i have the same model (52 reg 2002 - one of the last older style) and my gearbox has started to make the same horrible sounding noises after 28000mls. i took it to my usual mechanic and he said he took the whole thing apart and found nothing wrong. in fact, he (patronisingly) suggested i was hearing "road noise"... it's great to hear that someone else is hearing the same noises, (and that i'm not mad or stupid) but not so good to hear that the whole gearbox needs a rebuild.
if the mechanic took it apart and said there was nothing wrong, is it safe to ignore this noise??
Hanna
October 2008