Snoopy,
I take your comments on board but if there are problems with these flywheels / clutch / gearboxes apparently it is visible from day one, from my research it seems it is not a problem which occurs after say 1000mls, 5000mls or 10000mls it's evident from day one.
From trawling the forums it was the USA market with the most complaints, not such a UK problem.
Even after my dealer replaced the original flywheel and clutch and inspected the gearbox the problem was still there. (I had the ED35 from new)
As a second fix he wanted to replace them again, that's when I got VW customer services involved.....they were terrific by the way.
I had previously driven an R with no problem evident, and when my present R arrived at the dealer......none available in my area I took it for a very long test drive, from the minute I put load on the clutch I knew it was ok, very smooth with no vibration or knocking at all.
Have now put another 1500 mls on the clock and it is superb, a totally different beast.
Having spoken to my VW customer service case manager, she was totally on my side with regards to px the car, but after 11000 mls of nothing but frustration from a terrific motor it had to go. I should have hung on to see how long the dealer would take to fix it but when the R was found it was a done deal.
The ED35 cannot be sold on until investigation and repairs are carried out under warranty, VW put a marker on it and require regular feedback from dealer.
Once it is fixed it will be a superb car for someone, mint condition, no stone chips, dents or swirl marks in the paint.