Current cost for a 5 speed conversion

Hello All,

Been a few years since I ran the numbers, but a friend expressed some interest in a B5.5 Wagon with a 5 speed conversion.

What are the parts running these days, and what are people charging for labor?

Has the balance shaft delete and timing belt(recently) been done or does it need addressed while out?

I did mine on a budget (purchase whole v6 5 speed and used the dvz tranny) works for me because i only road trip to the coast a few times a year in it, i usually use my excursion for road trips. My passat is my dd for work which is all back road or city driving. Some may never notice a difference in rpms, others do. Mpgs a minimal sacrifice. I can buy lots of diesel for 700 bucks at 35 to 42 mpgs

Parts car that had new axles $400(parted and scraped out so i ended up breaking even)
BS delete with timing belt/water pump kit $500
Stage 2 tune with 5 speed tune and imob delte
With egr delete: $500 iirc
Whitbread 35 lbs sm flywheel with fx300 clutch: $1500
Fresh oil, coolant and filters $125

Labor: free but cost me a weekend and some evenings

Optional items to consider

New thermostat and housing : 100
New coolant T: 50
New tandem pump gasket: 20
Imported proper tdi geared tranny from Franz: 700

As far as labor goes i can only give an estimate i run an outdoor power equipment shop and other than the owners vehicles and his landscape company vehicles i only do power equipment with occasional atvs and golf carts

I'd probably charge labor on swap only about 1200 or so for just a 5 speed swap and about 1500 to 1700 with the bs delete and new timing belt with the other common service items that are easiest addressed with motor out.

I dont do work on the side because my own crap keeps me busy and i find that when people want you to do side jobs they want to pay side rates. If i do a side job i charge more than shop rates because my off work time is worth more to me than at work time. There are more than a few very reputable shop owners on here that can give a better idea labor cost than i can. Labor in NYC/LA will cost you more than West Virginia or Detroit. Just as i can buy a 4000 sq ft new home here for what i can buy a 1958 single wide trailer with hurricane damage in the keys.


Keep in mine this is just spit ball estimates and based on what i paid nearly a year ago so prices in my memory bank may be fuzzy and could increase/decrease.

Hope this helps

Mine came with one from the factory... paid $1100 for the option I had no option for.

Sucks, but it works OK.... just rolled past 200k.

Now if you are asking about converting it to a manual transmission (since you already have a 5 speed), then that price is a wide variation depending on who does it, where the parts are sourced from and which ones you decide you want to use.