Double-checking parts

Jan. 1, 2020

I recently received a phone call from a local shop owner, Steve at VW Solutions, with an 09G transmission problem. Steve is a Volkswagen factory trained technician and has been to Volkswagen’s school for the 09G transmission.

Jeff Parlee

Here is the back story. Steve had diagnosed a 2005 Beetle that had some shift quality concerns and he suspected a worn valve body. The transmission had no signs of damage or overheating at this time. Steve purchased a new valve body from the dealer using the VIN number and from his experience knew that the part number that he received was correct.

Steve installed the valve body and filled the transmission with fluid, then went on a test drive. Steve drove that car for 30 miles and the transmission worked flawlessly. Steve parked the car and contacted the owner of the car to give them the news that it was finished.

The customer picked up the Beetle and put about 70 miles on the car when the transmission seized up. Even with the engine off and the transmission in neutral you could not push the car forward or backward. Steve sent a flatbed tow truck for the car.

Back to the phone call from Steve. Once Steve described his problem, I asked if he had compared the new valve body with the original to be sure that it was correct. He said that he had not, but the part number was correct. I explained that there are two different case designs, one with the heat exchanger bolted to the top of the case and one with remote cooler and cooler lines. Each of these cases uses different valve bodies. The difference is the cooler circuits, installing the wrong valve body blocks the cooler return to the valve body, which distributes the cooler return oil to the lube circuits. Without lube oil the transmission will not last very long. To identify the valve bodies (see Figures 1 and 2).

Sure enough, Steve had the wrong valve body for his application. It turns out that the valve body was boxed wrong from Volkswagen. The teachable moment here is to take the time to verify that the replacement part matches the original; it could save you thousands of dollars.

Subscribe to Motor Age and receive articles like this every month…absolutely free. Click here