URGENT - Safety Recall

[BlackOctaviaRS]

Hi Guys,

I've just received a letter from Skoda Oz, stating that, for safety reasons, vehicles with the DSG transmission need to be taken in to get checked.

The problem is - "During constant monitoring of the production process, Skoda Auto has established that in your vehicle with the DSG transmission a wrong interpretation of the clutch temperature by the gearbox control unit is possible, and as a result the clutch protection is activated. The protective function works as follows: a flashing gear display, juddering of the vehicle, reduction of engine torque and opening of clutch (no drive)."

The check of the car should take half an hour.

I've got an MY10 Octavia RS with the 6-spd DSG, I'm not sure if this applies to the 7-spd as well.

[dazag]

Interesting, I have the FL RS Diesel with 6 speed DSG, it was built in May 2009 according to the compliance plate, so i wonder if I'll be receiving a similar letter.
I had heard there was a faulty switch or a software refresh needed with the recent DSG, there is a big write up on it on the US sites, but hadn;t heard anything for the Aussie built cars until now.

[BlackOctaviaRS]

I spoke to Skoda today, apparently it needs a software update.

[K1W1]

Interesting. It's not listed on the ACCC's product safety recall website yet. It should be within a day or so.

[Jake02]

This is in relation the 1.8TSI 7-DSG wagon that Wheels mag runs as a long-term car, where the tranny went and they had to actually replace it. Unfortunately for us Skoda owners and the company, this car has had endless problems and is a lemon I reckon. It's downgraded their reliability reputation

[Pana]

I've received this letter as well from VWA about the DSG in my R36 - when I called my local VW dealer to book it in - the lady said that all the calls today have been from owners who have received the letter and were booking their cars in for the warranty work - and that head office had not notified the dealers that this letter was going out to owners!!!!

[BlackOctaviaRS]

Jake02 - not sure what you're talking about, my car's an rs, 6-spd DSG.

Pana - I had a similar thing when I spoke to the service department at the dealer, they knew nothing of it.

[brodzta_GTI]

its just a software update as mentioned above.. the way they see it is that a customer would be more happy to lose half an hour of motoring in the knowledge that they are preventing themselves losing days of motoring if the software isnt updated

[Jake02]

Jake02 - not sure what you're talking about, my car's an rs, 6-spd DSG.

I'm not referring specifically to just the RS (especially considering that you weren't sure of which model Skoda Australia is referring to) but the Octavia DSG in general. I know that VWAG have had more problems with the 7-speed than the 6-speed - apparently its very jumpy etc. With the Wheels mag example I was using as a possible reason for the recall, the transmission had a problem and had to be replaced, so maybe that is why the cars are being recalled. Thats all.

My RS is a manual so I wouldn't know much about the DSG anyways...

[Idle]

The recall is apparently for all VAG units with that series DSG — I just got it for my Golf Mk 6 (TDI, 6-spd.)

Rang the dealer — they knew all about it.

It will be a software update, has been done in US etc. already.

[K1W1]

Looks like not only Skoda and VW and interestingly enough look at the date.

Audi—2009MY Audi A3 (8P) and TT (8J) Model vehicles—Software update of gearbox control unit
PRA number: 2009/11172
Date created: 23rd October 2009
Product information
Product description
2009MY Audi A3 (8P) and TT (8J) Model vehicles fitted with 6 Speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG).
Identifying features
Campaign number: 37E5
Target number: 420
What are the hazards?
Vehicle malfunction
What are the defects?
There is a possibility that the control unit in the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) can cause a false temperature signal indicating that the clutch is overloaded. If this should happen, the control unit will open the clutch in order to protect the gearbox. As a consequence, the clutch protection function is activated, resulting in flashing gear-change indicator, uneven transmission of power, reduced engine torque and release of clutch.
Where the product was sold

* National

Supplier
Audi AG Germany and Audi Australia Pty Ltd
What should consumers do?
Audi Australia Pty Ltd will write to owners of all affected vehicles

[pinzvidz]

Dad received his DSG recall letter today for his pre-FL MY09 RS.

[silvershadow]

Interesting. It's not listed on the ACCC's product safety recall website yet. It should be within a day or so.

Interesting - I recently had a quite intense discussion with the Service Dept of the dealer who sold us our Eos about their insistence that the car be bought in for service when the MFD had not indicated service was required and the car was 1500km from the scheduled oil/filter change. Your post now raises the question as to whether this was a "silent recall" attempt by VW Australia.

There is STILL no recall for the VW DSG listed on the official Australian Competition and Consumer Commission vehicle recall website:

http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/in.../itemId/952839

Watch this space.......

[Antiplastix]

VAG have some serious problems with their Auto boxes in Oz. I have 2 friends that have had auto transmission failures in their T5 s ,both at under 100k kms. Makes me glad I m not lazy and boughta 6 speed manual.

[aarondc]

Very interesting, and (sort of) glad to hear this.

A couple of times now I have been driving and the car gearbox has gone a bit weird, alternating between D5 / 6 (at or accelerating to 80-100km/hr) or just displaying D, flashing on and off and then the engine kinda dies and then the gear kicks in again and everything goes back to normal.

Being busy with a new job and settling back into normal life post-road trip I have not had or taken the time to get this looked into, and having moved it's possible the letter is at my old address.

This is with ~9000km on the clock now. Should I be contacting my dealer, or ... Bleh it's such a crap drive out to Preston and I'm further east now than I was before.