Right now, with about 4.5 years of payments left to go, the transmission (Getrag 6-speed manual) seems to have developed a growling noise that follows engine speed only when the clutch pedal's not depressed all the way. Sounds kinda like the R in the old Ruffles commercial--"RRRRRRRuffles have RRRRRRidges"....

It growls a bit until you put the clutch in, then you can hear it slow down to a stop. If I'm coasting in neutral, then shift into a low gear without letting up off the clutch, you can hear the synchro spin up the main shaft (and the RRRR noise) and then hear it slow down and stop.

It sounds an awful lot like a bad wheel bearing, but follows engine speed only when the clutch is turning the transmission's input shaft....

I swapped the transmission oil at about 49000 miles a few weeks ago, Redline MTL, and it changed the noise a bit. The old oil was a *little* dark and brown, but not real bad. No metal bits that I could see came out when draining the oil.

I have a warrantee that covers the transmission and engine, thankfully, but I've also heard about the dual mass flywheel issue and various clutch issues (once in a blue moon Chewbacca greets me in the morning as I pull out on the occasional damp or cool day), and the clutch/flywheel aren't covered....

At this point, I'm really hoping that it's the transmission, as I don't think I have the ca$h for a new clutch and/or flywheel....

Help?

Thanks....

C ya,
Dutch