DSG woes in The Age

[Ideo]

How is that logical? Its the same chassis, engines, gearboxes as a Golf!

Exactly.

It's just the latest media bandwagon. I hope it prompts them to fix the issues with the DSG as the potential of the technology is there. But there is so much hyperbole and exageration out there you can't really keep track of half of what is going on.

[Paulc1964au]

How is that logical? Its the same chassis, engines, gearboxes as a Golf!

I agree I told him that it was pretty
Much the same car however you throw a little bit of mud and it sticks.

[Paulc1964au]

Is there actually a root cause for the false neutral or are there several issues that can result in the same
Symptom

[golfandtiguan]

2) DSGs and the 118 engine have reliability issues. The 118 in particular was not properly set up for the ****ty Australian fuel we have. I know of a few that have been run on 91 (local government fleet cars) that have gone bang. Others have only been run on 98 and had issues. Apart from higher than average oil usage, this does not appear to be an issue in the UK. Therefore the engine was not set up appropriately by VW for the Australian market. This needs to be rectified.

Pretty sure the 118 fuel issue in Aus has been addressed. The original twin charge in the GT Sport (Mk V IIRC) was definitely mis-configured for Aus fuels, and the climate. At the time, VWA couldn't understand why the European cars weren't having issues, then a bright technician plugged in a computer, and started looking deeper.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...ormance+118tsi

From what I can remember, there was a combination of fuel and climate/atmosphere. The 98 RON we have out of the pump here is very different to European 98 RON - and I believe primarily it is more to do with the MON. And the PULP here is 'not as pure' as some of the European fuels, which altered the compression or burn rate. Once they played with the configs, the engines were much more reliable.

I'm not sure if the same issues are present in the Mk VI 118's, but I can tell you that after 51,000kms in mine, the engine runs a treat and has never missed a beat, uses about 0.5l (if that) of oil per 7500km. The car has only ever been run on BP Ultimate, and I'm hearing good things about Vortex 98. (oh, and I don't drive it like a nanna!)

I know from racing experiences, that the old Elf Atmo Rallye (98 RON, it's now 100 RON) was worth about 0.5hp and 0.2secs a lap vs BP Ultimate, same RON, different MON.

All that said, you can't run 91 in the twin - but a good quality (debatable) 98 should reduce the risk of problems.

[wai]

This is not to put aside the issues with the DSG, but many (certainly not all) of the issues with DSG transmissions are related to the box not being used correctly. You can't drive it like you would a torque converter box, particularly in heavy traffic. VW should spend a good amount of time with new owners explaining the intricacies of the DSG, how it works, and how to use and not abuse it. The problem is that many (majority?) of VW dealers don't understand how it works in the first place.

[pologti18t]

Is there actually a root cause for the false neutral or are there several issues that can result in the same
Symptom

If there was a root cause... then there would be a solution. Root cause analysis.

[cmrtig]

I guess we just have to put faith in VAG to come out and put out a official statement if resale value is a concern

You are either naive or do not understand the issues. You have already stated that resale is irrelevant to you! Guess what it is relevant to the vast majority. If you think there is anything VAG can say now, short of offering all purchasers in the past 5-10 years a refund, to placate all then you are wrong. Irrespective of the truth and who is responsible the damage to resale has been done as a result of unsubstantiated generalisations!

[Paulc1964au]

For the record I love my R and couldn't be happier with it and I so love my 69 beetle Vw through and through

Well they didn't recall the Japanese version for no reason

[cmrtig]

You may not know you have an issue until it is too late.

If VW has fixed even just some problems elsewhere, they should fix them here as well. Period.

And how do you know I or anyone else will have an issue. Because of the 250 who have contacted fairfax out 200,000 VWs sold in the past 3-5 years. I don't expect to have an issue and probability is on my side!

Fixed even just some of which issues? Fix them where as well? Again you are generalising without a shred of evidence. In fact I don't even understand what you are saying!

[alexaescht]

This is not to put aside the issues with the DSG, but many (certainly not all) of the issues with DSG transmissions are related to the box not being used correctly. You can't drive it like you would a torque converter box, particularly in heavy traffic. VW should spend a good amount of time with new owners explaining the intricacies of the DSG, how it works, and how to use and not abuse it. The problem is that many (majority?) of VW dealers don't understand how it works in the first place.

Do I agree with you? Absolutely.
But a car should be something you can get in and just drive.
A friend of mine has an '09 Touareg V6 TDI and her mother was looking for a new car last year, so my friend pushed her towards VW and she ended up getting a Golf MK VI 77/90 TSI (can't remember which) with DSG. Of course, being an old lady, my friend's mother just wanted to drive it as a car – but within weeks of buying it, a major problem sprouted up. Her local Woolworths is on the side of a hill, and when she tried to reverse out of a park uphill the car would roll forward until it shot back so fast that she almost backed into a car on the opposite row. Basically, after three months of ownership and VW not wanting to know about the issues, she sold it and bought a Kia Cerato slushbox.
No complains yet...