We do manual gearbox repairs 'in house' so don't farm out gearbox jobs generally, just never heard of this particular issue before. Might be worth a call to a local place I can think of, cheers.

Most common fault is the linkages get seized then burns out the ECU, then it's stuck in gear and won't start.

Have heard of some being converted to manual, but not an option on this as it's a driving school car for auto licences.