118TSI - General Discussion

[drkcld]

118tsi

2011 Volkswagen Golf 118TSI Comfortline VI

Hi i'm new here, and I was thinking about getting one of these because of its fuel efficiency with a bit of power. I'm just wondering if there are much problems with this model? and i've also been hearing rumors that they might discontinue is this still a rumor?

Would be great if you guys could help me

[MariusGT]

umm?

Volkswagen Golf won 2009 Wheels COTY.
Golf 118TSI won 2009 drive COTY.

INTERNATIONAL ENGINE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
2010 Winners:
1-litre to 1.4-litre: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger
International Engine of the Year 2010: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger

2009 Winners
Green Engine of the Year: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger
1-litre to 1.4-litre: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger
International Engine of the Year 2009: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger

2008/07/06
1-litre to 1.4-litre: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger

2006
Best New Engine: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger

and an absolute SWAG of other awards locally and internationally. i don't think "discontinued" is the correct term.
there will of course be a MKVII golf in the next couple of years.. i'd call that a model update. and i would guess (based on the HUGE number of awards and plaudits it has received) the 118TSI engine isn't go anywhere fast.

does that answer your question?

[Cher]

We've had the Golf for about 6 weeks now, 2200 kms. It's our first VW. On Saturday I drove it from Penrith to Port Stephens to pick my wife up from her sister's place. What a pleasant way to make the trip. The RNS 510 didn't seem to suffer from the "dead spot" on the F3 that's been reported. I put 2.7Gb of music from my computer on a DVD-R. That works out to over 4 days. Set the playback to mix so if a track came on I didn't want, I just skipped to the next one. It seems the mix is truly random, as the same tracks could come up more than once.

Left the DSG in D most of the way, although dropped it into S when a BMW was trying to push me through the roadworks. Goodbye 118i when the limit changed to 110.

The weather was quite variable, but the auto lights and wipers dealt with it. I especially like the variable sensitivity. This is the fourth car we have had with auto wipers, and it has been a bugbear in the past when the wipers wipe too much, or not enough.

The last car we had had factory HID lamps. The lights in the Golf aren't as good, obviously, but not so that I missed them. I especially didn't miss getting flashed by those who thought we had high beam on.

On the way back 10:30, I spotted a Highway Patrol commode doing a U-Turn North of the roadworks. By the time I reached them he was right behind me. I set the cruise to 84 (glad I knew the speedo inaccuracy). He followed me for about a km, then went on his way.

Could someone please tell me what the speed inaccuaracy issue is?

We've had our golf United Grey Metallic 118TSI DSG since mid march - with sports pack, MDI(Ipod), reverse camera, sat nav, bluetooth. Love it!!! The DSG is different - am experiencing the slight lag but interestingly my partner was driving it long distance and he said he noticed the lag was going away. I've only just started taking it for short city driving work trips. I find the brakes more responsive than I am used to but I don't think this is a problem (just need to adapt) - it causing me some difficulty wiht parking because the car jumps so to speak while i am trying to park. But it getting better every day so I am adapting.

The navigation is really good, as well as the bluetooth, and it is a very comfertable ride. Love the ability to individually set our own a/c. Drives very well and is quite an upgrade from the 9 year old hyundai accent i was driving. Have no idea how to post photos but when I figure it out, I will.

I really would like proximity sensors - I think they come with park assist but I don't ever reverse park so its overkill to get it but I think the sensors should be available. I think the seats should also adjust electronically but guessing this is reserved for the upgraded models.

[Corey_R]

I'll answer the question, but I don't want arguments in this thread about politics, laws, or how long you've been driving and all that crap... find one of the threads on this specific topic

In the old days, the laws allowed +/- 10% accuracy on your speedo.
In that situation most manufacturers would aim to have it as accurate as possible.

However, due to the fact that some states now wish to book you for 3km over the speedlimit (and rumours are that is dropping), the 10% over the limit is no longer valid (the law has been changed) and even having the speedo exactly accurate is not an ideal situation. Inaccuracies such as the needle width, your driving position (and hence viewing angle to the needle), or changing your wheels, could still cause you to get a speeding ticket.

So many manufacturers have changed their speedos so that it tells you that you're going faster than you really are.
In the case of VW, the setup is that when it tells you that you're doing 100km/h, you're probably only doing 93km/h. They've been this way for several years now...

You can check exactly what the inaccuracy is by using a GPS device, or by driving on cruise control at 100km/h and then resetting your trip metre whilst you're on the "average speed" display. The first number which comes up is the "real" speed you're travelling. This % of leeway is consistent no matter what speed you're doing. (So if 100km = 93, then 50 will be 46.5km/h etc)

[nat225]

just came back from Hunter Valley.

the speedo needle and MFD showed 120km/h, but my Tom Tom showed 112km/h.

could this be what Corey talked about?

[Corey_R]

Yep. That's exactly what I'm talking about. The error is purposely built in for the several reasons I mentioned (and probably more).
However, note that your Odometer will measure perfectly, and average speed is correct, as are all other elements. So it's not a mistake or bad engineering etc, it's purposely designed this way.

[prise]

This (the 118 TSI) is the first car I've owned where the fuel gauge actually does give a fair indication of whether you have 1/2, 1/4 etc of a tank remaining. I also like the fact that the temperature gauge does provide a temperature reading and not just a general 'its cold'/'its hot' type of indication. The large angle sweep on the fuel and temperature gauges are a nice touch.

[drkcld]

Hey guys i'm new with cars and all, so i'm wondering whats the difference between the 117 TSI normal (6 speed) and the 7 speed DSG?
Also i've heard that when people go down hill and dont accelerate it revs itself o.O or am i just hearing stuff

[prise]

Hey guys i'm new with cars and all, so i'm wondering whats the difference between the 117 TSI normal (6 speed) and the 7 speed DSG?
Also i've heard that when people go down hill and dont accelerate it revs itself o.O or am i just hearing stuff

You don't get a choice of which type of DSG gearbox you get as it's determined by the model of Golf that you buy. All 1.2 and 1.4 litre petrol engines and 1.6 litre diesel engines use the 7spd unit if sold with DSG. The 6spd unit is used with the 2 litre diesel and petrol engines.

The 6spd unit is an earlier design that uses 'wet plate' clutches where the clutch plates are immersed in the gearbox oil. This has advantages:

a) It helps the clutches to handle higher torque levels (due to the oil cooling).
b) It allows more slippage at takeoff (due to the oil cooling) allowing features like launch control to be used.
c) The slippage allowed enables it to 'creep' forward during parking more like a conventional automatic.

The disadvantages are :

a) It does use a bit more fuel however because of the extra drag on the clutch plates
b) The heating of the oil and wear particles from the clutches is hard on the oil so there is an expensive DSG oil change service required every 60,000 km ($500 or thereabouts)

The 7spd unit is a lighter gearbox has been designed for lower torque applications (up to 250Nm) with more of an emphasis on fuel economy. It uses dry plate clutches (similar to what you would have in a normal manual) which has the following advantages:

a) It eliminates the clutch drag which reduces fuel consumption
b) It does not require the expensive 60,000km service

It has the following disadvantages:

a) Torque and slippage are limited as there is no oil to cool the clutch plates so no launch control.
b) It is not as smooth during low speed manouevring as the 6 speed unit as the clutches are only engaged after the brake is released to avoid unncessary slipping of the clutch. This takes a bit of adjustment for people used to driving a normal automatic so the best technique when parking is to leave the accelerator alone.

The 7spd DSG in my 118TSI does progressively shift down gears to give extra engine braking if you are going down a hill and using the brake to maintain speed. It only does this if you are using the brake however.

[brad]

However, note that your Odometer will measure perfectly, and average speed is correct, as are all other elements. So it's not a mistake or bad engineering etc, it's purposely designed this way.

Corey
Have you checked the odometer on one of those 5km long odometer check strips on the highway? My odo was hitting 5000m about 400m before the 5km was up (this is a Skoda Octavia with 205/55x16 that were down to ~3.5mm). By my estimates, it means that the 15,000km service actually comes up at ~13800-14000km and when the odo clicks over 100,000km the vehicle has only done ~92,000km.

Since going to 225/55x16 with 7mm of tread, my odometer now takes 5100m (too much & I'll go to 225/50x16 next tyre change) to do 5000metres.

My speedo was 9% under. 100kmh indicated was 91kmh actual. With 225/55x16 it's 3% under (100kmh indicated is 97kmh). It appears other vehicle manufacturers aren't so keen to "look after" us as my wife's VE2 Calais was 100/97 and her new Mondeo is 100/96.

[brad]

I also like the fact that the temperature gauge does provide a temperature reading and not just a general 'its cold'/'its hot' type of indication. The large angle sweep on the fuel and temperature gauges are a nice touch.

The temp gauge has a fair bit of "fudge factor" built into it. IIRC, 90 could be anywhere between 80 & 100 (better than just a light though).

[logger]

Corey
Have you checked the odometer on one of those 5km long odometer check strips on the highway? .

I have checked mine with GPS and it is spot on. If I drive my 118tsi on a flat road with cruise control at 106kph speedo / 100kph gps for 3 minutes the ODO will increment 5.0 KM. So your car skoda might have something be setup wrong.

[Corey_R]

Corey
Have you checked the odometer on one of those 5km long odometer check strips on the highway? My odo was hitting 5000m about 400m before the 5km was up (this is a Skoda Octavia with 205/55x16 that were down to ~3.5mm). By my estimates, it means that the 15,000km service actually comes up at ~13800-14000km and when the odo clicks over 100,000km the vehicle has only done ~92,000km.

Since going to 225/55x16 with 7mm of tread, my odometer now takes 5100m (too much & I'll go to 225/50x16 next tyre change) to do 5000metres.

My speedo was 9% under. 100kmh indicated was 91kmh actual. With 225/55x16 it's 3% under (100kmh indicated is 97kmh). It appears other vehicle manufacturers aren't so keen to "look after" us as my wife's VE2 Calais was 100/97 and her new Mondeo is 100/96.

Yeah - it was spot on when I tried it in the R. It was ~1.5 months old, so the tyres were new.
But you're right. Tyre wear does have an effect on the ODO (and therefore speedo) and changing wheel sizes DEFINITELY has an effect - but that's the same for every car there is (unless some of the BMW and Merc upper models are now using GPS or laser speed exclusively).

But your switching wheels example is a perfect example of why the error is built in - since you've changed your wheels and it's now only 3% udner, you'd be now getting fines all over the place in VIC if that error wasn't built in to begin with!

[brad]

But your switching wheels example is a perfect example of why the error is built in - since you've changed your wheels and it's now only 3% udner, you'd be now getting fines all over the place in VIC if that error wasn't built in to begin with!

I purposely went to bigger diameter tyres (about 25mm bigger in diameter) to get rid of the speedo innacuracy - no other reason. I wouldn't have done it if the speedo was within 5% or if it was going to push the actual speed higher than the indicated speed - that wouldn't be fair to anyone else that drives the car & doesn't realise how accurate the speedo is now.

[prise]

The temp gauge has a fair bit of "fudge factor" built into it. IIRC, 90 could be anywhere between 80 & 100 (better than just a light though).

Yeah I've noticed that - the needle position appears to be consistent with what comes across on the CAN bus until it gets near the 90 deg mark. From then on it seems to 'lock in' to 90 and not respond to small variations in coolant temperature thereafter. It's got me wondering how much of a change in temperature away from 90 is required after that to make the needle move. They may have programmed it to do that so drivers are more likely to notice the change in gauge reading when it matters.