i have a 97 golf CL and i can only get into 1st gear 50% of the time, it wont budge from neutral and every other gear works perfect, when it decides to go into 1st its smooth, any suggestions, should i just take it to a mechanic?

 

Sounds like the clutch may need adjusting. We also
had a shop trick for hard to shift trannys, we would install
1/2 can of STP oil treatment into the tranny, and it would
make it shift a lot better.

 

thanks for the advice, i'll give it a try

 

hi ya, in my intermediate experience this is a normal problem with the mark 2's and 3's, i have had it on my 1992 mark 3 1.8cl, try getting a gear linkage kit - off ebay normally!, replaces all the old linkages includint the all important see through ball which is just a bad design fault and wears out leaving loads of play in the gear lever, if not maybe a scrap yard for another gear stick and linkage, new ones will cost the earth being german, best of luck