VW DSG gearbox

spinybif_2

Can anyone tell me how this works as it states semi-automatic. Do you have to manually select each gear or do you just put it in drive like a normal automatic ?

MX5huggy

Either, but manual shifting is just sequentila so no H shift pattern, or with paddles on the steering wheel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-Shift_Gearbox

mike200

Not all car variants have paddle shift. I have a VW Touran 2.0TDI with DSG and this model does not have steering wheel paddles. The gear lever can be moved sideways and this allows the user to change gear up or down sequentially ie up or down by one gear.

To be honest the DSG is best in drive as it always appears to be in the correct gear. Occasionally I move from "D" to "S", which is sport setting, and this increases the revs in each gear before moving upto the next ratio. Usually use this on fast flowing roundabouts driving quickly.

Take a test drive of a car with this gearbox, it is very impressive.

Mike

JonathanA

I've test driven the VW set up, but ended up with the Ford Powershift, which is very similar to the DSG. You can drive it as a conventional automatic - the gearbox looks like that of an auto box. Or you can use it manually (+ / - symbols for changing up / down).

To be honest, we only ever really use ours in Drive, as the gearbox always seems to be in the right gear for what we need.

They are a fantastic set up, I'd highly recommend it, well worth test driving.

ukjoel

Fantastic piece of kit.
Spent 10 years driving Fords and wouldnt have touched an auto.
Was given one of these (in a Skoda Octavia) and 20 minutes later I was converted.

DSG stands for Dual Sychronised Gear (or something similar)
It basically has two clutches so the car is always in gear or ready to fly into the next gear. Its smoother than I could have ever expected and fuel consumption (for me anyway) was much better in these than it was in the manuals.

They are not sluggish either and can be combined with some tasty engines. - Have been out with the boys in blue while they evaluated the vRS version (with the DSG) and well lets just say they bought a significant volume (for unmarked vehicles).

To answer the OP questions - it depends.
You can just put it in Drive and let it do its stuff. Thats fine and 99% of the time I did and loved it.

You also have a sports mode - works the same but changes up at slightly higher revs so a little bit louder, nippier, and less frugal.

With regard to the semi auto mode - you can just slide the stick to the right and push up for plus or pull back for minus as you drive. In honesty the only time I used this was when I had the paddles on the steering wheel and fancied playing at being Lewis Hamilton.

Half an hour later the novelty had worn off and I was back to full on auto.

I cant stress how good these are. Think originally they were 6 speed but 7 speed variants available now (but not tried those in the VW but worked well in the Skodas and Audis I tried.

The point made about taking a test drive is really good. Never seen people so surprised at how smooth and responsive an auto was when they tried one of these.

Title does say VW DSG gearbox but obviously same engine and gearbox in Audi and Skoda as well so well worth seeing what you get for your money with a different badge.

harveybobbles

spinybif wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how this works

Very badly and will last about 40,000 miles if you're lucky.

mike200

harveybobbles wrote: »

Very badly and will last about 40,000 miles if you're lucky.

I have not heard of any problems with the DSG gearbox " on mass" ie more problems with this than any other type of gearbox.

There must be a percentage of all types of gear box that cause problems. A colleague bought a new S type jag and within 6 weeks had a new auto fitted. No problems since and the car is 5 years old with around 120k on the odo.

The DSG gear box requires an oil change at 40,000 miles. I have just had this done and it was not cheap, around £160 at VW dealer. There is around 6 litres of oil at £13 a filter and labour of around 2 hours. The DSG feels as good today as it did when new. I hope I am not proven wrong.:huh:

Now the failing ABS pump is another issue on the Touran. My car is going for official diagnsois on Friday at VW dealer, but expect to be told the EPS light on = broken ABS unit.:mad:

hewhoisnotintheknow

two clutches, house re mortgage time when it goes wrong, which is will as its a super reliable over priced VW

mike200

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

two clutches, house re mortgage time when it goes wrong, which is will as its a super reliable over priced VW

I would be interested in any evidence you may have relating to the DSG as I plan to keep my 4 year old Touran for as long as it is reasonably reliable.

I do know:
1. The DSG clutches are not the same as conventional clutches as they are immersed and cooled by oil.
2. VAG group fit the DSG to VW, Audi (including the new unit to 3.0 litre diesels), Skoda and Bugatti. If they had long term reliability issues then surley they would not be confident to fit these gearboxes to all of these cars, especially the "luxury" models.

The facts are the DSG and other similar brands offer very smooth changes, improved economy and the same acceleration performance as a manual.

Regards

Mike

daveyjp

I've had two DSG boxes and a failure rate of 50%! Second one needed a new mechatronic unit after 18 months use - £1,000 just for the part (covered under warranty). A friend paid £1500 to have his fixed, but he has a VW main dealer as a client and they were prepared to work on the fault rather than simply replace expensive items.

Only the wet clutch system requires fluid changes - these are the ones fitted to the diesels. The petrol DSG is a dry clutch system and doesn't require changes.

I loved both mine, but not a thing to have out of warranty.

If it develops any jerkiness get it looked at sooner rather than later, there shouldn't be any.

mike200

daveyjp wrote: »

I've had two DSG boxes and a failure rate of 50%! Second one needed a new mechatronic unit after 18 months use - £1,000 just for the part (covered under warranty). A friend paid £1500 to have his fixed, but he has a VW main dealer as a client and they were prepared to work on the fault rather than simply replace expensive items.

Only the wet clutch system requires fluid changes - these are the ones fitted to the diesels. The petrol DSG is a dry clutch system and doesn't require changes.

I loved both mine, but not a thing to have out of warranty.

If it develops any jerkiness get it looked at sooner rather than later, there shouldn't be any.

Thank you for the information. I will watch out for a jerky gearbox. I do treat the DSG well and move the lever into neutral if I am stopped for any length of time, rather than holding the "box" on the brakes.

I had a multronic auto on a 2004 A6 and that car developed a "jerk" whilst driving at a steady speed on the motorway. That car was traded in very quickly. :whistle: