Can't change to fifth gear. other gears are fine and engine sounds smooth enough. its a 2003 polo actually, not golf. 1.2, manual, petrol

i have the same problem, my polo is also an 03. So terrifying on the motorway suddenly it being rejected! I've found that i need to go from fourth and really whack it to the right and up. It almost feels like it's not in but its fine, just a bit dodgy! Try that ! 

i have the same problem, my polo is also an 03. So terrifying on the motorway suddenly it being rejected! I've found that i need to go from fourth and really whack it to the right and up. It almost feels like it's not in but its fine, just a bit dodgy! Try that ! 

i had the same thing with my vw polo 1.2 (2003 reg) - i was on the motorway doing about 80mph when the car "fell out" of 5th gear and packed up completely! luckily the other gears were fine, just had some horrendous grinding noise for quite a few months whilst saving the money to get the car fixed. as a general note, the gearbox will be fine for a couple of months or so, but that all depends if your gearbox is leaking fluid or not. if it is, *DO NOT* drive it anymore unless you really have to. your gearbox could cease and land you in a very dangerous situation. from what i was told at multiple garages, 5th gear is an "added-on" component on the gearbox on 2003 vw polos, so they're more likely to wear quicker and it *is* a common problem with this particular model. all i did was buy a cheap gearbox that was guaranteed for 6 months, got a garage to fit it in along with a new clutch (if you're changing the gearbox, you might as well do the clutch too and save yourself some money in the long run...), and then you're ready to go. it's the inevitable truth unfortunately - if your car keeps locking out of 5th gear, then you might as well start saving money now and be happy later. i had the same thing with my vw polo 1.2 (2003 reg) - i was on the motorway doing about 80mph when the car "fell out" of 5th gear and packed up completely! luckily the other gears were fine, just had some horrendous grinding noise for quite a few months whilst saving the money to get the car fixed. as a general note, the gearbox will be fine for a couple of months or so, but that all depends if your gearbox is leaking fluid or not. if it is, *DO NOT* drive it anymore unless you really have to. your gearbox could cease and land you in a very dangerous situation. from what i was told at multiple garages, 5th gear is an "added-on" component on the gearbox on 2003 vw polos, so they're more likely to wear quicker and it *is* a common problem with this particular model. all i did was buy a cheap gearbox that was guaranteed for 6 months, got a garage to fit it in along with a new clutch (if you're changing the gearbox, you might as well do the clutch too and save yourself some money in the long run...), and then you're ready to go. it's the inevitable truth unfortunately - if your car keeps locking out of 5th gear, then you might as well start saving money now and be happy later.