After owning a Octavia VRS about 6 years ago, and a Fabia before that, ive has a few years away from Skoda but was drawn back by the fanstatic value and the current range of engines.

Just bought an Octavia Elegance Estate 1.8TSI DGS with bluetooth steering wheel optional extra.

Just wondered what owners who have had the DGS box for while a think of it? And was also intrwsted in what the 'Bolero' system does in this model.

Got a build date of first week of June by the way................quite a wait on these puppies!!!

I hope you ordered the spare wheel

Only had mine 4 weeks but I think the the DSG box is fantastic, hardly notice it is changing gear.

The Bluetooth kit is great and makes calls crystal clear. You have got a phone that has rSAP?

The 'Bolero' is very impressive in terms of sound quality, far better than my previous Focus ST

Front loading 6CD changer, SD card slot and Aux input and if you have rear park sensors it shows the graphics on screen

June seems excessive in delivery time. Although times were long at the end of last year (mine was 16 weeks) they seem to have come down to nearer 8 weeks

Sounds a good choice. I take delivery of a 1.8 TSI SE Estate in March. I asked the dealer to keep it back for a March delivery. However, that was only a couple of weeks ago now. I ordered my car towards the end of Oct 2009. The build/delivery times do seem to drag on a little. I'm looking forward to it though!

The Bolero is a fine piece of kit...

I was a bit concerned about moving from my Mazda 6 which had the Bose system but shouldn't have worried - the Bolero sounds great - if anything the speakers are better located.

Got the MDI but still need to get a cable for it..

After owning a Octavia VRS about 6 years ago, and a Fabia before that, ive has a few years away from Skoda but was drawn back by the fanstatic value and the current range of engines.

Just bought an Octavia Elegance Estate 1.8TSI DGS with bluetooth steering wheel optional extra.

Just wondered what owners who have had the DGS box for while a think of it? And was also intrwsted in what the 'Bolero' system does in this model.

Got a build date of first week of June by the way................quite a wait on these puppies!!!

DSG..the poodles privates

I'm taking time to adjust to DSG, particulaly from stand still.

though it doesn't compare to a normal slush box at all!

I'm taking time to adjust to DSG, particulaly from stand still.

Getting a bit nervous at junctions? Learning to park so you drive off forwards uphill only? Does it 'thump' yet?

DSG is a nearly-finished product in my opinion and I won't have another DSG car until they fix it properly.

Edited 16 February, 201016 yr by wja96

I have just got a superb with DSG and the gearbox is truely amazing. If you have never driven a conventional auto then you should have no problem with DSG. You do need to adapt the driving style slightly, partly because there is a brief (less than 0.1 seconds) gap between lifting the foot from the brake and the clutch engaging, after a while you dont notice it. I have parked on hills both up and down no problem.

Thanks for the advise guys. Mixed opinions then. What has got me worried is that my drive is pretty steep and without going into reasons why, it's always best if I park with front of car facing downhill. Is reversing off the drive going to be a big problem then, given the incline of my drive?

Thanks for the advise guys. Mixed opinions then. What has got me worried is that my drive is pretty steep and without going into reasons why, it's always best if I park with front of car facing downhill. Is reversing off the drive going to be a big problem then, given the incline of my drive?

It could be an issue, but it will go backward eventually, you just have to REALLY rev it and then it will very slowly go backwards. Mine is getting on for 90,000 miles and it's starting to thump quite badly where the clutches are worn. The single biggest issue for me is the will-it/won't-it at roundabouts and junctions where it has a very definite think about moving off even with a lot of throttle on and then it takes off like a scalded cat. Or sometimes it doesn't. The supposedly very trick torque control has a mind of it's own and on snow just forget it without chains on.

On the other hand, when it's moving, especially when it's in sport mode, it's a very, very, good gearbox indeed. But in my opinion it's not suitable for everyday use just yet.

Surely your just commenting on a car with clutches that have done 90,000 and are due for replacement. I keep my cars no more than 3 years and do approx 12,000 miles a year. Ive driven the car and was really impressed by the gearbox but only now is the reversing issue comming to light. I have friends with autos who can't see a problem so who knows!

WJA is right - its not like a normal auto box and his descriptions of its quirks are correct.

Having said that its a good box and I like it for the relaxed driving style it allows.

I personally have found the biggest problem so far to be the lack of a "snow and icy conditions" option/button. Even my clunker old Astra estate auto had such an option which modified the characteristics of the change points to suit the prevailing snowy road conditions.

The other issue of course is the reliability of the DSG box in the longer term. I've been shouted at on this forum before for making this comment but I still think it is unproven. Just look at the recalls so far both here and in the US. And the mechanical complexity

Once the 3 year warranty expires its gone - unless I have an extended warranty in place.

Edited 16 February, 201016 yr by Minimoke

Surely your just commenting on a car with clutches that have done 90,000 and are due for replacement. I keep my cars no more than 3 years and do approx 12,000 miles a year. Ive driven the car and was really impressed by the gearbox but only now is the reversing issue comming to light. I have friends with autos who can't see a problem so who knows!

It has always 'thumped' but it's getting worse as it wears. Unfortunately these boxes are not servicable and you have to get an exchange unit from the factory and it's a VERY expensive item indeed (£4000?). Even in warranty VW are often saying that owners have abused cars by not putting them in neutral fast enough at traffic lights or when stopped at drive-throughs etc. My car is just over 3 years old and I'm really counting the days to my new one coming - with a manual box!

I think the OP really needs to try out a DSG if your unsure. I got my Skoda mainly for the DSG, I've not come across ANY of the problems mentioned in this thread. The boxes have been around for about 8 years now and are nothing new. Yours would be a 7 speed dry clutch unit (i think) so that's differant straight away. You'll always come across someone who has a chip on their shoulder when it comes to DSG, sat nav units or whatever depending on their experiance, esp if their DSG is faulty or knackered!

Take out a demo car from another dealer and put your mind at rest if it helps and let us know how you get on.

You'll always come across someone who has a chip on their shoulder when it comes to DSG, sat nav units or whatever depending on their experiance, esp if their DSG is faulty or knackered!

I respectfully disagree that I have a chip on my shoulder about anything. I am a high mileage user and I have submitted experience reports to both Volkswagen UK and Skoda UK (I put 80,000 miles on a Fabia vRS in 2 years). VW in Milton Keynes inspected my car at 30,000 miles and declared it to be within acceptable parameters. They saw the car again at 80,000 miles and again said it was within acceptable parameters, so there is nothing abnormally worn or faulty about my gearbox. I'm quite certain if my gearbox was faulty it would have been replaced. It was properly serviced (oil changed) at 40,000 and 80,000 miles and it doesn't help a bit.

The odd power take-up characteristics, 'thumping' and the lack of desire to go backwards up hills are all extremely common issues with DSG gearboxes. They are made to protect themselves and there is a fairly strict torque limit of 350nm so the problem is worst on higher powered diesels. That's why they don't like moving off, the ECU needs to slip the clutch while making sure the torque doesn't destroy anything. The 'thumping' is the car self-adjusting for clutch wear and I've never felt that the gearbox was going to let go and leave me stranded, it's just not what I want when I'm driving along. Certainly, I'd be very wary of buying a high mileage DSG car as the risk of a big bill is pretty high.

These are unashamedly performance gearboxes and they work superbly on the move, especially in sport mode, but then you have to put up with it always revving it's nuts off so it's not a permanent solution.

If you know about these issues and you still buy a DSG car, that's up to you. After living with one for 3 years and 90,000 miles, I'm ready for a change and because I want a Skoda, that means it has to be a manual.

As for test-driving a car, certainly, you will get a flavour of what it's like, but the OP really needs to take the car home and try reversing it up his drive a few times to make his mind up.

Again I must agree with wja96.

Some people on this forum will claim starship miles without problems on their DSG boxes and they are probably right. But unfortunately (as I have pointed out many times before) the proportion of cars with a DSG box on this forum (and the UK) is proportionally quite low. You need to look to the US where auto boxes are the norm rather than the exception.

In the US VW have had LOTS of problems and 2 major recalls, one of which has now crossed the Atlantic to the UK (see VOSA site for details). Just look at the US VW/Audi forums on the internet. The issues are such over there that VW are now offering a 10 year warranty for their DSG boxes (to exisitng customers) in order to try and prevent a dramatic decline in consumer confidence in the DSG product. Just because they do not offer it in the UK does not mean that all is sweetness and light.

I stand by my earlier comments. I have a DSG box and went into it with my eyes open. It suits me very well, and I like it (despite its quirks), but on expiry of the warranty its gone. I cannot afford the potential four figure repair bills.

The comment about "chips on shoulders" is no substitute for reasoned analysis.

Edited 17 February, 201016 yr by Minimoke

Don't just take our word for it either OP, look at the forums over at VWAUDIFORUM or uk-mkivs to get a better informed opinion of the DSG.

The Audi's call it S-Tronic if you're nosing around.

Learning to park so you drive off forwards uphill only? Does it 'thump' yet?

There's a thing between the front seats called a handbrake. Comes in useful when parking on hills....

I'm on Octy no3 which have all had DSG and not had an ounce of bother with any of them.