Hello everyone, I'm going to be ordering a Yeti TDI 140 DSG hopefully soon and one of the main upgrades for me is the DSG gearbox as it we can drive it like a manual but without the foot clutch. However, one of the biggest tests for the DSG is the M25 like stop-start for 20 minutes pain.... so I am wondering how this DSG gearbox copes with that situation.... has anybody being through M25 mill with their DSG Yeti? Can you tell me what happens when in Auto mode? Any jerkiness? Any smells/overheating of clutches?

Many thanks!

Trekker

Hmmm a good question, however from my very limited experience of the DSG if "drive" is engaged the car will want to creep ( he thinks he recalls) unless held on the brakes, which would suggest that by doing so the clutch must surely be slipping?

Though one would think without throttle input the drive should not be taken up?

I have therefore got into the habit of slipping her into neutral if pausing for longer. Like I do with a torque convertor / proper automatic.

The only nusience with the DSG is the requirment to have ones foot on the brake to go from neutral to drive (or reverse) a safety feature I appreciate, but being used to a proper auto without this feature I get caught out at times.

Been in loads of stop/start traffic jams in my DSG Octavia (including M25 rush hour...) and no issues so far. From what I can tell, if your foot is on the brake the clutches are disengaged as there is a small delay between taking your foot of the brake and the "creep"...

Also, some traditonal autos now have the "feature" of requiring your foot on the brake to go from neutral to drive or reverse (my dad's Merc and a mates BMW require this, and I'm assuming it'll be rolling out across most manufacturers...)

The only nusience with the DSG is the requirment to have ones foot on the brake to go from neutral to drive (or reverse) a safety feature I appreciate, but being used to a proper auto without this feature I get caught out at times.

Thanks for replying. So does the car need to be at a standstill before the Neutral / Drive, or will the gearbox switch modes with just the footbrake slightly pressed?

Hmmmm,

That might indeed be the case and a sensible idea too.

If the foot is on the brake the clutches are completely disengaged, this seems reasonable.

I suppose on reflection the DSG would burn the clutchs out pdq otherwise.

cheers

M

Nope one can select neutral whilst still moving, ditto for drive & sport settings, basically the box will ignore any possibly harmful permutations / instructions.

I have not been brave enough to attempt reverse while travelling forward, though I cannot see that this should be allowed to happen or do any harm

Edited 18 October, 201015 yr by dieseldogg

Nope one can select neutral whilst still moving, ditto for drive & sport settings, basically the box will ignore any possibly harmful permutations / instructions.

I seem to remember moving the gear lever to the left to engage manual gear selection whilst the car was moving during a test drive of a DSG Yeti, but can't remember if there was a middle position eg, Left: Manual, Middle: Neutral, Right: Auto -was this operation a bit of an abuse by me at the time?

From front to rear

............................Park

............................Reverse

............................Neutral

.................Manual-Drive

............................Sport

**************

i tink that one can "click" between drive/sport or drive /manual at any time, simply by moving the lever

the button on the top of the selector is for..........engaging reverse? /park? I have used it just I cannot recall when or why :wonder: ??

Hey its all "intutive"

Theres a good excuse

Edited 18 October, 201015 yr by dieseldogg

I read on here numerous times that it was better to put the car in Neutral if you are having a long stand still with DSG.

IIRC you dont need to apply the brake to move the car in and out of N from D - but obviously i wouldnt be revving it then putting it in D!

Hi!

When pressing the brake pedal "a bit" the clutch disengages. This is something than can be tried - release the brake and notice a drop in the engine revs -> clutch engaged. Press brake pedal again _> revs slightly increase and more runs more freely, clutch not engaged. I am not sure if the DSG actually has a specific neutral mode as well, or if N simply means that the clutches will not engage no matter what.

The brake pedal automatically disengaging the clutches got me thinking: surely this does not happen in Manual mode of operating the DSG transmission Yetis...

In a modern day manual gearbox equipped car, when lifting off the throttle in gear (engine braking) and then applying the brakes a little bit, the engine will not consume any fuel. But if the Yeti DSG in Manual mode engine braking and driver softly applied the brakes and then released the brakes again, I would expect the clutches to remain engaged throughout the engine and foot brake deceleration.... Has anybody tried this?

The brake pedal automatically disengaging the clutches got me thinking: surely this does not happen in Manual mode of operating the DSG transmission Yetis...

In a modern day manual gearbox equipped car, when lifting off the throttle in gear (engine braking) and then applying the brakes a little bit, the engine will not consume any fuel. But if the Yeti DSG in Manual mode engine braking and driver softly applied the brakes and then released the brakes again, I would expect the clutches to remain engaged throughout the engine and foot brake deceleration.... Has anybody tried this?

Now that you mention it - I have not noticed any disengaging of the clutches while engine breaking so I assume it will keep the gear engaged for as long as possible. I was writing (although I forgot to mention it) how to test the clutches when the car is stationary.

Some corrections:

1. You DO need to press the brake pedal to change from neutral to drive.

2. When stationary and with the brake pedal pressed, the clutches disengage. If you're moving, then braking does NOT disengage the clutches, In fact, engine braking is excellent with the DSG.

I drove a DSG box( albeit on an 04 Altea TDi, so last generation) and it was never necessary to pop it into neutral in traffic, clutches never got burnt out or excessively hot, even in the longest of jams. It was so easy to use, and yes, I often used to select drive when still moving backwards off my drive, only very slowly of course, but never a problem.

Only thing that was a bit of a pain with that box, was getting traction from a standing start on icy surfaces, but I think the newer ones are much better in that regard and a lot of the members on here have 4wd as well, so not too much of a problem for them.

I have a DSG equipped Octavia and can say that when decelerating the clutch does remain engaged to give engine braking as per normal. The clutches should only disengage when you are coming to a standstill with your foot on the brakes, however I have noticed that the car will creep along with the speed controlled by the brakes if you want it to. There are two different types of DSG box depending on engine, low torque versions i.e. 1.2 TSI have a 7 speed version using dry clutches whereas the higher torque engines i.e. 2.0 TDI have the 6 speed version fitted which has wet clutches.

It is a safety feature to have the brakes applied AT STANDSTILL when moving the lever from either neutral or park to a drive mode be that either reverse, drive, sport or manual. Pressing the button on the handle will not make a difference, but you need to push it in to move from drive to sport or reverse modes, You can feel the safety lock operate if you hold the gear lever while you press the brake pedal, a green light will show in the speedo at standstill with the car in neutral or park which will go out when you press the brake pedal, this is just a warning to say that you must press the brake pedal to move the lever.

I have not had a problem with stop start traffic with my car but then again I have always considered it good practice to put any car in neutral if I am going to be at standstill for more than a few seconds, it doesn't take long for the drive to be taken up when the lever is moved into drive. Finally for now, you cannot remove the key from the ignition if the lever is not in park position, another safety feature.

Ian.

Back to the original question,there is a safety feature installed whereby the temperature of the clutches is monitored all the time, if it is detected that the clutches are starting to overheat then they are completely disengaged and the mode display in the maxidot will start to flash to say there is a problem. I believe that if you select neutral and allow the clutches to cool for a few seconds then you will be able to reengage the gear and drive off normally.

Edited 18 October, 201015 yr by countryboy

I too had a Mk2 Octavia with the 6 speed DSG. I covered about 40,000 miles in 2 years driving around the M25 and the south east.

As mentioned above, when at a standstill, you need to apply the brake to go into drive from neutral, but if you are moving and accidentally knock gear lever into N then you can slip it back in without touching the brakes.

They are perfect for stop start traffic.

As most people state, if you are going to be stationary for some time then put in N or P, otherwise I always left it in D.

I used manual mainly for descending steep hills to make use of the engine braking.

I'm sure sport mode not just raised the gear changing point, but also sharpened up throttle response, though that is not documented.

As stated above, clutches only disengage when about to stop, just like a you should drive a manual car according to IAM.

I have spent many a happy? hour parked on the car park owned by NCP called the M25.

I understand that 'ordinary' torque converter autos can overheat the transmission fluid if they are held at a stop on the brakes for a length of time. I never had any problems with my DSG clutches after 100,000 miles.

I did have the delights of a nissan micra 1.2 auto when my octavia was in for work at one point. I had forgotten how hard you had to use the brakes to stop the car from creeping forwards.

The DSG does creep, but drive is almost turned off when the brakes are on.

I would like to have launch control like the Golf GTI - engine at 3000, foot on brake. then foot off brake - Traditional auto you can do that. Oh what fun the 530d remapped auto was.

Skoda/VW in their wisdom cut the power to the engine when you put your foot on the brakes, so the max engine speed I could ever get was about 1200rpm, but there is still something engaged, as when you put in N the revs rise a little and don't sound laboured, not that they are laboured when in D or S or 1.

Fast get aways in a skoda DSG. Foot on brake. move foot to accelerator. push to floor.........

I can't wait to get back in a DSG car. I HATE manuals. I am now driving around London all day at it is awful in a manual. I will have to visit the osteopath soon, simply because I'm driving a manual car. It, for me then, is the cheaper option, rather than visiting the Osteopath every week at £50 a time.

Mike

I bought the Octavia 2L TDI PD DSG specificaly to cope with commuting through central Bristol rush hour traffic. That involved a lot of stop-start driving and crawlling. The DSG box has been superb in these conditions, no overheating, no jerks, very few instances of hesitation. I used neutral when standing still, and the hand brake (as well) when stopped for longer periods. This avoids the need to keep a foot on the brake.

Starting off does require the foot brake pressed when changing N to D but it soon became a reflex action.

The Octavia with its DSG box transformed my driving experience; no more painful left knees and rough clutch operations when the left leg got tired.

It is being replaced by a Yeti with a DSG box - the Yeti's higher seating position makes access much easier than the Octavia, otherwise I would stick with the Octavia.

Thanks everyone for the excellent detailed answers!

I am REALLY looking forward to ordering my Yeti TDI DSG ....

.... I wonder how long I shall have to wait for the sunroof to be orderable.... :(

This is an interesting thread. I have been driving a Golf (2.0 140 PS ) with 6 speed DSG for three years and loved it - DSG availability is a major factor in my decision to buy a Yeti. The DSG box has worked totally flawlessly, and is a joy. Slip it into manual as you approach a roundabout, and kick it down a couple of gears for engine braking, slip it back to the right and take off like a rocket..wonderful. Wonderful also in traffic jams, and you just don't know when it changes gear, hardly, in normal driving. The Golf clutch is definately wet - and although I tend to slip it into N when stationery any length of time (I have always presumed if you put in park, technically safer as you can't roll back - far, anyway - the reversing light shows briefly as you pass through it - perhaps this is not the case) the VW technician at my dealer, who I totally trust as a source of authoritative data, has told me several times that this move into N is NOT necessary.

The Yeti brochure (mine is the 25/5 one - there is a later one I think) says on page 22 at the bottom:

Clutch, DSG, 'two coaxial dry multiple disk clutch'...

Under Transmission it says : '6 spd DSG - 2.0 TDI CR 140bhp, 4x4,' and then '7 spd DSG - 1.2 TSI 105 bhp DSG'

There is no mention that the 6 speed DSG has a wet clutch, as Countryboy mentions. Is that definately the case Countryboy, please? - and is that documented anywhere? I had actually thought, obviously wrongly, that the 7 speed was now standard, and I was wondering what the implications of the clutch changing to a dry one were. It would be good to get an authoritative lowdown on the specs and functionality - I can't really ask my VW technician, friendly as he is, as I would have to let on I am moving to Skoda..!

Roger

This is an interesting thread. I have been driving a Golf (2.0 140 PS ) with 6 speed DSG for three years and loved it - DSG availability is a major factor in my decision to buy a Yeti. The DSG box has worked totally flawlessly, and is a joy. Slip it into manual as you approach a roundabout, and kick it down a couple of gears for engine braking, slip it back to the right and take off like a rocket..wonderful. Wonderful also in traffic jams, and you just don't know when it changes gear, hardly, in normal driving. The Golf clutch is definately wet - and although I tend to slip it into N when stationery any length of time (I have always presumed if you put in park, technically safer as you can't roll back - far, anyway - the reversing light shows briefly as you pass through it - perhaps this is not the case) the VW technician at my dealer, who I totally trust as a source of authoritative data, has told me several times that this move into N is NOT necessary.

The Yeti brochure (mine is the 25/5 one - there is a later one I think) says on page 22 at the bottom:

Clutch, DSG, 'two coaxial dry multiple disk clutch'...

Under Transmission it says : '6 spd DSG - 2.0 TDI CR 140bhp, 4x4,' and then '7 spd DSG - 1.2 TSI 105 bhp DSG'

There is no mention that the 6 speed DSG has a wet clutch, as Countryboy mentions. Is that definately the case Countryboy, please? - and is that documented anywhere? I had actually thought, obviously wrongly, that the 7 speed was now standard, and I was wondering what the implications of the clutch changing to a dry one were. It would be good to get an authoritative lowdown on the specs and functionality - I can't really ask my VW technician, friendly as he is, as I would have to let on I am moving to Skoda..!

Roger

Hi Roger, yes the 6 speed DSG is definitely a wet clutch design with a higher torque rating(350Nm) then the dry clutch 7 speed version(250Nm), That is why the 7 speed is fitted to the smaller engined cars and the 6 speed to the larger engined and diesel engined cars. If you want to see a more comprehensive lowdown on the DSG box then can I suggest you have a look on Wikipedia. Type "wikipedia direct shift gearbox" into your search engine and you should get there. It is quite an informative and comprehensive description of the gearbox and its applications.

Ian.

Edited 19 October, 201015 yr by countryboy

Hi Roger, yes the 6 speed DSG is definitely a wet clutch design with a higher torque rating(350Nm) then the dry clutch 7 speed version(250Nm), That is why the 7 speed is fitted to the smaller engined cars and the 6 speed to the larger engined and diesel engined cars. If you want to see a more comprehensive lowdown on the DSG box then can I suggest you have a look on Wikipedia. Type "wikipedia direct shift gearbox" into your search engine and you should get there. It is quite an informative and comprehensive description of the gearbox and its applications.

Ian.

Ian - thank you very much for the confirmation - which I find very cheering indeed. With this box, then, I would say on my experience and information from VAG, don't worry about clutch slip and wear etc. It doesn't seem to happen. What a great place this!

Roger