manual transmission stiff in only 1 and 2

[tidehunter]

hi, just thought i'd ask here before i ask my local mechanics

Have a Golf Comfortline 2013 in manual, 1st and 2nd seem stiff to get into, the rest of the gears are buttery smooth.
3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th are no dramas.
Just going from 4th to 2nd(appropriate speed), or 2nd to 1st(vise versa) seems quite stiff.

Car has been fully serviced 1 month ago, had a general mechanic look at it today, said nothing is wrong, but i understand general mechanics aren't really suited for transmission troubleshooting.

[tw586]

is it difficult to shift if you are stationary foot on clutch with the engine not running, if so I would say linkage and or selector adjustment. if it is only when you are driving is just the syncro working to allow the shift and thats fairy normal, and its harder to shift down at higher speeds, ps you should avoid shifting from 4th to 2nd as you have too great a shaft speed variation for the syncro, 4 to 3 then 2nd. avoid going back to 1st until you are almost stopped

[Transporter]

hi, just thought i'd ask here before i ask my local mechanics

Have a Golf Comfortline 2013 in manual, 1st and 2nd seem stiff to get into, the rest of the gears are buttery smooth.
3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th are no dramas.
Just going from 4th to 2nd(appropriate speed), or 2nd to 1st(vise versa) seems quite stiff.

Car has been fully serviced 1 month ago, had a general mechanic look at it today, said nothing is wrong, but i understand general mechanics aren't really suited for transmission troubleshooting.

Was it always like that or something that has just developed?
If the oil in the transmission was just replaced, I’d say you have wrong oil in the gearbox.
How does it go in reverse?
How many km the car done?

[tidehunter]

if it is only when you are driving is just the syncro working to allow the shift and thats fairy normal, and its harder to shift down at higher speeds, ps you should avoid shifting from 4th to 2nd as you have too great a shaft speed variation for the syncro, 4 to 3 then 2nd. avoid going back to 1st until you are almost stopped

Yes this does seem to be whats going on, stationary gears 1st & 2nd are smooth, but when the car is moving its stiff, hmmm thing is i've been told from several sources block-gear changing is the preferred way of shifting gears, the car itself even tells me to block-gear shift on the screen.
My friend has a Suzuki Swift(in manual) which I had a drive, the syncro doesn't seem to bother 1st and 2nd like it does in mine.
I'll try using sequential down method and report back.

Anyway car has done 96k, had a recent service from VW(unsure how big, but cost me $365), a mechanic told me its just a copy and paste checklist they give out for all services, so its probably due for a proper transmission oil change.
Reverse gear is fine

[Transporter]

Are you pressing clutch pedal always to the floor?

Try this. Switch the engine off, fully depress clutch pedal to the floor and hold it there, start up and slowly release noticing where is the friction point. If the friction point is right at the floor, you may have faulty/worn out clutch.