Gernby

I think the "growling" you are hearing is just the throwout bearing when you have the clutch disengaged. Mine has always been noisy, and hasn't gotten better or worse in 29K miles. I can even feel it in the clutch pedal. If I push the clutch in and rev the engine, it gets much more rattly and noisy.

With regards to the shifting, you should change your tranny oil. I change my tranny oil every 3K miles, and it is always a noticeable improvement.

Quik S2K

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gernby
[B]I think the "growling" you are hearing is just the throwout bearing when you have the clutch disengaged.

Gernby

Are you saying that it won't go into gear smoothly when the car is at rest with the clutch fully disengaged? If so, then that is normal. When the car is at rest, and the clutch is disengaged, then the tranny's internals are not spinning, so the gears won't always line up.