$10K for a replacement DSG gearbox

[Paulc1964au]

Had a work colleague come and see me today as his GTD has developed gearbox problem apparently slipping between 1st and 2nd. Vw have told him for a new gearbox will cost him $10K. He has had a quote from a transmission place for a second hand DSG for $2300 plus $600 labour.

According to VW this was very rare for a DSG gearbox failing but according to the transmission place it is very common.

Anybody else here had a similar experience.

[Ryan_R]

So where do I sign up for extended warranty?

I assume he went with the second hand option.

[FJ Steve]

Yes...similar experience with a 7spd DSg in a 2010 6R TSI Polo.

It goes in for a new DSG next week.

No problems (yet) with the R32 @ 88k kms

[ian]

Yes and i had mine replaced under warranty,so your not alone there should be some good will seeing its a known problem.

Isn't it still under warranty seeing its a GTD??

[Paulc1964au]

yes it's a scary thought certainly either get an extended warranty or save your money for if and when it ever happens

[gecko2k]

I would get the second hand one and replace the car. There is a good chance that the 2nd one will also fail at some point. Get the extended warranty next time or something with a stick...

[Buller_Scott]

I would get the second hand one and replace the car. There is a good chance that the 2nd one will also fail at some point. Get the extended warranty next time or something with a stick...

+1. that sad thing is that dsg's are prone to failure, as are cvt's, and yet more and more cars are going to be produced with a dual clutch system only, even "drivers" cars, such as the polo gti and the next gen clio turbo.

it's a shame that there's no better will on the part of VW to help their customers work through this obvious issue - the dsg WILL fail, but if you're out of warranty you're fcked, and the only way around it is to either buy a manual, or otherwise fix the dsg at the lowest possible cost and flog the fcker as soon as possible. imagine in 5 years time, all the dsg cars that will be on the market at super cheap prices, being sold to poor souls simply seeking a bargain, who arent aware of the buttramming they're going to get somewhere down the line.

apparently dsg is some new fandangled technology that makes gear changes really quick (slower than a renault CVT, mind you. MUCH slower). i doubt there's a push to improve reliability as VAG arent exactly overly concerned with the build quality of their transmissions once they're outside the warranty period/ once they've been shifted onto the second hand market. given that's the case, it might be nice of them to come to the party and not charge their customers so much, particularly given the shtty quality that VAG is producing nowadays (supercharger throttle issues, dsg, rattles rattles rattles to the point that barloworld VW in melbourne told a friend of mine that the warranty on rattles is now only 1,000 KMS!!!).

maybe VAG might do better to understand that the problem's so significant that even uk customers have created a website solely for it:
DSG problems uk

[stickshift3000]

i doubt there's a push to improve reliability as VAG arent exactly overly concerned with the build quality of their transmissions once they're outside the warranty period/ once they've been shifted onto the second hand market.

I'm pretty sure vw would be concerned at gearboxes failing. It costs the company big time in money, time and reputation. New, used, warranty or not.

This will be the last vw I ever own. Nice car but I can't justify a 5-figure repair bill.

[Buller_Scott]

This will be the last vw I ever own. Nice car but I can't justify a 5-figure repair bill.

it's a shame that you are not the only one thinking that - i've read "i wont be buying a vw again" quite a few times in a number of forums.

if they could just sort out the issues so that they'd retain loyal customers, it'd be great - VW suits me to a tee, what with the cars' understated looks, safe, under the radar on road etc etc, but at this point i cant see anything in the current line up that i'd want to own for more than 3 years. the closest would be a dsg 4mo v6 passat wagon, which would be great for snow trips, but then it's got a dsg... which after 4-5 years will end up costing the same as a 4 week ski trip in japan, to replace.

[Guy_H]

If its only "slipping" between gears then its either the clutch packs or the mechatronics unit - both can be diagnosed, so I would suggest a proper diagnosis firstly. Clutch pack replacement is not difficult & relatively inexpensive.

[zei20t]

..........slower than a renault CVT, mind you. MUCH slower.....

thats because CVTs dont change gears. they are constantly variable. hence the name

anyway, sucks to have to replace a DSG! id be taking it elsewhere to see if that IS the problem first. a dealer will quote the most expensive repair, and replace as many parts. but that also covers them incase there are bigger problems

that said, 2k + fitting for a 2nd hand DSG. thats pretty cheap!

[simple_man]

If its only "slipping" between gears then its either the clutch packs or the mechatronics unit - both can be diagnosed, so I would suggest a proper diagnosis firstly. Clutch pack replacement is not difficult & relatively inexpensive.

^^^
Listen to this man.
Mine issues was solved by just going to aftermarket software. Do not know why it fixed it, but it did.

I dunno know why people are complaining? Try quoting new gerbox for Audi (CVT) or BMW (DTC) or just Merc. You will be up in to the same figures. Bloody Ford G6 Turbo gerbox will set you back big time!
Want' cheap repairs - buy 10 y/o car, plenty of spares/aftemarket.

[Lucas_R]

DSG problems were about 80% of the reason I chose a manual. The other 20% was for fun. I'm not saying the manual is without problems, but much less likely to cause issues than the DSG.

[DkN]

If its only "slipping" between gears then its either the clutch packs or the mechatronics unit - both can be diagnosed, so I would suggest a proper diagnosis firstly. Clutch pack replacement is not difficult & relatively inexpensive.

+1

Aftermarket clutch pack with VW OEM rating can be had for just a few hundred bucks, and uprated clutch packs if you feel like taking the opportunity to upgrade are around $1k or less depending on brand.

IMO the DSG issues are vastly overstated. As it has been pointed out, forums are a small percentage of owners to begin with and often people only come to post when there is an issue. How many people with a working DSG would make the effort to make a post about it?

Obviously DSG does have a comparably high percentage of faults, but the reality is probably something like 1% as opposed to what should be 0.1%. And most faulty DSGs have had issues come up well before the first 60k service and are replaced under warranty. There are many DSGs out there with well over 100k on the clock and running with no issues, so no they are not all going to fail and DSG owners won't be forced to sell their cars at ridiculous prices.

If you want to be 100% sure, by all means buy a manual, I'm not saying DSG is without its issues. I've just seen too many posts talking about DSGs as some kind of doomsday clock, it is definitely not that.

[grtuned]

+1

Aftermarket clutch pack with VW OEM rating can be had for just a few hundred bucks, and uprated clutch packs if you feel like taking the opportunity to upgrade are around $1k or less depending on brand.

IMO the DSG issues are vastly overstated. As it has been pointed out, forums are a small percentage of owners to begin with and often people only come to post when there is an issue. How many people with a working DSG would make the effort to make a post about it?

Obviously DSG does have a comparably high percentage of faults, but the reality is probably something like 1% as opposed to what should be 0.1%. And most faulty DSGs have had issues come up well before the first 60k service and are replaced under warranty. There are many DSGs out there with well over 100k on the clock and running with no issues, so no they are not all going to fail and DSG owners won't be forced to sell their cars at ridiculous prices.

If you want to be 100% sure, by all means buy a manual, I'm not saying DSG is without its issues. I've just seen too many posts talking about DSGs as some kind of doomsday clock, it is definitely not that.

Well written. Have to agree you only hear the bad things that have happened to them I have friends who have never had issues and done well over 100k. With autos over time you had valve body and clutch pack problems with DSG you have clutch problems and mechatronic problems in the end they cost around the same to repair. Over time these types of technical systems will fail it has to be accepted!!!!


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