Possible DSG Mechatronic Issues

[thezoneR32]

I have completely got the hang of the dsg now. Very comfortable with it. I am also driving a lot more in manual mode, which is quite fun.

I have been reading some horror stories on mkv.com from dubbers with dsg issues. As I have about 18months of warranty left I need to make sure that mine is fine. It seems that one of the symptoms of a failing mechatronics unit is a surge forward on shift down. Now in manual mode when I shift down, the car does tend to surge a little but it’s really subtle and to me it just seems like the gear box is expecting you to floor it when you shift down. To give an example: when coming down a hill if I shift down expecting the lower gears to slow me down the instant action is that it tends to speed up as though it’s expecting me to floor it. Not sure if this makes sense. I really need to hook up with someone who also has dsg. Maybe I should just waltz into vw and ask to test drive a new dsg equipped golf. I feel that if take the car to vw service for diagnosis that I wont be getting an unbiased opinion.

[CatonaPC©]

Be careful of what you read. People who write to complain about their DSG are only ever in the minority. There are a million of these gearboxes running around the world and you never hear the good stories.

If you're concerned about your DSG's behaviour, take it to VW service to have it diagnosed. It costs nothing and they may very well reset it for you.

If you bought your car second hand, chances are good the fuzzy logic has kept its previous owner's driving style which (as the service advisor so eloquently put last week to me) "[It] tries to remember the way it thinks it is meant to drive."

I had my DSG reset and now seems be better, but it won't last long, because my wife also drives the car, and the DSG tries to accomodate her driving style too.

It's a clever gearbox.

[Jmac]

Agreed, out of the loads of Dsg coupled cars ive looked at ive had 2 with dramas and one of them was cooler related. To have the gearbox fully reset, it takes a procedure about a page long to do so. Step by step must be right or you have to start over, so yeah very clever trans, Porsche now use it called PDK which is Porsche Doppelkupplung which means Double clutch in German.
Cheers
Jmac

[gerhard]

The car blips the throttle when you downshift the DSG in manual mode.

The surge you are feeling is not the mechatronics failing, it's the throttle blip.

90% of the time I find it best to slow down with the brake and let the DSG shift itself down when in manual mode.

[CatonaPC©]

. . . let the DSG shift itself down when in manual mode.

And this is not a bad tip. In manual mode, the DSG doesn't have to think about shifting up, so it can concentrate on shifting down smoothly.

[thezoneR32]

And this is not a bad tip. In manual mode, the DSG doesn't have to think about shifting up, so it can concentrate on shifting down smoothly.

Thanks guys. Sounds like mine is fine then. Not sure about the shift down yet. I need to get used to it. Especially when slowing to a sharp corner and you need second gear it seems to take too long to decide on 2nd whereas I find I can shift there myself quickly. Maybe I should trust it more. I will need more practice.

[gerhard]

Thanks guys. Sounds like mine is fine then. Not sure about the shift down yet. I need to get used to it. Especially when slowing to a sharp corner and you need second gear it seems to take too long to decide on 2nd whereas I find I can shift there myself quickly. Maybe I should trust it more. I will need more practice.

That's the 1% occasion...

And where the blip/surge is most evident.

Best way I've found for this situation is to anticipate, and get into the correct gear early - it means using lots of revs but revs never hurt a VW mill.

[Swallowtail]

I second that... if you are getting it on, even S mode can't adequately pre-empt what gear you want in many instances. Whack it in manual mode, and set yourself up with the right gear BEFORE the corner, not wait for the DSG to pick it when you get power on coming OUT of the corner.

[soogs]

90% of the time I find it best to slow down with the brake and let the DSG shift itself down when in manual mode.

Does the DSG downshift automatically in manual mode? That's amazing!

[Swallowtail]

Yes it does, but it waits until the revs get pretty low.

[Maverick]

Maybe I should just waltz into vw and ask to test drive a new dsg equipped golf.

The only way to do a fair comparison is to find a DSG equipped R32 which the dealer won't have. Testing driving a Mark VI TDI with DSG is no comparison.

I feel that if take the car to vw service for diagnosis that I wont be getting an unbiased opinion.

Why would VW service lie to you like you're insinuating? If you take that attitude with the dealer don't expect them to offer you much in the way of help. I wouldn't be taking the car in complaining about problems unless I was sure that it was a problem first.

You only just purchased the car last week, why don't you get used it before imagining problems and making modifications

[thezoneR32]

I second that... if you are getting it on, even S mode can't adequately pre-empt what gear you want in many instances. Whack it in manual mode, and set yourself up with the right gear BEFORE the corner, not wait for the DSG to pick it when you get power on coming OUT of the corner.

That is good advice. Timing is the issue here, if you drop down too early it revs its guts out which doesn't make for a smooth ride, the other issue is knowing hat gear you are in as you approach. May just take time but I find that i lose count after a while and need to look at the display which is a bit small and not as obvious as I would like. If I'm driving in a spirited fashion in manual mode theres a good chance I'm coming into the corner at speed and I have to take my eyes off the road to find the display and check which gear I'm in so I don't accidentally change down into 1st (done this only once!)

The gearbox is a great idea I just need more practice with it. Its a pity you cant display which gear you are in in the MFD in large font! That would be awsome!

[thezoneR32]

The only way to do a fair comparison is to find a DSG equipped R32 which the dealer won't have. Testing driving a Mark VI TDI with DSG is no comparison.



Why would VW service lie to you like you're insinuating? If you take that attitude with the dealer don't expect them to offer you much in the way of help. I wouldn't be taking the car in complaining about problems unless I was sure that it was a problem first.

You only just purchased the car last week, why don't you get used it before imagining problems and making modifications

I'm not imagining problems. I'm merely making sure they are not problems. The vwvortex forum people with dsg issues say that vw technicians will not diagnose the problem unless you bring it to their attention and force the issue. I would hate to get out of warranty and then find out that this little issue is a big one. Turns out it probably no issue at all. So thanks for your help people.

On the issue of vw service. I have had one interesting encounter with them which does not give me much confidence.

When I transferred the rego I bought a pair of Euro style number plates, which I was told had to be fitted within 24 hours. Being so ridiculously busy at work I decide to drop in to Solitaire vw and ask if they could fit me in. They did at short notice which is great and said that it would only take 10-15 mins but it took almost an hour. When the car came out the plates were fitted but were skewed quite heavily to one side! I pointed out to the service manager that they should be in the middle, something I thought would have been pretty obvious. He agreed and now they are ordering a new pair (at their expense) and will have to ref-it them! Not inspiring service imo.

I’d rather go to the small specialist mechanics for my servicing needs. Where you can actually talk to the person who will be working on your car and who actually cares about attention to detail!

Sorry about the rant!

[Maverick]

That is good advice. Timing is the issue here, if you drop down too early it revs its guts out which doesn't make for a smooth ride, the other issue is knowing hat gear you are in as you approach. May just take time but I find that i lose count after a while and need to look at the display which is a bit small and not as obvious as I would like. If I'm driving in a spirited fashion in manual mode theres a good chance I'm coming into the corner at speed and I have to take my eyes off the road to find the display and check which gear I'm in so I don't accidentally change down into 1st (done this only once!)

Why do you need to look to see what gear you're in? The sound of the engine should tell you this and the car will only let you change into 1st if the revs are low enough so I don't see a problem with this given the fast gear changes allowing you to change gear in the corner. Plus the car will change up or down a gear if required before any damage occurs.

I'm not imagining problems. I'm merely making sure they are not problems. The vwvortex forum people with dsg issues say that vw technicians will not diagnose the problem unless you bring it to their attention and force the issue. I would hate to get out of warranty and then find out that this little issue is a big one. Turns out it probably no issue at all. So thanks for your help people.

Spend more time driving the car rather than self diagnosing problems. Pretty much every post you've made so far has been about problems with the DSG, the headunit, flashing the car, suspension, tyres.... most of which could have been answered at least partially by using the search function.

If you're worried about the DSG buy the extended warranty for around $1400, gives you 3 years additional parts and labour.

I’d rather go to the small specialist mechanics for my servicing needs. Where you can actually talk to the person who will be working on your car and who actually cares about attention to detail!

As for the servicing you can take it where-ever you like but don't expect the small mechanic to have access to the equipment nor the information nor the support that the dealers have. From a warranty perspective getting the car serviced at the same place where you get warranty work is less hassle, you won't have any finger-pointing and they'll be more inclined to honor warranty claims that are borderline.

[chrisgti]

Why do you need to look to see what gear you're in? The sound of the engine should tell you this and the car will only let you change into 1st if the revs are low enough so I don't see a problem with this given the fast gear changes allowing you to change gear in the corner. Plus the car will change up or down a gear if required before any damage occurs.

It can happen even with a manual in the really twisty fast slow stuff so I could see how it could happen with dsg. And our cars arnt the noisiest out there and quite easily drowned out if driving in a pack.

As for the servicing you can take it where-ever you like but don't expect the small mechanic to have access to the equipment nor the information nor the support that the dealers have. From a warranty perspective getting the car serviced at the same place where you get warranty work is less hassle, you won't have any finger-pointing and they'll be more inclined to honor warranty claims that are borderline.

If I never took my car to the dealer I would have had 1 warranty claim instead of many.. Also had damage caused by a dealer when doing a warranty claim then later to be refused warranty on the damage that they had caused..

Piece of mind knowing that someone skilled and experienced is actually working on my car far outweighs any issues you may have with warranty claims IMO. I remember when I was 14 on work experience and I stripped out 5 of 6 spark plugs on a new xr6 at a ford dealership. The guy just shrugged his shoulders and said **** happens.