5KCSTQ Clutch & Shifting

["Richard Haroutunian" <Richard_Haroutunian@inso.com>]

One of the things that I love so much about all Audis is the way they
shift..

In my experience, I have never driven a smoother-shifting car.  The
shifting is part of what makes an Audi so much fun to drive- and I would
never be able to live with an automatic Audi..

Before I go off on a tangent, let me describe the issue.  Lately-- over the
past 2-3 months--I've noticed a very slight decline in smoothness when I
drive my 5KCSTQ.  When this happened in my 4KSQ, I was told the using
Castrol synthetic gear oil would help.  I never got around to it, and the
car shifts OK-- but I'd like to 'fix' the shifting in both cars..

When I described the shifting issue to my mechanic who's been working on my
5KCSTQ -- I was told that the clutch is on the 'way out.'  Now, here's the
thing-- often times we Audi-heads notice the slightest change in
performance.  When the mechanic drove the car, he couldn't tell the
difference.  But I can.

So  Any advice?  How easy is it to replace gear oil?  Will it actually
improve shifting -- or am I on my way to a new clutch?

Also re: new clutches -- what about these 'performance' clutch kits? Sachs?
Worth it?

TIA

Richard
87 5KSCTQ
85 4KSQ
82 VW Cabriolet