Sticky Shifting

You might need some new linkage pieces. Try some lubricant on the linkages and see if that helps!

Probably not. Gear oil changes usually only make sense when the car is cold and has been sitting outside in very cool fall/winter weather overnight...cold temperatures often cause "summer-weight" gear oil to be too thick and hard to shift until the car warms up. Gear oil otherwise isn't an obstacle, especially in summer on a car that already has been driven at operating temperature..

You probably instead need to look into one of the various shifter rebuild kits (sounds awful but it isn't). It's a collection of the assorted little nylon, plastic, and bushings that are found in the shift linkage system. When done, a shifter alignment also may be in order as well. If you're reasonably handy with tools and not afraid of attempting a DIY repair, you should be able to do all this in an hour or two yourself. If you have a shop do it, make sure it's a shop that specifically knows VWs of that vintage and the idea of a shifter rebuild kit and shifter alignment will be a no-brainer for them to get right. The parts are usually available online for under $100 too.

yes that's another good idea. I've had good luck with just a little basic white grease that I dab on with my finger (WD40, etc. will work but will dry out too fast long-term).

Just to make sure, do you have a manual or automatic transmission?

If it's not had a shift bushing kit put in, probably worth doing. There's a 'ball' on a link back behind the transaxle, mounted on a vertical shaft, that wears and causes what you're describing. I got a kit with all the bushings in it from germanautoparts.com.

BTW, I really like their kits. Both the shifter and cam cover gasket (head cover, whatev) kits came with everything needed for the jobs except the time to do 'em.

Wouldn't hurt to R&R the oil either. Which reminds me...

Mark '95 Jetta GLS, 115kmi

Has to be a manual. VW automatics were 3-speeds on the 1990 Golf.