Hi, as the tittle says… I got an automatic VW Golf 3 1995 75ps for my wife, Basically it was a gift, the car is in OK conditions, motor works very decent and for my own amusement the thing actually drives great! The only problem is in 3rd gear, the car change between gears clean and very tight, the problem is when the car accelerates the revolutions goes up buuuut the speed stays basically the same, until I put my foot out of the pedal and reaccelerate, then slowly it works fine but as soon as I put some power on it, it slip, very frustratingly BTW! There is no worrying noise, no smoke, no leak, I haven´t measure the ATF mainly because it is impossible in this car! It is supposed to stay closed forever! (?). My main question is if the ATF can be related with this issue or is it other component of the Transmission? Second question is if the ATF is not related then what can it be? Thank you guys in advance.
Are you sure there is no dipstick? And no fill plug on the top or more likely the side of the trans?
Hi Shanonia, Dipstick no, 100% sure, however, fill plug in one side yes, if someone with more expirience than me with this car says this might be a solution I will definately go for it, the “ATF kit” is avaliable from my employer but I´m not sure if this might actually solvethe problem.
Is there a good long-standing locally-owned transmission shop near you?
Nope, already check my local “schrottplatz” and nothing. But I think your recommendation is to get a new (used) one? I think the price is around 350 EUR (400 $) and is more than what I paid for the thing, actually to be honest it costed 250 EUR.
I don’t know enough about transmissions to make a recommendation. Can you find a repair shop that specializes in transmissions? They may know more about your specific one.
Schrottplatz = junkyard/scrap iron dealer? Who knows the condition of a used 1995 transmission? I would first get expert opinions about what’s happening to the transmission that’s in the car.
The symptoms you are describing are slipping of the clutches and will wear them out in short order if they are not all worn out by now. You are probably due for a transmission but if you can’t find a decent transmission shop, at least go to a VW dealer and get the fluid level checked.
I have no idea what the ( 75ps ) means but you got the vehicle for less than a set of tires. If it looks decent and drives well just fix what it needs and bring the required maintenance up to date. How can you go wrong?
This symptom can be caused by low transmission fluid, dirty transmission fluid, clogged transmission filter, transmission solenoid on the fritz, but the most common cause is a worn clutch inside the transmission as posted by @Bing above. The solution to that is to have a shop rebuild the transmission. I know this sounds like major open heart surgery, but it isn’t that complicated, the shop just order the rebuild kit and installs all new wearing parts on the inside. You’ll have a like-new transmission. And a bit of a lighter wallet. Most of the expense is the amount of time involved to do the job, complicated by the fact it has to be done in a very clean environment.
The easiest way to prove the problem is worn clutch’s is to do a proper service on the transmission, which means dropping the pan and replacing the filter and installing all new fluid. Then read out any transmission related diagnostic codes. If no related codes and the service fixes the problem, no need – yet – for a rebuild. Best of luck.
The transmission is 20 years old along with every rubber seal in it that maintains pressure so it could be time for another trans.
You might consider changing the trans fluid and adding half a can of Berryman B-12 to it. The B-12 can help to swell and soften seals which can lead to an extended life. The trans that is, not you… 
With the pan off of the transmission it can be inspected for excessive metallic debris and/or dark sludging. Either of those can point towards the end of the transmission.
If the pan is fairly clean the try some fresh fluid and B-12 to see what happens.
Thank you all! I found a place close to my office, will go in monday and according to the guy there the main problem is related to bad/no service, the AT is supposed to be closed for life, however is proven that the at 01m needs mantainence and fluid change. BTW sorry for the Deutglish: Schrottplatz = junkyard/scrap iron dealer correct, PS:Pferdestärke=Horse Power.
When somebody tells you an automatic transmission is “closed for life” . . . that is 100% BS
In fact, the purpose of this BS is to sell cars
After all, what would you rather buy?
The car that needs trans service every 30K
Or the car that has a "closed for life’ transmission
Mind you, both of these transmissions need regular service. The only difference being, only one of them is being honest about it
On my lifetime transmission fluids, I have the pan dropped and replace the fluid every 30,000 miles.
A lot of the experts here seem to believe that the closed systems are really designed for trouble free operation only to about 100K miles, then they need to be returned to a normal servicing schedule. Most would say don’t wait to 100K, do a proper service around 50-60 K.
You might ask then why do the manufacturers say to not service them at all? Couple reasons, first that the ratings agencies that rate new cars use the servicing intervals to determine the cost-to-own number. If you have to service the transmission every 50K miles, that’s going to cost twice as much as servicing it every 100K. And it won’t add anything to the cost if you say the transmission never needs servicing, ever. And buyer’s use that cost-to-own number when deciding which car to buy. It’s sort of weird logic, but it gives the manufacturers incentive to push those published maintenance intervals out as much as possible, to make that cost-to-own number better than their competitors.
The other reason is that automatic transmission have become extremely complicated and finicky gadgets these days . Mostly b/c the manufacturers are trying to devise schemes to improve the mpg ratings for their fleets. The first automatic transmission had 2 gears, hi, and low. Later they tech’d up to 3 gears. Now it’s not uncommon for an automatic transmission to have 8 gears. To pack all that gearing into the same sized case, well, it’s complicated. So the manufacturers think that its better if they can once get it working at the factory, good enough, and to just leave it alone after that.