them look at it.