01M Transmission Master Rebuild Kit with Frictions and Filter

Master rebuild kit for the 01M four-speed automatic transaxle, the unit VW and Audi ran through the Mk3 and Mk4 platform: Golf, Jetta, New Beetle, Passat and the Audi A3 and TT of the same era. It also carries the 095 and 096 casting references, and the kit is catalogued under T10900C. Included are the friction plate set, the steel plate set, the complete overhaul kit of lip seals, gaskets, sealing rings and O-rings, and the transmission oil filter.

The 01M earned its reputation honestly. The usual failures are a burnt K1 or K2 clutch pack and hardened valve-body seals, which show up as a hard 1-2 bang, a flare on the 2-3 shift, a shudder under light throttle in lockup, or the unit dropping into limp with third gear only. Most of that is clutch clearance and internal leakage rather than hard-part damage, which is why a friction, steel and seal refresh brings a high percentage of these units back. If the car also throws a shift solenoid code, sort the valve body at the same time - this kit does not include solenoids.

Bench notes: check the pump bushing and the differential bearing preload before you reassemble, since both are common on high-mileage 01Ms and neither is in this kit. Soak the frictions in fresh ATF for at least 20 minutes, set clutch pack clearance to spec with the stack, and air-check K1, K2 and the brake bands before the case halves go together. Replace the filter with the one in the kit rather than reusing the old one, and refill with the VW G 052 162 ATF spec - the 01M is not a Dexron unit and will not shift correctly on the wrong fluid.