Polo GT TSI gearbox damaged by hitting stone; quoted 5 lakhs for repair

On inspecting the vehicle, the service manager told me that the impact was on the gearbox and will mostly require replacement.

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Hello Team BHP,

Warm regards, I have been an avid reader of Team BHP for the last 7 years, it has helped a lot in deciding my car purchase, PDIs, care and maintenance.

When I returned back from the US and was looking for an FTD car, your forums and reviews helped me decide on the Polo GT TSI petrol.

So far the vehicle has served me well without any niggles since June 2016. So far it has clocked 26,000 km.

Coming to the sad part, last Saturday while I was taking an u-turn, there was a stone soon after turning and could not avoid it until I was too close and then it hit the underbody with a thud. I immediately parked the car and inspected it for damage and noticed that the fluid was dripping. I do agree here that it is totally my fault and should have been more cautious.

I called the VW service centre (which was <2 km away) and they recommended bringing it to the workshop by towing. On inspecting the vehicle, the service manager told me that the impact was on the gearbox and will mostly require replacement. The approximate price he quoted was around Rs 10K if the damage to casing only or around Rs 1.5 L if it is total gearbox replacement. I have initiated the claim with my insurance provider RahejaQBE (my policy has both engine cover and zero dips).

Now comes the shocking part, the surveyor called me today and told me that the estimate provided by the service centre was Rs. 5 L for gearbox replacement and mostly they would have to go with total loss due to the estimate exceeding the IDV (Rs 4.6 L). When I enquired the workshop on this, the advisor mentioned that it would require replacement of gearbox with mechatronics and flywheel assembly. I am flabbergasted at the estimate and could not wonder if there is something else going on here. He also declined to give the estimations in writing and said that the insurance provider will give me the details.

I am attaching the pics with damage to the gearbox.

I would appreciate it if you could suggest:

• Any other similar experiences forum members and the costs involved.
• My best course of action here?
• If the above parts really cost the estimated amount.

Once again I would like to thank Team BHP.

P.S: The incident happened in Hyderabad.

Here's what BHPian Gannu_1 had to say on the matter:

Assuming the car was stopped immediately after the damage occurred, I suspect this could be a simple case of the transmission's sump/housing damaged and could be replaced along with the right quantity of fluid/ATF which was contained inside.

Don't go by the surveyor or service center's words. These guys are out there to loot gullible customers and will declare a car total loss at the slightest chance. Authorised service centers rarely do repairs - replacements as much as possible to save man hours (which translates to lesser downtime and space for a vehicle repair). They'll sell these so called total loss car to someone who'll end up repairing it and he'll sell it to someone else. Profit for everyone involved.

Every city will have garages that are very good in German cars. I am sure Hyderabad has a few of these. Do check Google maps as well.

Good luck! Hope to see this sorted soon.

Here's what BHPian scorpian had to say on the matter:

From the pictures you have posted, it looks like the gearbox body is damaged. I assume that the car was stopped immediately and not run post the oil leak, in which case replacement of only the gearbox housing should work perfectly.

I think taking it outside to someone who are specialists in German cars and replacing the gearbox housing should solve your problem.

If you want to be very sure this is what i would do, clean the surface of the gearbox, apply some sealant like m.seal etc just for temporary purpose, fill fresh oil and check if the gearbox works. If it works you have your answer,replace the housing and you are good to go.

Here's what BHPian JoshMachine had to say on the matter:

From the pictures, it looks like only the "oil pressure accumulator" chamber has been punctured because of the dent-like protrusion on the flanged gearbox. There doesn't seem to be any visible damage to the flywheel assembly as such, since that sits outside of the gearbox assembly.

Please do get this damage checked from another good FNG, before you listen to the insurance surveyor. And also demand for the damage assessment in writing. Its the minimum that you, as a customer, should ask for.

It's possible that the insurance folks are in cahoots with the authorized dealer for such costly parts.

Here's what BHPian Jaggu had to say on the matter:

From the image you need a new casing for the GB, you should go to the service centre and tell them it is out of insurance cover and they should get the child part replacement done. Worst case this can be repaired also by aluminium weld. Not the cleanest option, but doable.

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