[spannerrash]

I think the valve MikkiJayne is referring to is the Transgo valve. It's a pressure regulator valve that fits into the front lower valve body. It uses fibre seals that are supposed to help with hard shifting and reduce the risk of the pressure spike that damages the A clutch drum.

It's recommended as a preventative measure though and will not fix a box that is already damaged.

I agree with what you say though. Calm down, take some time and gather the evidence before jumping in too deep. We all know the fragile nature of these boxes and it may well be that it is goosed, but unless your in a rush don't rush into anything.

On a recent service of my box I found lots of contamination on the magnets. This is a sign that all is not well. I took a couple of days to think over what to do and then just decided to let things play out and see what happens.

These gearboxes really are the achilles heel of these cars.