DSG - I'm Disappointed

[Passatier3]

Hi Guys

I know plenty has been posted over the years with regards to DSG but wanted to share my experiences/views as I have now run the car for two years and am getting disillusioned.

I have a ’58 plate 2.0 Tdi Sport Estate with DSG which I bought new to replace a manual SE. Couldn’t really afford the DSG when I bought the SE and I wanted to leave it until the technology had been tried and tested and any bugs ironed out.

Decided to have DSG on the new car but to be honest I’m regretting it now. It’s a love/hate relationship - in some ways it’s brilliant – being able to swop between auto and manual modes and it’s very smooth in third and above. However it’s slow speed characteristics are making me increasingly disappointed.

Changing down from third and below for roundabouts etc. in auto it frequently clunks and when pulling away it is jerky/kangaroos (particularly when warmed up). Worse if using autohold as it will clunk at the point of pulling away. I thought the auto aspect of DSG would be good for traffic queues and speed bumps but these failings are spoiling it for me. I’m a sympathetic and smooth driver and try to drive around the problems e.g. not always using autohold and feathering the throttle but with limited success. The clunks aren’t very loud but are noticeable and aren’t acceptable and passengers comment on the jerkiness when pulling away.

At very slow speed, particularly if even slightly uphill, it is difficult to park closely to walls/the garage door etc. as on tick over it will creep forward a bit, stop and then lunge forward as the clutch engages again – you have to be quick with the brakes! It’s tempting to use some throttle but even with the lightest touch it can shoot forward if not very careful – more so in reverse. I really miss the fine control that a manual gives you in these situations.

Not very often for me, but also when parking in a field with stony tracks at rallies, shows etc. erratic progress is made as the clutch can’t make up it’s mind whether it should be engaged or not! I can’t wait to get back onto tarmac!

DSG failings aside, I love the car and would have another but I’m sure now it would be a manual again.

VW/Audi technology in producing DSG using a manual gearbox is obviously brilliant but IMO it is flawed at slow speeds – you just can’t beat a human being for some tasks! Maybe one day they will get it right?

If I was buying a sporty petrol engined car for use mainly on the open road then I might be tempted with DSG again but as I’m probably sticking with a diesel estate for now the next one will be a manual.

[logiclee]

Hi Guys

. However it’s slow speed characteristics are making me increasingly disappointed.

Changing down from third and below for roundabouts etc. in auto it frequently clunks and when pulling away it is jerky/kangaroos (particularly when warmed up). Worse if using autohold as it will clunk at the point of pulling away. I thought the auto aspect of DSG would be good for traffic queues and speed bumps but these failings are spoiling it for me. I’m a sympathetic and smooth driver and try to drive around the problems e.g. not always using autohold and feathering the throttle but with limited success. The clunks aren’t very loud but are noticeable and aren’t acceptable and passengers comment on the jerkiness when pulling away.

At very slow speed, particularly if even slightly uphill, it is difficult to park closely to walls/the garage door etc. as on tick over it will creep forward a bit, stop and then lunge forward as the clutch engages again – you have to be quick with the brakes! It’s tempting to use some throttle but even with the lightest touch it can shoot forward if not very careful – more so in reverse. I really miss the fine control that a manual gives you in these situations.

Not very often for me, but also when parking in a field with stony tracks at rallies, shows etc. erratic progress is made as the clutch can’t make up it’s mind whether it should be engaged or not! I can’t wait to get back onto tarmac!

These are quite common problems with the DSG but they are problems, the DSG is not normally like this.

I've driven several and all have been silky smooth and mine pulls away from autohold as smooth as silk.

I also have a very tight garage and smoothly pull in and out on tickover just feathering the brakes.

Yours being a 58 plate I'd get it into the dealers and get them to check it out. Arrange for a drive in a demonstrator to double check.


Cheers
Lee

[DSG4ME]

What is yours a PD or CR engine, if it's a PD you will get the jerks, mine isn't what I call smooth until 3 changes up to 4, it's just how they are tbh.

[johnloaderuk]

If you do a search for 'mechatronic' here on the B6 forum you'll find others have mentioned this many times before, and you may gain some useful information from some of the threads.

[DSG4ME]

If you do a search for 'mechatronic' here on the B6 forum you'll find others have mentioned this many times before, and you may gain some useful information from some of the threads.

There's nothing wrong with his box, mines had a new mech unit fitted before I got it, and it's still noticeable when going through the 1st 3 gears, the PD's lag anyway, this in turn upsets the rest of it, if you learn how 2 drive it you don't notice it, VW have even been scalded for releasing a product that the user then has to adapt to, if it's a Sport it's 99% gonna be a PD, Lee has a CR, CR are supposed to be smoother anyway, hence why people think they aren't as quick as they actually are.

[johnloaderuk]

There's nothing wrong with his box, VW have even been scalded for releasing a product that the user then has to adapt to

I wasn't suggesting that there was anything wrong, merely that the search will give the opinion of many others who have the DSG box.

As for learning how to adapt to it I guess that can be said of any new car, such as learning the biting point of a manual clutch, when are the best revs to change gear etc.

I also think the motoring press give the impression that the DSG is silky smooth, but then as in logiclee's case, they have a new car to drive. Maybe it develops a bit of 'slack' over time, which should be adjusted, but isn't seen as a serviceable job by VW, so it never gets done. Who knows.

[DSG4ME]

I wasn't suggesting that there was anything wrong, merely that the search will give the opinion of many others who have the DSG box.

As for learning how to adapt to it I guess that can be said of any new car, such as learning the biting point of a manual clutch, when are the best revs to change gear etc.

I also think the motoring press give the impression that the DSG is silky smooth, but then as in logiclee's case, they have a new car to drive. Maybe it develops a bit of 'slack' over time, which should be adjusted, but isn't seen as a serviceable job by VW, so it never gets done. Who knows.

Fair point John, but the net is a fear factor creator half the time, and given the cost of those boxes the last thing he needs is to think anything s wrong with it and get a don't waste our time charge from VW dealers, half the ppl on the net guess these things anyway, and a DSG isn't the most popular choice of shift compared with a manual, so a manual user will try to guess a box they've never driven, or even a test drive doesn't reveal real life as you are trying to digest as much of the car as possible in a short time and end up being able to remember nothing you went to look for.

[johnloaderuk]

After searching on the net it appears several people have had their DSG's successfully 'reset', and they should be silky smooth as logiclee says. Might be worth trying for those have the software available.

Procedure here http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index...arbox_(DSG/02E)

[dunkley201]

Mine is 07 with 36k on it (and a PD). DSG is smooth, just have to get used to its over willingness to change down to 2nd when pulling away on roundabouts for example. I suggest you get the software updated, maybe even a complete reset and set up from scratch - it's still under warranty isn't it?

[Cylon2007]

Mine is 07 with 36k on it (and a PD). DSG is smooth, just have to get used to its over willingness to change down to 2nd when pulling away on roundabouts for example. I suggest you get the software updated, maybe even a complete reset and set up from scratch - it's still under warranty isn't it?

I agree, mines a 57 plate (Jan 08) 140 PD DSG and apart from a slight hestation on initial pull away the cahnge is fine and never jerky. Putting the box into Sport or manual loses most of the hesitation.