Hello everyone, had this problem since I bought the car and I've always treated it is as I have no reverse gear but for some reason today it's really bugging me, is there any cure for it other than changing the gear box? I've read you don't need to change the gearbox oil on them but I've also read doing so is beneficial. When I do reverse it jumps out of gear so violently it sounds like my gearbox is about to explode. 

I was told it’s a limitation in the design, something to do with 1/R being on same shaft.

if you put it in first then reverse should be no issue. 

mine does it now and again if I forget.

just got used to it.

Seems to be affected by cold and shallow clutch depress.

maybe an adjustment somewhere ?

If it jumps out then it was never in properly in the first place, you get used to feeling the difference on the stick.

There is no syncro on reverse in this car, you need to be completely stationary and sometimes double de-clutch if it's not gone in to help the gears line up.

I cannot get it to stay in reverse no matter what I do, I think the gearbox has had it, it's been like it since I bought it. 

Do you just drive forwards everywhere then?  

As above, it's the lack of a synchro that causes the issue on these...also the reason they crunch if you're as impatient as I am!  As if I'm going to wait until completely stationary!   If you keep pulling the stick towards reverse as you lift the clutch up you should feel it slot in fully if it hasn't gone first time.  There is a bit of adjustment of the gearshift cables but if all other gears are fine I wouldn't risk changing it lol.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Do you just drive forwards everywhere then?  

As above, it's the lack of a synchro that causes the issue on these...also the reason they crunch if you're as impatient as I am!  As if I'm going to wait until completely stationary!   If you keep pulling the stick towards reverse as you lift the clutch up you should feel it slot in fully if it hasn't gone first time.  There is a bit of adjustment of the gearshift cables but if all other gears are fine I wouldn't risk changing it lol.

Pretty much, I have to make sure I park in spaces I can drive out of at work, supermarkets etc and to make it worse I live on a dead end so have to use the camber of the road and let the car roll back 😂

7 minutes ago, BP2411 said:

Pretty much, I have to make sure I park in spaces I can drive out of at work, supermarkets etc and to make it worse I live on a dead end so have to use the camber of the road and let the car roll back 😂

I have to admire your perseverance with this car!  

Being poor doesn't help 😂

5 hours ago, BP2411 said:

I cannot get it to stay in reverse no matter what I do, I think the gearbox has had it, it's been like it since I bought it. 

I guess it could be, although as has been said earlier, it is an issue with this box and individual cars vary.  My Mrs had a Mk 7 which was no bother, as was our friends. Then our friend got a new Mk 7.5 ecoboost and it was forever jumping out of reverse.

3 hours ago, BP2411 said:

Being poor doesn't help 😂

No, it certainly doesn't and I guess we can all relate to that. Could be worse - my first car leapt out of top gear (4th) whenever I tried to accelerate so effectively I had to drive that holding it in gear for most of the time I had it. Could barely afford petrol in those days, never mind repairs. But I got a very strong right arm though, which has come in handy since I knackered my left some years back!😀

If holding it in reverse worked it wouldn't bother me, it's not as if I reverse for miles on end. 

It even happens if I try reversing from parked. 

10 minutes ago, BP2411 said:

It even happens if I try reversing from parked. 

There's not really anything you can do (cheaply!) if it even pops out while holding it.  The only free option is to try adjusting the gearshift cable in case it's not letting the selector move far enough.  As I mentioned earlier though, there's a risk of making other gears worse.

Only other solution is replacing or repairing the gearbox at several hundred pounds...

I'll flintstone the floor, I never have to reverse huge distances anyway. 

Now I'm leaning towards adjusting the cable because it never feels like I can pull it back enough to engage it, I may pop the cables off the gearstick and see if I can pull it into reverse like that, if that works then I'll adjust the cable so it takes less of a pull to engage. 

Finally got around to adjusting the cable, adjusted it a few times and tried, eventually adjusted it as far as it'd go and it still won't stay in reverse. 

Anyone had a replacement gearbox fitted on a mk7 who can give me a rough labour price? It's doing my head in now 😂

Decided to try swapping the gear selector cable, is this worth a shot? If so are they all the same or do I need to check for part numbers? 

Are you still going with this!?   

I think all the Mk7s used the IB5 gearbox so the cables should all be the same.  I'd still want to confirm with a part number personally though.

Goonies never say die!