Hello,

Since late in spring, I have noticed a worrying behavior in our 1.9 PD 6-speed DSG. When running at even power on low revs, typically slightly above 1500 rpm, the power distribution to the wheels seems to "pump" a bit. It doesn't seem to happen in 6th gear at higher speeds, but it happens in lower gears. It's easiest to spot when using the cruise control, but happens also on "manual" power and even in tiptronic mode. It's also evident in the revs - I can see the revs fluctuating just a bit, for a brief moment, as though just a little bit more throttle was being applied. It's very regular, and happens at a steady frequency of only a few seconds in-between.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Possible sign of DSG mechatronic failure?

When I showed up at the dealership to have their opinion, the whole Skoda service staff was of to the Skoda factories on a price trip for good performance. The guy who looked at the car didn't even hook up a monitor, and said "he'll call me back if the Skoda guys think it's serious".

Thankful for any clues or hints as to what might be the cause!

Could possibly be the mechatronics unit on its way out but typically you'd notice that setting off rather than driving along

Have you had it's service done? The DSG Box needs a service every 40k miles.

If this has been done/not needed yet then ask a dealer to perform basic settings on the box for you. This resets the box and forces it to relearn all the driving characteristics and gear changing again. Only really relevant if you bought the car second hand.

Other than that it could be as Dan says and e Mechatronic unit is on the way out. You normally only notice it though when setting off and in reverse. The basically kangaroo's forwards/backwards.

If this has been done/not needed yet then ask a dealer to perform basic settings on the box for you. This resets the box and forces it to relearn all the driving characteristics and gear changing again. Only really relevant if you bought the car second hand.

Bought brand new, and only 40,000 km on it yet, so I don't think that should be necessary. It is out of warranty though. :(

Other than that it could be as Dan says and e Mechatronic unit is on the way out. You normally only notice it though when setting off and in reverse. The basically kangaroo's forwards/backwards.

Right. Definitely a tendency to kangaroo in reverse, and I have noticed that pulling away has gotten "jumpier" lately, although I wouldn't go as far as calling it kangarooing.

Looks like I'll have to convince the dealership to take a look at the mechatronics, and if it's going, I'm going to have a hard time convincing them to pay for the parts. No way the mechatronics should be failing after 40,000 km.

Thats almost certainly the mechatronics, it's a big bill if you have to pay for it yourself unfortunatly

You could argue the case that it is a known fault. So much so to the extent that VAG America will fix any car affected (think it's 2008 model cars) and then provide a 10 year warranty on the Box.

You could argue that point with Skoda UK if the garage won't help.

You could argue the case that it is a known fault. So much so to the extent that VAG America will fix any car affected (think it's 2008 model cars) and then provide a 10 year warranty on the Box.

You wouldn't happen to have some kind of reference for that? Might come in very handy, although I'll start out being nice and polite...

I got this from another forum. I know the person who posted it originally so i would suggest it's genuine. This is a copy of the letter VW USA sent out to all affected owners

<VIN>

<CUSTOMER NAME>

<CUSTOMER ADDRESS>

<CUSTOMER CITY STATE ZIPCODE>

<MONTH YEAR>

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): <VIN> Subject: Customer Satisfaction Program 37E6/S8 - Mechatronic Unit

Dear Volkswagen Owner,

Some customers have reported transmission performance issues under certain driving conditions. This was due to a potentially faulty component inside the transmission’s mechatronic unit, and affects a limited number of 2007- 2009 model year Volkswagen vehicles equipped with a DSG transmission. Our records show that your vehicle was built within the production date range of vehicles that may experience this issue.

What is the issue, and what can happen?

In some vehicles it is possible that a bushing inside the mechatronic unit has the potential to wear out prematurely, causing the clutches inside the transmission to operate less smoothly than before. As this wear occurs, the driver will begin to notice changes in the way the vehicle feels as the transmission shifts (jerking). While this change can become very pronounced, the vehicle remains safe to drive.

What will Volkswagen do?

We have sufficient part supply on-hand to replace the mechatronic unit in your vehicle. We will make loaner vehicles available at no charge.

What we would like you to do

If your vehicle is exhibiting the symptoms described in this letter, or at your convenience, please contact your dealer and arrange for an appointment to have the mechatronic unit replaced in your vehicle. When making your appointment, please provide your dealer with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) found at the top of this letter. Your dealer will pre-order the new mechatronic unit for your vehicle and have it on hand when you arrive for this service. This service will take about four hours and will be free of charge. Your dealer may need additional time for the preparation of the repair, as well as to accommodate their daily workshop schedule.

The warranty on the DSG transmission in your vehicle was extended to 10 years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first, from the vehicle’s original in-service date). Please refer to the letter we sent you previously for the warranty extension details.

Lease Vehicles

If you are the lessor and registered owner of the vehicle identified in this action, please forward this information immediately via first-class mail to the lessee within ten (10) days of receipt of this notification.

Have you changed your address or sold the vehicle?

If you have, please fill out the enclosed prepaid Owner Reply card and mail it to us so we can update our records.

The information in this document is intended for use only by skilled technicians who have the proper tools, equipment and training to correctly and safely maintain your vehicle. These procedures are not intended to be attempted by “do-it-yourselfers,†and you should not assume this document applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle has the condition described. To determine whether this information applies, contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer. !2010 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. and Volkswagen Canada Inc. All Rights Reserved.

June 2010 37E6/S8 Page 7 of 61

Service help from us

If you have any questions regarding this action, please contact Volkswagen Customer CARE by phone or mail at:

Volkswagen of America, Inc. Attn: Customer CARE Center – Hills East (37E6/S8) 3499 West Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309 1-800-893-5298

We also invite you to visit our website at www.vw.com, where you can check to see if this or any other action may be open on your vehicle.

We appreciate the opportunity to update your vehicle so that it will continue to meet your high expectations. Thank you for driving a Volkswagen!

Sincerely,

Volkswagen Service & Quality

I got this from another forum. I know the person who posted it originally so i would suggest it's genuine. This is a copy of the letter VW USA sent out to all affected owners

Thanks very much! Might come in handy.

Update: It's now confirmed: the mechatronics are failing. Will be replaced later, but it's still unclear if they are going to (try to) charge me for it.

Oh god.........I have the same thing.

This evening, starting off from work, lurching/kangarooing of the car in low gears, low revs; also sounds a lot more gruff, I can really hear the diesel engine whereas up until now, it's been really smooth.

10-plate, 3 months old, only 4k on the clock.

Covered under the warranty, naturally, but FFS. :(

This is one of the main reasons I avoided ordering a DSG, there are just too many horror stories about the mechatronics failing across the VAG range, fine whilst it's under warranty but not when you have to pay for the repair yourself :no:

I also wonder how much this will hit the residuals, as those in the know about the DSG issues will either avoid them completely or insist on such a discount (£1,500+) too cover the cost of any replacement.

It's a real pity because if/when VAG do sort the box out it will definitely be the way forward, but IMO we are a few years away from that day.

This is one of the main reasons I avoided ordering a DSG, there are just too many horror stories about the mechatronics failing across the VAG range, fine whilst it's under warranty but not when you have to pay for the repair yourself :no:

OTOH, quite a lot of DSG units have been sold, and there are many happy customers. I talked about DSGs with taxi drivers occasionally before ordering one, and they were happy with the box.

In my case, the dealer contacted the importer, who agreed to take the entire cost of repairs and spare parts, even though the car is out of warranty. The last estimate I heard was 3000 € for the lot.

My next car will most probably also have a DSG. The only other alternative I might be persuaded to try out would be a CVT box.

Edited 23 September, 201015 yr by ged.fi

I applaud you for that :clap:

This is exactly what VAG need - more Beta testers of their product, then one day these silly, expensive (and far too common IMO) faults will be a thing of the past .

My next car will most probably also have a DSG. The only other alternative I might be persuaded to try out would be a CVT box.

My A6 had the multitronic CVT box. It worked nicely until it went wonky...

New multi-plate clutch and ecu fixed it for a while (paid for by Warranty Direct - £1750) but it started to play up again a year after the replacement parts were fitted.

Massive kangeroo effect in reverse (so bad that reverse parking in a small space was impossible) and the same at low speeds (to a lesser extent) going forwards.

Also had an unpleasant lack of power followed by a thud and surge intermittently when requesting power at speed. Made country lane overtaking so difficult that I'd avoid risking it at all.

My biggest complaint though was nothing to do with the faults... Pulling away at junctions/roundabouts required so much pre-planning as the car always had a terrible delay in getting moving. Was so annoying that the wife refused to drive it in heavy traffic, prefering her Hyundai i10!

I've mainly stuck to auto boxes due to a bad ankle (broken 3 times) but went manual this time as I'm no longer doing 30k plus a year for work. I'll stick to a standard "slush box" torque convertor auto the next time I go down that route.

Steve

Most of the things that are annoying with DSG could be fixed if it was fitted with a manual control for the clutch for pulling away (It should even be possible to allow completely automatic operation if required). Even if reliability wasn't an issue I'd be slow to get one because of this, even though I'd love near instant gear changes with no clutch once I'm moving.