On Oct 24, 2012, at 12:49 PM, Derek Burgess wrote:

> if your plug looks like a xmas tree? what do you mean?

The drain plug has a magnet in it to catch metal filings and fragments that wear off in the use of the transmission. When there's an excessive amount of wear (or if the transaxle oil hasn't been changed in a while) these filings will cling to the magnet when you pull it out, making it look fuzzy, like the branches of a pine tree. You should change the oil every 30K miles  according to VW service intervals.

-Jarrett
1989 Westy