T5 and DSG

[Tig-uan]

You'll like a DSG if:
* You like your transmission response crisp, and don't like the 'rubber band' feel between transmission and engine in traditional auto.
* You previously enjoyed driving a manual and understand how clutch/gears work.
* You prefer superior function over long term reliability.
You'll hate a DSG if:
* You drove nothing but traditional auto all your life.
* You will not accept that you need to readjust your driving style to suit DSG (including sometimes using manual input).
* You could not care less about clutches/gears and technical side in general.
* Cars to be judged mostly by how realible/easy-to-fix they are.

[Sunny43.5]

Okay lets see yes guilty now my turn to RANT but Transporter you for got to mention the number of posts on VW's Facebook Page that I have made , and believe me I have not held back on how I was treated by their Customer NON Care team last year in response to an $11000 rebuild of a major part of our van which I honestly expected to last a hell of a lot longer than it did if anyone thinks 135000 kays from an auto is acceptable today then they must have more money than sense .I also raised other questions in regards to our new T5 and they also gave me the lame factory excuses for their shortcomings . As for Old Autos out of all of the cars I have driven and owned over the last 47 years not one of them ever needed to be rebuilt and I had autos in all but one . I could also say that out of all these autos they were serviced at regular intervals and were coupled to either V8 engines or powerful 6 cylinders . . My beef has been VW saying they do not need to be serviced and just trot out some lame reason that their engineers can make something to last all over the world . As has been proven VW admit that a hot climate country will be detrimental to an autos life expectancy .End Rant part 1 . Part 2 Tig -uan I do now how to drive and enjoy both manuals as my work T5 is a manual , but I do not agree with the sentiments if you prefer superior function over reliability NO , disagree I do not care how good it goes I do care how long it will last because it will cost a bloody fortune if it does fail and do you honestly think VW will help NO {unless its inside warranty} I also do not agree that I have to adjust my driving for something that should not happen , why should I have to change from auto to manual mode to descend a hill because If I don't the engine revs it 's tits off !! Same for open road driving pull out to over take and as happened recently pulled out to over take and the DSG downshifted to such a low gear that I had for some seconds no forward acceleration I had to very quickly make other arrangements to get back into my side of the road > And you think that's acceptable today ?
No as I said previously even the Tiptronic did not behave this way and without a shadow of doubt none of the "old "autos had this problem .END OF RANT no more input from me on this one , I do hope Craig can find what he is after and that our personal opinions do not put him off buying a T5 , last bit Craig I love our VW vans to drive etc but I just hate some of the stupid technology .

[Sharkie]

Spanning a driving history of over 25yrs, I have owned in excess of 30 cars. All but 3 were manual, with these 3, 2 were conventional auto and 1 DSG (a 2011 Multivan no less).

I liked the speed with which the DSG could run through the gears 1-7 in sequence, BUT

Hated the very noticeable hesitation when pulling off, in my opinion dangerously so. I could never with confidence "grab" a gap in traffic, the response I needed was simply not there.

Further, very often the DSG was in a gear with the wrong next gear preselected. 5th with 6 ready, when the conditions demanded 4th next .... This always resulted in a delay in deselecting 6th and engaging 4th, rubbishing VWs quick gear change claims ....

Had no reliability issues at all, occasional missed gears is all, but the worry about it all breaking was always (possibly unrealistically) present.

Needless to say, until the major issues I have with DSGs are fixed, I will NOT be buying another DSG car. If that's all that VW offers then ill be buying elsewhere.

[Lams]

I second what Sharkie said above
Ours is now 118000km and going strong BUT VW is determined to flush out the manual options on all passenger vehicles!!
at 120000km we'll be due for a DSG oil flush and that will be expensive too.
But it's good to know this thing can handle a lot more torque than the problematic 7spd DSG I had in my Caddy
I vote Sharkie as the new president of VWA

[Sunny43.5]

If there were a third supporter for the vote , count me in too , sad part for us is that our personal needs with two wheelchair kids is that the VW ticks the box for access / internal room / and obviously other qualities . As my wife is the primary driver the auto is what is a requirement for her needs a pity really .PS LAMS are you aware if you want the filter changed YOU have to ask for it , apparently VW will not do it as part of the 60k interval services to the DSG because as someone pointed out the filter is mounted behind some pipes and is a bitch to get at .

[Lams]

Thanks for the tip. I bought mine at 96km so I don't know if it's ever been changed. I don't go to VW anyway

[Guy_H]

We have specific DSG software changes for the T5 - It will address a lot of the complaints voiced in this thread:

DQ 500

[IN2VWS]

Very interested. is there a try option before putting down the money?
Who in Melbourne does it?
Can the mod be detected by the dealer?

[Tig-uan]

It is not that anyone is happy to suck up, but the alternatives in the Multivan class are very limited. Unless you do not need full size 7 seats and are able to leave the Multivan class altogether (e.g. buy a 4WD or Ute), then the only other options are either: an Imax or a Viano, both with 5 speed autos.

Switching to something like a Defender is a big step down in safety compared to Multivan: no curtain airbags for 2nd and 3rd rows, no crumple zones, no ability to seat small child facing backwards for safety, etc.

Currently, it is a choice between having a car that suits best functionally and accepting its high costs and low realibility, or choosing realibility and going without the best function.

[Tig-uan]

I agree Defender would be safe in a 2-car collision as it would obliterate the other car, which in the UK, most probably to be a small hatchback. But, in a single-car crash (hit a tree or roll-over), I'd rather be in a modern hatchback then the Defender. In not likely that all the engineering effort and safety testing since 1948 was one large con job. The Multivan covers both bases: heavy enough at 2.2 ton for 2-car crash, at the same time, modern safety for single-car crash.

Imax's seat belts being mounted on walls in 2nd/3rd rows, this was exactly the reason why I sold my Imax: while they restricted access to the back, and their geometry was such they did not go via kids shoulder line. Multivan's seat belds do not have this issue as they are mounted to seats tops.