hid3 said:
Tried to shift from neutral to 4th gear - it shifted very easy. Then tried to shift from neutral to 5th and 6th gears - also shifts easily but with some resistance - I needed to use a bit more force. 1, 2, 3 shifts very easily/smoothly. Does this indicate I might be running low on fluid?
You may need to realign your shifter linkages.
I did so on both my TDIs after putting Redline MTL in my Golf at 60k miles (straight 2 quarts in (Redline bottles are quarts) and I would put in 2 liters without worry). It takes a bit of a special touch to get used to how the transmission locks into its home position. Once you get it down, it's all gravy. I can adjust my shifter in 2 minutes flat now - and it's all done from the topside.
Even made the "rare special tool" out of a 20 penny nail. The cheapo nails that Lowes carries are all hecho-en-taiwan and a bit skinnier than what Dieselgeek recommends (0.177" vs 0.195"). A 3/16" drill bit is much better (0.1875", clearly) but I may order some oversized drill rod or dowel pin stock to make a few up - a propane torch plus a bench vise can work wonders.
I found the best shift quality was from letting the shifter clamps spring out on their own accord. At first I would manually push everything a few threads tighter, thinking that would account for the shifter linkages wearing a bit. Boy was I wrong, it drastically slowed down my shifting, to the point it would grind like hell going into 2nd especially. First gear took forever to select from a cold start. Now I let the clamps grab wherever they may and the quality is better than before I started dorking with it. I may start adjusting them a bit looser to see if it improves further.
Just my two cents - but if you're concerned, go ahead and change your transmission fluid and realign the shifter linkages. It's cheap insurance and easy to do.