MoggyTech

Back in 2014 I picked up an ex demo VRS 2.0TDi hatch, 810 miles on the clock. £19995 so they do crop up from time to time.

subframe bushes, or dogbone mounting.

Gearbox input shaft front bearing, chatter due to SMF, should be dual mass flywheel.

I had this in an older Fabia VRS,, faulty accelerator pedal, it's fly by wire, and sometimes you get a faulty potentiometer .

I'm happy to just set the cruise control to 70 MPH, which gives an actual speed of 66 MPH. On a round trip of 66 miles, that returns 53 MPG (1.4 Tsi DSG)

Never mind France, my ex could get lost going from the living room to the kitchen.

Does anyone read the manual for the car these days?

See this thread

I will just add, first pull is front fogs, second pull rear fogs. Might save someone from getting rear ended, as they failed to pull on their knob twice.

Yes,, some people still treat DSG like an old slush box (torque converter). DSG is in effect a manual gearbox with automated clutches. The killer is allowing prolonged clutch slip in a DSG. The DSG senses brake pedal pressure, full brake application while standing still fully disengages the clutch. Partial brake pressure causes the clutches to partly engage and causes heat and wear. If I get stuck in creeping traffic I either select sport mode or stick the DSG into manual change mode, to avoid the DSG shifting into 2nd gear as soon as the car starts moving. As for test drive, put car in manual mode and start driving as normal, select 3rd gear and allow revs to drop to 1,500 RPM. Make sure road conditions are safe, then floor the throttle, if the clutch slips or if there is jerkiness, the clutch pack is on it's last legs.

Does the after market head unit have an instruction manual?

The clutch is fine. The internet is full of doom and despair on everything from cars to the Worlds oceans, 99.9% of which is complete BS. NEVER buy a car and google (XYZ common problems.) Also, few people come onto car forums to say everything is hunky-dory about any given car. I bet when Dyson build their first electric vehicle, the first review will be called. "Unlike their vacuum cleaners, this car sucks".

If anyone is interested in the technical side of each application (Wet/Dry) clutches, it is simply this. The wet clutch is cooled by the gearbox oil, meaning it can handle more power without over heating. The downside is,, as the clutch wears, friction material mixes with the oil so the oil and gearbox oil filter has to be changed at fixed intervals. The dry clutch is simply cooled like a normal manual clutch by airflow. The downside with the dry clutch is in hot countries the clutch can over heat when ambient air temps are high. The upside being no oil changes required. IMHO the problem is not the occasional failure, but the ludicrous prices for the parts. £750 for the selector assembly (Leave vehicle only when in park error) The fault is caused by a switch that will cost about 20 pence to make. But it is not available as a spare part. That repair should be costing about £75 including labour. Mechatronic unit failures are mostly the oil pump, again N/A as a spare part, so that will be £1500 thank you. £5000 for a gearbox, that is quite simply a manual gearbox is just a total rip off IMHO. Engineering skills have been dumbed down to a modular level, with a diagnostic machine used to determine the fault. Cars are becoming discard-able items like everything else these days. They are built to be as cost effective as possible with no regard to spare parts availability for module individual parts, and certainly not for ease of access to some parts.

It was harder with older cars. I remember pronouncing Ford Escort as "Start you piece of crap".

I found my 2014 2.0 TDi VRS to be exactly the same, just got used to it over time. Difference between old style hydraulic and the electric motor power steering I guess. Thing is my 2016 1.4 TSi DSG SE is much better, maybe due to a lighter engine.

Cat pre heat cycle.

Have you checked for an actual dead fish?

Yes it's normal, combination of suspension and steering parts operating at the limits of their travel.

Sounds like condensed water in the exhaust, it will soon clear as you drive.

Holding reset trip normally shows SOC (battery state of charge). That does indeed look like a firmware listing.

Battery and E symbol would suggest 'energy recovery mode'. Under light engine loads the alternator free wheels, so the battery only gets a proper charge under braking. If firmware doesn't support a function, you get strange results.

Normal, vacuum control unit closing.

Retired engineer who used to restore Morris Minors. Still keep up to date with modern cars though.

Normal, only worry if it blows rather than sucks. The top end is kept under negative pressure for the PCV system.

One of the best engines ever designed. 50 MPG £30 road tax and no horrid EGR valve (It's done by VVT within the cylinders.) Sports mode with 7 speed DSG is interesting. Only real let down is the lack or independent rear suspension.