2015 polo gti

[Vex]

Actually no ..... DSG's command a far lower trade-in than a manual because all used car dealers including VW Dealers know that the DSG's are basically rubbish and prone to trouble. Biggest recall in VW history in Australia due to the DSG box that still lives on the DSG GTI ......

Some people have had 2-3 gearbox replacements in the warranty period on their MK6 Golfs and the previous DSG Polos. If you can live with a far lower trade and possibly not having your car for extended periods whilst it is getting fixed under warranty, by all means buy a DSG .....

I'd buy the manual 100% of the time as it is much more enjoyable to drive for 1 and 2 have none of the reliability issues and finally 3 have better trade at the end.

EDIT: Some used car dealers won't even touch a trade DSG equipped VW ......

Yeah that makes sense. I am not all that keyed up with VW..

Manual it is.. haha

[brad]

Hmmm, DSG or Manual, we can't just keep comparing...
I guess there has to be failures somehow to keep getting better, right?

When I buy a vehicle I don't sign up to be a beta tester for an item that has had insufficient engineering & test time

[maxrob200]

As I am intending to buy a Polo Gti soon, I am also trying to decide between manual or DSG. I suppose the $64 question is whether the DQ200 unit has been revised or updated since the recall in 2013 and if the failure rates are still presently of concern to the buyer. I can understand the hesitation in recommending DSG given it's past failures but does anyone have current bad experiences of on-going problems after the recall with new cars fitted with the DQ200?
From reading other forums, the 2013/14 Renault Clio RS200 's EDC also seem to suffer from similar problems as the DSG i.e no gear after start-stop, not shifting etc.

[Vex]

I am sure you all already know but I find its a little disappointing that the Polo GTi is built in Spain (Likely along side the SEAT's) where as the Fiesta ST is built in Germany..

[apples]

Test drove a manual today and me wanty! I wish that I can just option up with only the sunroof, I don't want the led lights and alcantara seats. I actually like the Clark sports cloth seat.

[Sharkie]

As I am intending to buy a Polo Gti soon, I am also trying to decide between manual or DSG. I suppose the $64 question is whether the DQ200 unit has been revised or updated since the recall in 2013 and if the failure rates are still presently of concern to the buyer. I can understand the hesitation in recommending DSG given it's past failures but does anyone have current bad experiences of on-going problems after the recall with new cars fitted with the DQ200?
From reading other forums, the 2013/14 Renault Clio RS200 's EDC also seem to suffer from similar problems as the DSG i.e no gear after start-stop, not shifting etc.

DQ200's problems have not been addressed ..... just heard this morning of a good friend of mine with a 2014 MK7 103TSI DSG Golf that needs a full gearbox replacement at 23, 000km ....... and he's already had a clutch-pack replacement at 16,000km ..... he will now not have had his car for 6 weeks over the 15 months he has owned the car.

When he bought the car last year I advised against the DSG ..... according to him the dealer promised the DQ200 had been "redesigned" and he would have no issues at all .....

The DSG in the GTI (and all the other Polo's) is still exactly the same as the box that caused the massive recall !

If you can live with the risk, by all means buy it, if you like to live without that risk, buy the manual.

[brad]

wasting your breath Sharkie.

I've had 2 friends ask me about VWs. I've told both what engines & gearboxes to avoid. Both came back with DQ200 equiped golfs because "the dealer told me they were fine".

People hear what they want to hear.

[Hail22]

When kids see a new shiny toy on TV or in this case the web they'll whinge, kick and scream to mummy "but but the DSG is easier to drive in the city mummmmmmm".

As I said in my previous post, if you purchase a DSG it'd be advised to frequently visit your church, synagogue, mosque, temple to pray your box doesn't ****e itself.

[maxrob200]

Thanks for the informed opinions. Looks like it's the manual for reliability.....bummer, I was hoping that the DSG would be great in stop-start traffic and it appears that stop-start traffic is what kills them if drivers allow the car to creep rather than come to a complete stop to allow the gears to engage?
I've always owned manuals and loved the control and utter reliability but with increasing laziness and high traffic jams have considered a DSG and rapid shifts. Back to the drawing board for a few months to see how the new Gti pans out overall in terms of reliability with the DSG. It's a shame the budget does not stretch to a Golf Gti with the DQ250 transmission which from reports is more reliable. *sigh*

[Sydneykid]

To me it's obvious, a "normal" automatic has a torque converter which facilitates fluid drive (slippage) between the engine and the gearbox, very useful for things like creeping in traffic. This slippage heats up the lubricant (transmission fluid) which is why "normal" autos have transmission coolers. If they are subject to excessive loads the transmission fluid will overheat, sometimes boil (ie; up to 400 degrees C). That's why autos that tow boats, caravans, race cars etc are recommended to have larger transmission coolers fitted.

In a manual transmission car we don't slip the clutch continuously creeping along in traffic as we all know that will "burn out" the clutch ie; overheat it like the auto trans fluid.

A DSG gearbox is simply a manual gearbox with an electronically controlled clutch (clutches), no torque converter. So from the very first DSG I bought I treated it exactly as I would a manual, no excessive clutch slip. I also taught my wife and daughter to do the same. Result, we have never had a problem with any of our DSG's.

Obviously a fluid bath clutch pack, as found in a Golf GTi etc, will have a higher temperature tolerance for slippage. But the principal is still the same, treat a DSG like a fluid coupled auto, constantly creeping along, slipping the clutch and you are asking for trouble.

As a result I've ordered a Polo GTi DSG with complete confidence, Blue Silk Metallic with the Driver Assist Package.



Cheers
Gary

[maxrob200]

Gary,
A good logical explanation for DSG problems with creeping in start-stop traffic. So to prevent damage, it is therefore necessary to come to a complete stop and not move forward unless one can drive forward smoothly "in gear"? I am surprised that there is not an educational program by VW or advice from car reviewers about proper car and feeding of DSG vehicles but I suppose J Public would not be interested or may fear re-education as the DSG is considered to be an "auto" box and would be used like an auto transmission

[Sydneykid]

Gary,
A good logical explanation for DSG problems with creeping in start-stop traffic. So to prevent damage, it is therefore necessary to come to a complete stop and not move forward unless one can drive forward smoothly "in gear"? I am surprised that there is not an educational program by VW or advice from car reviewers about proper car and feeding of DSG vehicles but I suppose J Public would not be interested or may fear re-education as the DSG is considered to be an "auto" box and would be used like an auto transmission

My explanation to the wife and daughter were to drive it like they would a manual. Wait for the gap to increase sufficiently to allow full clutch engagement and movement forward plus full clutch disengagement prior to stopping again. With hill holder the hand brake isn't necessary, but I used it to display to my daughter (auto only driver) how to drive a manual in traffic. My wife is a manual driver so she didn't need the extra discipline.


Cheers
Gary

[tc831]

Thanks Gary for the tip, Will now drive the Polo like a manual. We'll see how this goes.
Mines done 300kms already

[maraach]

Not saying the dsg's dont have problems, they obviously do our their wouldn't be so much negative sentiment about them but I've had 3 of them, done over 150k km's on them and no issues yet. Bet it now up on me tomorrow now. I may just be lucky though.

In saying that, although I generally tune my cars I don't trust the dq200 enough to touch the gti.

[Sydneykid]

I have looked at a couple and the gearbox itself looks fine, decent sized gears, forks, selectors, bearings and shafts, but the clutch plates were not so great. Torched and warped would be my description based on what small diameter manual multiplate clutches look like when they have had excessive slip. Not a big sample by any means, but the driver profile indicates strong "automatic" history. As I mentioned above, my guess, and it's only a guess, is that the dry clutch pack can't handle the heat generated when the car is driven like it has a torque converter. Internally I can't see any problem with the gearbox handling say the 320 nm (that the manual has). I suspect that the recalibration software that is available reduces the clutch engagement/disengagement slippage and hence helps reduce their overheating.


Personally I want the 70 nm lost in the manual to DSG choice, so I'll be doing a thorough investigation of what's necessary to make that happen.

Cheers
Gary