DSG Sports mode issue

[oshuyi]

the vw dsg seem to have alot of problems. so i guess after 3 years it's best to sell the car

[cameronp]

the vw dsg seem to have alot of problems. so i guess after 3 years it's best to sell the car

Not necessarily. Most of the complaints here seem to be from almost-new DSGs ("infant mortality", perhaps due to poor quality control). Most of them aren't complete failures ("my car is a bit jerky sometimes") and some of them go away with just a software reset. None of this is a good predictor for the failure rates to expect years down the track. If the DSG self-destructed after three years, you would expect the Mk5 forum to be teeming with complaints by now from people who bought the DSG when it first came out, but it isn't.

Other posts have stated that getting the DSG mechatronics replaced out of warranty is about on par with getting a traditional automatic transmission overhauled. Hardly a cost that's terrifyingly greater than any other brand of car.

[Tux]

SNIP

Other posts have stated that getting the DSG mechatronics replaced out of warranty is about on par with getting a traditional automatic transmission overhauled. Hardly a cost that's terrifyingly greater than any other brand of car.

I've been wondering about that lately. It seems that the mechatronics units seem to be the unit that is replaced and not the transmission itself. Is that the case? For peace of mind I'll get extended warranty though..

[G-rig]

the vw dsg seem to have alot of problems. so i guess after 3 years it's best to sell the car

As mentioned most DSG boxes either develop the fault fairly early or they work faultlessly.

Don't forget you can extend the warranty at the end of the 3 years for another 2 years.

[Corey_R]

I've been wondering about that lately. It seems that the mechatronics units seem to be the unit that is replaced and not the transmission itself. Is that the case? For peace of mind I'll get extended warranty though..

Basically the "mechatronics unit" is what has all the "moving parts" (yes, before everyone jumps on this statement, the gears move too... I KNOW). What I mean is, the mechatronics is the combination of both the "electronic brain" AND the parts which actually engage and disengage the clutches AND the parts which change the gears. In other words, the Mechatronics unit replaces the human's brain AND the human's left arm and leg!

On the 6sp wet clutch DSG, there are 12 sensors in the mechatronics unit (there are only 2 sensors in the DSG gearbox which aren't in the mechatronics!). In the electro-hydraulic section of the mechatronics it controls or regulates eight gear actuators via six pressure modulation valves and five selector valve as well as controlling the pressure and flow of the cooling oil for both clutches!

So there is an AWFUL LOT going on in that mechatronics module! Whereas the rest of the DSG is really just a traditional manual gearbox! (Well, two individual traditional manual gearboxes arranged side by side against a common differential - but lets not complicate the explanation!)

[Zano]

I can vouch for some quirkiness with the Sports mode. Mine often does the 'L' plater bunnyhop, 'don't know how to drive', jolt, bang thing when I drive home and after slowing down and carefully going over the speed hump in our street I proceed to accelerate and whammo - it's bloody embarrassing to say the least, especially when I've trying to look coolio!
I don't recall it happening if I am driving in just 'D' or tiptronic, so it must be an 'S' thing. It seems like the DSG procrastinates about whether to change up or down when I am at some low limbo speed and its 'intelligence' assumes that my big slow down approach to the speed hump means that I am going to stop or something...?
I might do a bunch of tests up and down my street, and if it is consistently replicable, then I think VAG will need to sort it out.

[obiwan]

Damn, just lost the post I typed, here we go again.

Mine had the exact same problem. I was continually palmed off, told it would learn how I drive etc etc. Three months later they kept it for 2 days, they agreed it was faulty and Germany approved replacing the mechatronics unit. It's been perfect ever since, the car I should have had in the first place.

[Skitz]

I'm booked in 1st of July for a full diagnostic apparantly, they said they would send a request for VW for a replacement mechatronics unit.

If this doesnt fix it I'm going to lose it.

-Skitz

[cameronp]

I can vouch for some quirkiness with the Sports mode. Mine often does the 'L' plater bunnyhop, 'don't know how to drive', jolt, bang thing when I drive home and after slowing down and carefully going over the speed hump in our street I proceed to accelerate and whammo - it's bloody embarrassing to say the least, especially when I've trying to look coolio!
I don't recall it happening if I am driving in just 'D' or tiptronic, so it must be an 'S' thing. It seems like the DSG procrastinates about whether to change up or down when I am at some low limbo speed and its 'intelligence' assumes that my big slow down approach to the speed hump means that I am going to stop or something...?
I might do a bunch of tests up and down my street, and if it is consistently replicable, then I think VAG will need to sort it out.

From what I've seen, S mode will try to keep the revs above 3000rpm at all times, and if you put your foot down hard will downshift even if you're already revving quite high. The DSG's downshifts at high revs are a bit weird and nowhere near as smooth as the upshifts: there's a substantial fraction of a second where the car is in neutral as the DSG revs the car up to what it would be doing at the speed you're going in the gear it's changing into. I'd say it's still marginally smoother than an experienced driver in a manual, but it doesn't feel that way from the driver's seat because the gear change happens without you expecting it or having any control over the process. Personally I prefer manual mode to S mode.

An actual "bang" could well be a real problem with your car, though.

[Zano]

I paid more notice to my rough gear change when I do the daily journey over the speed hump in our street on the way home and the sudden dumping of the clutch feeling actually occurs at moderate acceleration levels when changing up from 1st to 2nd in 'S' mode.
Yet others mentioned that there issues were between 2nd and 3rd...