Golf 5 GT FSI – Limp Mode

Go back to the mechanic and suggest that he looks at the solenoids in the valve body. If one of the solenoids — there are usually two — that is involved with selecting the proper gear has been damaged (a wire pinched or cut), then that device will read as a bad unit and your VW will go into limp-home mode.

This is the first thing that hit me when you said the Golf had gone into limp-home mode after the valve body was replaced. If the solenoids weren’t swapped out, or at least taken out and put aside and then reinserted, then it is possible that one or both of them may be damaged.

I think that when you point out the problem and suggest the answer (will more then suggest but keep it respectful) is in the solenoids that you may find something interesting will happen (I can’t be sure, but it is possible), you may find the job done for free. The reason, quite frankly, is I suspect the technician decided to reuse the solenoids from the former valve body to speed things up since he probably figured they were working. The operative word here, though, is were, as I suspect that when they were pulled out of the old valve body something was damaged. Be somewhat emphatic (but respectful) when you suggest the job might have been prevented if new devices would have been used and suggest that it might be good customer service to bite the bullet and let you have the solenoids gratis. Let me know what happens.