Golf 7 speed DSG hesitation

[karmic_flop]

Hi all,

I've got a '10 Golf 118TSI 7 speed DSG with Sport Pack. Since birth this car has had an unpredictable hesitation from standing starts that's driving me crazy. Sometimes the car goes nice and smoothly straight away, other times I'm left waiting for it to decide what to do. I've seen it mentioned here and there in other threads so I thought I'd start a new one for this issue to be discussed.

There are two manifestations of the problem for me, one in first and the other in second. From a standing start you can put your foot on the accelerator expecting some sort of reaction from the car indicating that it's going to accelerate for you. Instead it sits there doing nothing for what feels like forever but is really probably about 2-3 seconds before anything happens, then generally the longer you've had to wait the harder the start will be. This can even result in spinning wheels. Otherwise, it can start ok and do it's rediculously early shift into second at 4km/h and then you can wait a few seconds before the acceleration continues. Both of these situations can be pretty dangerous and have put me and other road users in harms way at least a few times.

Not sure if it's related, but I'm on my second gearbox. First one was replaced for a mix of laggy clutch take up and rattling odd number gears, particularly engine braking shifts down into 3rd. Replacement box started doing the same thing after 3 months. So far the main plan of attack VW dealerships have had is to check for error codes and recalibrate the gearbox. That's been done about 5 times and I don't believe they know what they're doing anymore.

So, what I want to know is how many 118TSI + DSG owners are having this problem? And how many have a Golf 118TSI DSG that does what their right foot is asking for promtly and consistently?

[RW1]

I used to have what you describe.

Changed the spark plug gap from 0.92mm to 0.75mm.

Never does it now.

Bonus besides the smooth take off's & 1 --> 2 gear change is use of higher gearing and recent tyre tread depth measures on the front wheels has shown a marked improvement in wear rate (because of no wheel spinning, particularly the left wheel which always seems to spin). Throttle no longer does maybe I will, maybe I won't. It just goes.

[karmic_flop]

Wow, that would be great if that was all that's needed. Definitely going to give that a try. Thanks for the tip.

[Ryan_R]

I fixed mine partially by getting the APR ECU Stage 1 upgrade, and then mostly fixed it with a SprintBooster throttle adapter.


Before doing that I always had to accelerate half a second before I wanted to go anywhere, ok for turning out of intersections but quite unnerving at certain roundabouts and plenty of missed opportunities when wanting to leave a slow lane on the freeway. Esp annoying when you have the power to make the gap but the delay/lag ruins it.

[Syd118TSI]

Have never experienced anything like this on the 118. Second gear shudder, yes (now fixed), but never any sort of hesitation for that period of time. That would be a real worry!

[nilo8533]

Have never experienced anything like this on the 118. Second gear shudder, yes (now fixed), but never any sort of hesitation for that period of time. That would be a real worry!

I've noticed that second gear shudder in my mk6 golf. What did you need to do to fix it?

[Brian]

Take it to the dealer and explain your concerns

[RW1]

2nd gear shudder is covered here... http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/foru...tml#post772605

This topic isn't the same thing.

[hentaiboy]

Otherwise, it can start ok and do it's rediculously early shift into second at 4km/h

This is resolved with the revised software (TPI 2021116/4).

[Rockman]

We have had similar problems with dodgy gearbox and clutches on our TSI. Just keep taking it back for them to fix.

[cktsi]

From a standing start you can put your foot on the accelerator expecting some sort of reaction from the car indicating that it's going to accelerate for you. Instead it sits there doing nothing for what feels like forever but is really probably about 2-3 seconds before anything happens,

So, what I want to know is how many 118TSI + DSG owners are having this problem? And how many have a Golf 118TSI DSG that does what their right foot is asking for promtly and consistently?

I have never had to wait for 2 seconds from a standing start. Is this happening on an incline or level gradient?

One tip is to remember it is a clutch gearbox, not a viscous torque converter....so you do need to wait for the mechatronics to take up the friction point for you. If you have not driven a manual, understand that the clutch cannot engage immediately or it will stall the car.

Having said that, my tip at the lights is to ease off the footbrake on a level gradient and wait for the gearbox engage before applying accelerator. It shouldnt be a long wait from standstill using this method. I think hitting the accelerator straight away before friction point is engaged does force the mechatronics to do more calculations in that shirt space of time e.g. Does the driver want a fast take off and do I mash the clutches together quickly or is it a slow takeoff and gentle meshing of the clutches?

I do feel that hitting the acclerator too quickly causes this problem.

On an incline it is better to use the handbrake than rely on hill hold so you can apply accelerator before releasing the handbrake.

Otherwise, it can start ok and do it's rediculously early shift into second at 4km/h and then you can wait a few seconds before the acceleration continues

For crawling starts the car stays in D2 in my car. Take up of the clutches can be slow on occasion. Esp since i had my clutch pack replaced i find it happens more frequently but more like 1 second than 2-3 seconds. So i either switch to manual tiptronic to force kick down to 1st gear or i drive like i did when driving a manual and come to a complete stop i.e. dont crawl forward slowly on friction point. I find the clutch take up in 1st gear is quick when switching to tiptronic.

That is my feedback. Hope it helps

[karmic_flop]

It's been back to the dealership again, they pulled it apart and decided to replace the clutch pack. It's had a new gearbox already and I'm not sure if the clutch pack went with the gearbox or this is still the original. And the clutch pack replacement has been delayed by 2 weeks because the part hadn't arrived but they didn't think to call us to reschedule... thanks Volkswagen.

I've driven manuals, this is the first automatic I've owned. It feels like driving with a learner. The hesitation and snap is generally on flat or slight down inclines but has happened on steeper up inclines too (and confusing the hill start assist).

From what I can tell now that I've sampled so much of the VW range with the many loan cars they've given us is that the wet plate clutch gearboxes are considerably better to drive than the dry plate. No lag, no shudder and really smooth. Whatever effect the dry plates are having on the system (different feedback / response etc) it's not working well. Like the clutch plates being lubricated was hiding all the mistakes in the control system but now they're out on display.

They also refused to change the spark plugs. Supposedly VW haven't officially changed the specified plugs, although I don't think they checked, and didn't seem they wanted to look into it. Just gave me the standard "we've never heard of that so it can't be a problem" answer.

So I guess we'll see if a new clutch pack fixes anything.

[Rob_R]

Well today I've had my first drive of a 7 speed Golf TSI. Hmmm, if I wasn't on the forums I would have sworn the 7 speed was rooted. Very surprised at how vague it was and the shudders I could feel from it had me thinking WTF all the way home. Maybe it's something you get used to but I think long term it would just make me grate my teeth all the time.

[karmic_flop]

Yes, vague, that's exactly what it is. You do get used to it... you get used to waiting for it to do what you're asking it to do

Have you tried any parking, slow driving or traffic? That's when the 7 speed DSG shows it's true colours. Like just when you're almost into your chosen parking space, just before you nose into the wall it decides you're not going fast enough... it's a delight.

[karmic_flop]

We've had some movement today. After sending a letter outlining our issues to the Managing Director which detailed dates and people, magically a clutch pack has turned up and will be installed next week. In a moment of stellar management, the Managing Director passed our letter on to one of the people we mentioned as being a significant blockage in getting the car fixed and will apparently not be getting involved in the resolution of our complaint directly.

Supposedly this new clutch pack is a redesigned version which will "resolve all issues" with the current clutch pack. Strange that over the last 9 months we've been treated as though we are the only people anywhere who are complaining about this issue. And after countless attempts to tell us it's "normal behaviour" and "we should be very happy with this car" it turns out someone has been redesigning a part to resolve these issues.

So if this redesigned clutch pack is everything VW Australia is claiming then we may just have a car that does what it's told without all the drama. But I'm not going to hold my breath seeing as how this is the 12th attempt. Very disapointed with the customer service VW have provided to get this far.