Questions for my jetta

[spiff]

It has been 3 days since I took hold of my 1.4 tsi jetta. I'm still exploring, but I have some questions which searching on the forums and googling hasn't gotten any decent answers. Hoping you guys can shed some light.

1. This is the first time I'm moving into owing a vehicle with a non-manual gearbox though I've driven autos heaps. I also testdrove the GT and Jetta TFSI. Knowing the DSG isn't like an ordinary automatic gearbox, is it normal when you step on the accelerator for there to be a moment (~0.5 secs) before the car accelerates? The power doesn't come right away?

2. From the above and just general reading, I hear Torque Arm Inserts make shifts smoother but has a chance of causing vibrations. Can anyone point me to articles or tell me what the Torque Arm Inserts actually do? Do they fix a problem? Why do they cause vibrations? I can't seem to find any good sites about torque arm inserts.

3. Is there any way we can change the colour of the lights on our instrument panel? I.e. My speedo and tacho are blue. Everything else in the car is red. In some models, there's a setting where you can change the colours of the lighting. I wonder if our mkv's have that. I'd like blue or maybe to see it in green as an alternative.

4. I read the manual about automatic folding mirrors. But the knob only has L, 0, R and at the top is heating/defogging. Did they forget to give me automatic folding mirrors, is there another way to fold them in automatically, or do I have to manually fold my mirrors in?

5. I also read the manual about the aux input for the RNS510. It said it should come with an adapter for usb. Did anyone else get this from their dealer?

6. I can't seem to find any info on launch control for the jetta 1.4 tsi. Only GT and GTi. Can someone with a jetta 1.4 tsi confirm this?

ta and cheerio!

[maca]

1. This is the first time I'm moving into owing a vehicle with a non-manual gearbox though I've driven autos heaps. I also testdrove the GT and Jetta TFSI. Knowing the DSG isn't like an ordinary automatic gearbox, is it normal when you step on the accelerator for there to be a moment (~0.5 secs) before the car accelerates? The power doesn't come right away?

I've found that also.. The way DSG works is while one gearbox has the current gear, the other gearbox has the next gear that it thinks it will need (e.g. driving normally through traffic, it will preselect 4th when you're in 3rd so it's ready to change.) If you accelerate and watch the MFI for the gear chosen, you'll find that it will normally kick down 1 or even 2 gears and that's where you get your lag from. It's like throwing the gearbox into one direction when it was expecting to go in the other..

3. Is there any way we can change the colour of the lights on our instrument panel? I.e. My speedo and tacho are blue. Everything else in the car is red. In some models, there's a setting where you can change the colours of the lighting. I wonder if our mkv's have that. I'd like blue or maybe to see it in green as an alternative.

I would love that feature but unfortunately no, we can't do that. I think the only way to change the colours is to pull apart the instrument cluster and change the LEDs (don't quote me on that).

4. I read the manual about automatic folding mirrors. But the knob only has L, 0, R and at the top is heating/defogging. Did they forget to give me automatic folding mirrors, is there another way to fold them in automatically, or do I have to manually fold my mirrors in?

If you had automatic folding you would have the little picture on the switch.. I'm not too sure which models come with it but if you would know if you had it.

Hope this helped a little

[spiff]

thanks! it helped heaps.
with the lag, i'm talkign specifically from stationary to moving..1st gear off.
i didn't recall this being on the GT or jetta tfsi, but maybe i wasn't paying as much attention then (too caught up in the amount of torque/power generated). heh

shame about the lights if it's really true.

[maca]

thanks! it helped heaps.
with the lag, i'm talkign specifically from stationary to moving..1st gear off.
i didn't recall this being on the GT or jetta tfsi, but maybe i wasn't paying as much attention then (too caught up in the amount of torque/power generated). heh

shame about the lights if it's really true.

Oh ok sorry, I misunderstood what you meant.

As for that lag; when they brake's on, it's like the car automatically goes into neutral. Which is why on a hill it will roll back momentarily but then begin to creep forward. And once you accelerate, the car shifts into first and off you go.

I've learnt though that if you want to eliminate the lag, once you stop, hold the brake just enough to feel the car want to move forward but without actually moving. Once you accelerate from that - you shouldn't feel any lag whatsoever.

Ps. with the 7 speed, does it start off in 2nd alot?

[RichPassat]

Spiff,

If it is like the Passat then the folding mirrot option is only available when you select the full electric front seats.

i too was under this assumption when i got my new Passat a month ago but further reading of what comes with each option lead me to the truth.

[anthony]

Good luck with the new Jetta,I am sure you are really going to love it.
What car did you own previously,and what other cars did you consider...
Which colour combination did you get...

[spiff]

Oh ok sorry, I misunderstood what you meant.

I've learnt though that if you want to eliminate the lag, once you stop, hold the brake just enough to feel the car want to move forward but without actually moving. Once you accelerate from that - you shouldn't feel any lag whatsoever.

Ps. with the 7 speed, does it start off in 2nd alot?

Cheers maca. I tried this and it doesn't seem to lag too much that it's noticable. I shall try it over the next few days with tiptronic and 'S' to see if it is any different. I tried it once for each today and there wasn't any noticable lag anymore.

Do these gearboxes take time to learn the driver's driving style? Maybe it's because yesterday was the first full day. I gave it some, so today it has learnt my style for yesterday's driving?

I'll keep checking but it always starts off with 1st gear, not 2nd.

RichPassat: Do you forcibly have to push the side mirrors in when you want it shut then? What a letdown in a car full of electronics.

anthony: I love it already. It's miles over my previous mitsubishi lancer which I owned from new. That was all I could afford 10 yrs ago. Saving for 10 yrs, I can now own a brand from the marquee I love. When I used to live in Canada, I had 2 sciroccos and 1 golf. VWs were cheap there compared to Oz. In getting the jetta, I wanted the Tiguan originally (but the boot turned out to be too small). I really wanted the TSI engine, so it was either the GT or the Jetta. I couldn't wait for the scirocco to come to oz.. plus times have changed. The jetta is a better image for me than the scirocco. It's a lot more understated compared to the scirocco. I did consider a few other european marquees, but only very briefly.

edit: oh. thanks for the suggestions all! i found the two extra features - dipping passenger side mirror and the rear fog light. I missed the instruction on the fog light in the manual. But the dipping side mirror instructions told me to set it to 'R'. It should have been 'L'. (page 75 of booklet 3.1) I think they gave me the one for left hand drive cars.

[maca]

Do these gearboxes take time to learn the driver's driving style? Maybe it's because yesterday was the first full day. I gave it some, so today it has learnt my style for yesterday's driving?

Yeah it would be learning slowly... It will take some time before it's exactly the way you want it to be. Hell mine's still trying to figure me out haha.

But the dipping side mirror instructions told me to set it to 'R'. It should have been 'L'. (page 75 of booklet 3.1) I think they gave me the one for left hand drive cars.

Sounds like it, but at least you were smart enough to figure it out!

[blutopless2]

But the dipping side mirror instructions told me to set it to 'R'. It should have been 'L'. (page 75 of booklet 3.1) I think they gave me the one for left hand drive cars.

my manual is the same...says set it to "R" but it should be "L"

[RichPassat]

I don't have the option available to me as I didn't really see the $1500 value in electric seats/mirrors and it wasn't on my wish list.

It is a good point though, do my mirrors fold back manually? I don't think I am game to give it a try as it could prove expensive if I am wrong and it breaks off.

Spent enough hard earned cash on the car don't want to start snapping things off and a quick scan of the manual could not shed any light on it either.

[spiff]

lol! same .. i didn't want to try and then break the mirror.

[Jase]

The side mirrors should fold back manually. Give them a bit of a tug - it won't rip them off the door! They don't fold back flush with the windows as you might expect...they swivel about 45 degrees opposed to 90 degrees but at least it's something. I've used the feature once when I thought it was appropriate.

[spiff]

mm.. i might wait till i really need to use it to give it a go since it's manual.
when i was travelling around in asia (singapore, malaysia, hong kong), almost every new parked car i saw had their mirrors folded in. even the cheapish little cars that would cost us $15k new here had these automatic folding mirrors.

[Dubdabest]

I think in Asia the automated folding side mirrors are considered a necessity for parking in the alleys of Hong Kong, Bangkok, etc. whereas in Australia it is more of a "luxury" option

[spiff]

many people, many cars, true i guess. not to mention in some of those countries, small cars cost the same as a house here.

but with our (read: my) investment, and the carelessness of some drivers on our roads and in parking lots, i wish we made it a necessity too!

i once returned to my car to find a genteel old lady - bless her heart - loading up her groceries from the shopping trolley into her holden calais. i rushed to help, seeing as she was struggling and on account of her using my car to prop up her trolley from rolling away.