In a message dated 5/20/03 11:19:40 AM, blake@MATH.WUSTL.EDU writes:

<< (is any brand alright?) >>

Any brand is all right.

This past winter, I went to the time, trouble and expense to replace the gear
oil in a Syncro with Redline.  I took great pains with suctioning and jacking
to remove damn near all the old oil.  I followed the words of wisdom from the
gearheaded pundits in my choice of oil, yet, with the first spin around the
block after the transfusion I had a slight grind from 1-2 and 2-3.  How could
this possibly be when I had taken the sacred path to shifting Nirvana?

After much wringing of the hands and beating of the breasts, I adjusted the
shifting mechanism to perfection.  I did this although it was never indicated
prior to swapping the gear oil.  The grinding persisted.

As I was getting used to the idea of a X-mission rebuild, a detached and
astute mind came to reel me in.  He said, "Look.  Isn't it just too
coincidental that the grinding pops up immediately after you change the gear
oil?"  And he was right.  We were experiencing a cold snap when I changed the
oil and the new Redline MT-90, which is specified as mandatory by the
resident list experts, couldn't hack the chill.  In my experience, it is
another case of getting stung in the ass by the "Sorta Truth" on this list.
Look no further then what VW says you should use especially once they have
proven themselves to you for over 100 Kmi.

George