I read on another website today that if a beetle jumps out of reverse gear with a thump when there is load placed on the gears then the 'slider' gear (whatever that is) is shot and it calls for a new gearbox.

This is quite alarming as it is exactly what happens on our bug - I just wanted to check if this statement is accurate?
The same was said about 4th gear (I have only known this to happen once on our bug).

The main problem with our bug is that you have to stir for the gears quite a bit - is this likely to be a simple fix?

If it does mean we will need a new gearbox - are they difficult to come by - or would a rebuild be recommended?

What are our options?

TIA

Hello,Some gearbox problems can be caused by broken or worn mounts.drive off in first and accelerate hard ,then take your foot of the pedal.if it jumps out of gear it might be the mounts.I would also check the linkage under the coverplate under the back seat.There is also a bush under the gearstick which can wear or even fall off giving you the sloppy stick you describe.Standard gearboxes can be picked up for around £50 .A good workshop manual will give you some idea of the work involved .Good luck.

I had the exact same problem on my 58 beetle; jumping out of reverse as soon as load was applied.
I had Pete of 'Cogbox' sort mine out, he replaced the main shaft that incorparates 1st and reverse gears with a good secondhand one as the gear lobes were vell worn. I guess this was partly due to there being no syncro on 1st and reverse.
Been as good as gold since:d

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That's good to know - I will bear that in mind.

Sunroof53 - The gearbox does have a broken mount (although I don't know which one!) Regarding the linkage under the coverplate - this was extremely loose but we've tied some wire through it at the moment and it seems to have improved things. What is the proper term for this in case it needs replacing? Is it supposed to be closely coupled or it is supposed to move apart?
I haven't checked the bushing inder the gear stick - will take a look.

Thanks for the advice.

I'd call it a gear linkage coupler. It should be fairly difficult to move it around by hand.

Getting back to your 'jumping out of reverse' problem: you can help isolate the cause of the problem by disconnecting the linkage at the coupler and selecting reverse with a pair of pliers. If it still jumps out of gear then it's a gearbox fault and not the rubber mountings/linkage/coupler etc.

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The coupling should not move apart .The early type that Tman has shown is two flanges that are joined by rubber so should not move apart at all.However the rubber can go soft with age or partially spilt causing some selection problems.If the car has the later type, the rectangular rubber inserts can also go soft but generally last longer.The front mount tends to be the main culprit as this will cause the box and engine to pivot like a see saw at the rear mount .You can sometimes spot this on a car as it pulls away, the tailpipes on the exhaust will appear to move up and down dramatically as the driver goes through the gears.in the car you will also notice the gearstick moving as you accellerate and deccellerate rapidly.