Current gear and change info in dashboard

[Malarith]

I went for a drive in a colleagues 1.6 diesel golf mk6 the other day and his dashboard computer shows what gear he is in and advice on when to change up or down a gear.

Does anyone else have this in their golf mk6 and if so is yours also a 1.6 diesel? I'm curious to know if I can get my golf software upgraded to show this information also or whether its a model specific (diesel) item.

Thanks

[Keithuk]

According to the spec published 01/01/2010 all Golfs are supposed to have this visual gear indicator on the right hand side on the HighLine dash. I went back to the dealer because mine wasn't showing (do a search in this forum for visual gear indicator)

http://e.imagehost.org/0887/highline.jpg

They said its only fitted on the BlueMotion. No the spec sheet says all Golf model made this year. They couldn't enable it, not that I'm that bothered.

It may depend if you have an HighLine not a MidLine dash. ;)

[Malarith]

Much appreciated. I've got a highline computer but the car is a 09 so I might see if I can get a software upgrade. Its more useful to know what gear I'm in as the engine is so quiet, I'm often in 4th when I should be in 5/6th.

[Keithuk]

I've got a highline computer but the car is a 09 so I might see if I can get a software upgrade.
I asked about upgrades and they said there are none available for the highline. I picked mine up on 27th January and they said it was a MY2010 so it could have been built late last year. They said I could have one of last years highlines.

I don't really think they are much use. If the car doesn't accelerate then you're in a too higher gear, apart from high revs in 6th.

You could always ask them. ;)

[SC03OTT]

Put your hand on the gear stick. You can tell what gear you are in then. I'd question why anyone would want to take their eyes off the road and look for a small number on the dash to tell them what gear they are in.

[johnloaderuk]

I have the gear indicator on my Passat, and if you drive exceptionally carefully, on a dead flat road, it indicates you should change up at about 1400 rpm, and down at about 900 rpm (in my 2.0 diesel), which isn't really practical. Use your own judgement, and check the rev counter to see if you feel you are in the correct gear. I'd stop short of saying it's a waste of time, but it's more of a gimick than anything else, and I rarely look at it now.

[Killer]

If I changed up to 5th whenever it said I should then I'd b*gger my engine.

It doesn't account for the fact that the UK has hills ... ups and downs, when 4th is very often better than 5th. If you live in the flat plains of Germany or the flatlands of Linconshire it might be OK, but elsewhere it is a waste of space.

[Keithuk]

@Killer- So you have it on your 2009 Golf S Mk6 1.4 TDi, was it fitted as standard? ;)

[Steve_D]

@Killer- So you have it on your 2009 Golf S Mk6 1.4 TDi, was it fitted as standard? ;)

I picked my Golf up in December 09 and it's got it fitted. Mine was built in week 45 and I remember reading on here that all Golfs were to be fitted with it from a certain build week. Week 43 I think, but I may be wrong about the actual week. A bit of a gimmick really as I feel it tells you to change up far too early - maybe more of a fuel economy aid for tight buggers!

[Steve_D]

.....I'd question why anyone would want to take their eyes off the road and look for a small number on the dash to tell them what gear they are in. Well apart from the speedo which is a legal requirement, what do you take your eyes off the road for? Do you take your eyes off the road to see what average mpg you are achieving or oil temperature or disance travelled or outside temperature or time of day or current mpg or cruise control speed or miles left in the tank or distance/time travelled or which radio station or CD track you are listening to? I do - they're just driver information aids and that's what an MFD is for.

[Killer]

@Killer- So you have it on your 2009 Golf S Mk6 1.4 TDi, was it fitted as standard? ;)

Yes, the car arrived with it as standard. I took delivery on 19th December 2009 ... whatever week that is. :confused:

[percymon]

As per Steve D, i have it on my 1.6 TDI which only has the midline computer. Colelcted car Dec 19 2009, i think mine was built around week 44/45.

It was only mentioned int he brochure for the Bluemotion model at the time i ordered mine (early Sept), but the build changes in week 43 added this feature.

If you are driving on light throttle it will prompt you to change up at what feels like too few revs, but if you are accelerating moderately then it leaves well alone until you ease off. Audi had a similar thing in the Audi 80 back in 1983, which was equally sensitive !

[markus_bms]

My S MK6 build date -March 10 has it as default -its so frigging annoying now!! I am trying to see if i can get rid of it..lol

[kamikaze06]

I have the 2.0ltr 140PS SE and it has the gear indicator. Very handy when you have to chug-a-lug around the town and need the reasurance that u are correct in changing gear. Some people may look down their noses at this, but if one has not driven a diesel before it can be a help. Fortunately I do not use the indication so much now as I am getting use to the sound of the engine and when to change gear.

[Malarith]

Put your hand on the gear stick.
Fair point.


...I do - they're just driver information aids and that's what an MFD is for.

I'm with Steve on this, I'm not fussed about when to change up or down, I'd just like to be able to look in one place i.e. my dashboard, and see as much information at a glance as I can, and what gear I'm in is right up there on the list of most useful items.

I suppose in the future when HUD makes it from the top class cars to your run of the mill car and we're all running around in automatics, you never need take your eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel ;)

[vwcabriolet1971]

My 2009 Golf 1.6 TDI has the gear shift indicator. It seems to operate according to the engine speed and not the engine load. If for example you were to follow the indicator recommendation to change up from 4 th to 5th gear , you find the engine "lugging" at just over 1,000rpm. Not good for the engine !
I wouldn't miss it if it was not there . I would have thought VAG had better things to do with their time than this -- like better sealing / ducting around the bonnet / radiator to prevent water ingress into engine compartment.

[dataconn]

HUD - its already on the peugeot 3008.

[Keithuk]

we're all running around in automatics, you never need take your eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel ;)
I believe the DSG has the gear indicator perminantly at the bottom of the MFD. This can be turned off with VAG-com. ;)

[percymon]

HUD - its already on the peugeot 3008.


Nothing new really - there's even an app for the iphone which gives you speed, direction and speed camera info (only really works at night such is the limited brightness of the iphone screen). Whilst i don't use it often i do find it quite useful and does keep you eyes on the road rather than the instrument cluster - not a bad thing given the poor headlights of the Mk6.

[slowhand]

I got my mk6 in Dec 09 a TSI 160 and it has the gear shift indicator, it does not tell you what gear you are in really, it tells you what gear you should be in for maximum economy, with a shift up or down arrow beside the number or a dot if you are in the correct gear.

Only problem is it wants you to drive at 1700rpm when you are just cruising, this is too low in my opinion I dont drive with less than 2000rpm.
If you put your foot down in say 5th at 40mph it then tells you you should be in 4th, well it is too late by then why would you want this.

My old Honda had a better system with lights that came on as you got to the redline to tell you to shift up and another set of lights that showed how economical you were, you could choose which set to look at depending on you mood lol

[Keithuk]

I got my mk6 in Dec 09 a TSI 160 and it has the gear shift indicator, it does not tell you what gear you are in really, it tells you what gear you should be in for maximum economy, with a shift up or down arrow beside the number or a dot if you are in the correct gear.

I thought that this gear indicator told you what gear you were in as well as what gear you should be in with the up and down arrows? ;)

[paul.mgrath]

My brothers 1 series has this and his prompts you to change around 2000rpm. If whats being suggested the vw one is advising much earlier than this (1500rpm or below) mine would be seriously thinking about stalling!!!! Waste of time IMHO. How did we get on years ago when all we had were speedometers and no rev counter??:biglaugh:

[percymon]

I thought that this gear indicator told you what gear you were in as well as what gear you should be in with the up and down arrows? ;)

Correct, it shows the best gear for the current conditions, so if tootling along at 40 it will show 5 but when you put your foot down hard it tells you you'd be better changing to 4th.
It's set for economy for sure, but that's no bad thing really.

[slowhand]

I thought that this gear indicator told you what gear you were in as well as what gear you should be in with the up and down arrows? ;)
Mine tells me what gear it thinks I should be in, or if I am in the correct gear it just has a dot next to the number telling me it is the right one.
I guess with the twin charge engine it suggets a very high gear as it has more torque to play with compared to the older models.

But to be honest it is a bit of a waste of time, if you get told to change down because you have put your foot down in too high a gear well it's too late.

[AdeVill]

Hey. I bought a 1.4TSi Comfortline 2weeks ago and it has the current gear indicator and shows you when it thinks you should change up or down. I think its a standard option here in SA.

[RickT]

Also, we have a 59 plate Golf plus at work with this.

And the GT spec Golf I had last week had it.

Rick

[VolksGolf]

It is dynamic - If you drive the car economically, the changes recommended are at lower revs. If you drive hard then the gear changes are recommended at higher revs. It is a gimmick but its a nice toy to have really

[vc-10]

Nothing new really - there's even an app for the iphone which gives you speed, direction and speed camera info (only really works at night such is the limited brightness of the iphone screen). Whilst i don't use it often i do find it quite useful and does keep you eyes on the road rather than the instrument cluster - not a bad thing given the poor headlights of the Mk6.

What is this? I was thinking that, at night, my iPhone would make a great HUD. The satnav screen shows up really clearly in the windscreen.

Oh and re the Pug 3008 having a HUD- I think they're just trying really hard to get people to drive something that ugly. There was a time when Peugeots looked good- that time has passed. Even the RCZ looks like a gay shark...

[DW58]

VW had a gear change indicator as far back as the early eighties. My August 1983 Polo 1.1 Formel-E had a gear-change indicator in the form of lights as did the Golf Formel-E of the period.

What goes around comes around as they say.

[arturus]

I recently bought a 2.0 Tdi Golf Mk6, and I find the gear change recommendation indicator somewhat annoying. I have read the comments above, particularly those about driving style. However, I find that the recommended gear change up is simply wrong! If I change up (as recommended) from 3 to 4 at 30 m.p.h., or from 4 to 5 at 40 m.p.h., or from 5 to 6 at 50 m.p.h., the smoothness disappears, there is a slight groaning noise and slight vibration through the steering wheel - all symptoms, unless I am much mistaken, of a car being driven in too high a gear for the road speed. I intend to ignore the dashboard suggestions, even if this is less economical. Is this wise?

[james_tiger_woo]

It's NOT on my Highline GT either.

Not that I'm bothered, I drive to the conditions and change up early if I need to or not if I want to make progress. :)

[Beddoe]

I'm not surprised at the noise and vibration that you experience Arturus. With the mark 6 GT's high gearing 30mph in 4th gear is only 1225rpm (24.5mph/1000rpm), 40mph in 5th is only 1290rpm (31mph/1000rpm) and 50mph in 6th = 1350rpm (37mph/1000rpm). I prefer to keep the revs at 1600 or above in the three highest gears as the engine sounds smoother and picks up more quickly. As for the 'change gear' indicator I taped over this within days of buying my GT as I too found it nothing but an irritaion.
Regards
Beddoe

[arturus]

I'm not surprised at the noise and vibration that you experience Arturus. With the mark 6 GT's high gearing 30mph in 4th gear is only 1225rpm (24.5mph/1000rpm), 40mph in 5th is only 1290rpm (31mph/1000rpm) and 50mph in 6th = 1350rpm (37mph/1000rpm). I prefer to keep the revs at 1600 or above in the three highest gears as the engine sounds smoother and picks up more quickly. As for the 'change gear' indicator I taped over this within days of buying my GT as I too found it nothing but an irritaion.
Regards
Beddoe

Thanks for the reply, Beddoe. This makes good sense. Mind you, coming to a Golf from an 2002 A4 multitronic, I have been a bit spoiled in the smoothness department!

[Brian566]

Hi
I have a 2011 1.4 TSI Match and its on
I thought this was standard on all Golf Match with Hi-Line Dash even if it not a Match it should be there with Hi-Line Dash

[vwcabriolet1971]

I very quickly learned to take no notice of the gear change indicator as I too instantly recognised the recommended change was at a far too low an engine speed as the torque at that speed was too low . Obviously a lot depends on the road conditions & inclinationation. If descending a longish hill a change to a higher gear at low engine revs can be made without affecting the smooth running of the engine but I do wonder how VW got this wrong as it should have been immediately apparent when the car was tested at pre-production stage. This gear indicator is worse than useless as the vibrations it causes could cause clutch damage.

[Keithuk]

I know this thread was started 3 years ago and I haven't commented since.

As I've said the visual gear indicator should be fitted on all 2010 Golfs with the HighLine dash. I went back to the dealer to have it enabled but they could do it they said I must have an older dash. I said older dash or not it VW state it should be fitted I want it fitting.

I searched all VW forums and Googled for this and I found a user with a 2010 GTD and the digital gear indicator wasn't showing on his so he took it back to the dealer VW Huddersfield. They scanned it and sent the info to VW and it came back with a software update so it now shows.

I went back to my crappy dealer 12 months after my first report of this and told them there is a software update. They plugged the car in and uploaded the report to VW. I rang them the following day to see if the report came back. They said it came back with the software update, please bring it back in, so now it shows. I'm not really bothered about this feature its just if it should have this on my car then I wanted it showing.

My comment from another forum.


Ok I took it back to the dealer this week to try and have it enabled again. I said I've asked this question on a few forums and users have said they took it in for a service and it came out with the digital gear indictor showing. Another user had his done at VW Huddersfield so there must be a fix. I took the pamphlet that showed the MY2010 GTD should have this. I asked them to ring VW Huddersfield but they wouldn't we have to follow VW procedures and do it their way.

I waited around for an hour then I saw the technician come in the service reception and started reading the pamphlet, I went over to them. He says no its only fitted the BlueMotion. I said no read page 6 its fitted to the GTD. He read it and said I wish I had read this earlier it would have saved alot of time. Again ******* on reception don't speak to the tech. He said we've disconnected the battery to reset everything but it still doesn't show. We've done a full scan and there is nothing wrong with the system settings. We've sent the scan report with the problem to VW and we will have to wait for the reply.

So they wasted an hour doing the exact same checks at they did last year when I first reported this problem. Because they had reset everything the DRLs were back on which I turned off again and the MFD settings weren't how I like them. I phoned them today to ask if they have had the report back from VW. They have and there is a software update to enable this so I've booked it in for next Wednesday to finally get this sorted. I will let you know if it works or they **** something else up while doing this?

[R0555Y]

I believe the DSG has the gear indicator perminantly at the bottom of the MFD. This can be turned off with VAG-com. ;)

Correct it does mate, but its in the top right corner. No change up or down indicator tho obviously.