Golf gear selection

[Spathodus77]

Hi,

A couple of months back I started the ingition on my golf, went to engage reverse and before I had lifted the clutch the car started juddlering backwards. I could n't get the car out of gear with the engine running so I switched off the ignition and took the car out of gear. When I restarted the car I was able to engage the reverse. Since then it has not been a problem until...

This morning a similar thing occured. When I turned the ignition I could not engage any forward gears. I was able to engage reverse but the car started juddering back before I lifted the clutch peddle. Again I switched the ignition off and upon restarting the car was fine.

My feeling is that the clutch is getting sticky and probably needs replacing. The car is a 1990 1.6TD with 240K on the clock and my mechanic (who has serviced the car for most of its life) thinks that the clutch is still the original.

Are there any other causes I should be considering? If it is the clutch how long is the job likely to take?

Thanks,

Ralph.