Unfortunately, my only experience with stick shift VWs is the cars (Golf,
Jetta, Passat, etc.), but,with them there is a little tab under the shift
boot, to the left of the shifter handle. There is a little arm that sticks
out of the left side of the shifter that rubs along that tab when you put
it in 1st. When yu push the shifter down, the arm goes under the tab so you
can get to rev. This tab keeps you from accidentally going into reverse
when you want 1st. It sounds to me like the folks at the tire shop didn't
know you had to push the lever down to get past that tab and into reverse,
so they just forced it and broke that tab.

Sean B.
'90 V'gon, "Happy Bus", pseudo Wolfy
Torrance, CA
Join the TiiCo registry at
HTTP://www.vgonman.com