I'm going to put in an order for a new petrol DSG estate (my current one is manual). Has anyone got any bad feedback for the DSG? I'm not interested in reliability stories (VAG sell thousands of these without issue), but general living with it issues (that sounded harsher than i meant!).

I'm aware of the need to tell the gearbox you're about to move off before you decide to nail it at a roundabout, otherwise it will fart about and leave you stranded.

I'm aware that it leaves a clutch in constant friction while it's in drive with your foot on the footbrake at the lights.

What about reverse parking, any situations or gotchas?

What about hill starts?

Is it clunky at all engaging drive?

I've had two diesels with a third on order and I really love the DSG gearbox. I've never had any issues although it does hesitate for a second or two as you pull away on roundabouts, but I have read on here somewhere that it's confined to the diesels and the petrols should be OK.

At the lights I usually slip it into neutral to give the clutches a rest, although I believe the clutches disengage when stationary and foot on brake.

Reverse parking is a doddle - you can leave the car creep on it's own, keep your foot over (not on) the brake pedal and concentrate on being the perfect parker.

If you specify you want 'hill start' then pulling away on a hill is simple, but you must leave the drive in 'D' for this to operate. After taking the foot off the brake the car is held for about two seconds whilst you move to the hot pedal and away you go.

There is no sensation or noise at all when engaging 'D' or 'R', but you must have your foot on the brake to do either otherwise the lever won't move. Gear changes are smooth and almost imperceptible and the same applies when using the manual mode.

Hope that helps a bit

Mac

Many thanks Mac that was excellent. Much appreciated.

Many thanks Mac that was excellent. Much appreciated.

You're welcome.

1. I'm aware of the need to tell the gearbox you're about to move off before you decide to nail it at a roundabout, otherwise it will fart about and leave you stranded.

2. I'm aware that it leaves a clutch in constant friction while it's in drive with your foot on the footbrake at the lights.

3. What about reverse parking, any situations or gotchas?

4. What about hill starts?

5. Is it clunky at all engaging drive?

I am still on the learning curve with my DSG after 35yrs driving manuals and 3 months of DSG!

1. DSG is not a "stick it in D and forget it" type of auto. Some say use tiptronic at roundabouts, I slip it into sport mode and knock it back into D once I have joined the traffic stream

2. Only the 6 speed wet clutch. The dry clutch 7 speed does not do this

3. You have to learn precise throttle control - no clutch to dip if you find you are going too fast

4. Hill hold works perfectly - if the hill would cause you to roll in the opposite direction to the selected gear then the brake is held on for 2 seconds after removing your foot from the pedal or until the throttle is applied. Doesn't sound long but it works really well.

5. I have the 7 speed - smooth smooth smooth!!

I'm aware of the need to tell the gearbox you're about to move off before you decide to nail it at a roundabout, otherwise it will fart about and leave you stranded.

take up can be a bit sudden if you nail it, so i avoid doing it.

I'm aware that it leaves a clutch in constant friction while it's in drive with your foot on the footbrake at the lights.

i think it is just the drag of the oil on the plates, not drag of the friction plates. others think differently. the 7 speed with dry plates does not drag.

i mostly leave mine in D. i might knock it into N on particularly long waits. never use the tiptronic. my view is, if i'd wanted a manual, i'd have bought one.

What about reverse parking, any situations or gotchas?

What about hill starts?

no problem with either.

Is it clunky at all engaging drive?

very slightly. not ever been a concern to me.

i should mention, that i find it very tricky to come to a completely smooth halt with the DSG. it is still driving right up to the point of complete stop. combine that with the most over servoed brakes i can ever remember (and i am an ex citroen driver), and it is quite a skill to come to a jerk free stop. IMO it would be better if the clutch disengaged slightly earlier.

that is my only real complaint, and i would still have one over the manual.

oh. they seem to use a fair bit more diesel than a manual too, if mine's anything to go by. but i am only comparing it with what i've seen claimed for manuals here, i've not owned one.

Edited 29 December, 201015 yr by redlemon

Hi there, I have a 6 month old Petrol DSG estate, on the whole I love it but a few issues for me are:-

1, Despite the above post, the petrols too are very hestiant to pull away quickly from junctions and roundabouts

2, Reversing uphill is a a masters game. I have a very very steep drive and to back out onto a 'main' road from its parked , stationary position has taken a while to perfect the art of the car not launching back very veryquicklly! It can however be acheived with practice!

3, Im not a massive fan of the 'hill hold', its not a patch on a standard slush box auto's creep. And can cause a jerky pull forward as the brakes are released. Particually on a steep incline.

4, Snow and ice can be intresting with the DSG. Some say they have not probs but I have Nokian winter tyres on and am an experienced winter driver having lived in Bavaria- Germany for a couple of years, and find pulling away up an incline a nightmare. Ive tried usuing just the creep, using the paddle shift and leaving it in D but all are pretty useless.

The good points however are

1, Incredibly quiet gearchange

2, Very smooth gear change

3, MY MPG are incredible and i think this is in part due to a 7 speed box

4, 8000 hassle free miles

I would have another , no quibble!

I'd agree with the snow comment.

It needs a Snow/Winter mode more than a rather useless Sport mode, but that's about it.

Edited 29 December, 201015 yr by Evening Star

I'm on my second, a petrol 7-speeder (my first was a diesel 6-speed).

I can't say I've noticed any difference in its behaviour at roundabouts. There's still the slight hesitation (because it can't read your mind). You need to anticipate more than you do with a conventional manual (or slush box) and I've got to say that I've adjusted my driving a little. I hold back and when its clear in front of me (and I realise there's the usual risk of the nervous driver in front of you suddenly getting cold feet and stopping unexpectedly - haven't we all been there?) I hit the gas.

I know many will disagree with me (not Honest John from the Daily Telegraph!) but I think the important thing with DSGs/autos is to learn how to left foot brake. It gives you a hill hold function for starters. But mainly you brake quicker. Read HJ's views too - don't rely on mine!

The only annoying thing is the box's inclination to change down on steep hills ("inclinations"?). I see no point in using engine braking (I've got brakes...) so, if I know there's a ateep hill coming, I knock the stick to the left to put it into manual and hold it in 7th till I've reached the bottom. Then I revert to auto (and even if you forget, it will still default to auto mode - fiendishly clever).

I agree with everyone else about their advantages but its worth being aware that they are tuned for economy. If you want the box to be more reactive for press-on motoring, you need to use the S position or the tiptronic (or the paddles if you've got them - I have and I hardly ever use them because the box is so good)

HTH

dill.

Many thanks for all of your candid and insightful responses guys. It's much appreciated. Noone's put me off, so i'm a happy chappy.

Coming from the manual, the clutch makes progress no easier in snow either. It doesn't matter how gently you feed it out on idle revs.

I'm thinking i can solve the roundabout problem without using the gear override. On my automatic BMW, i use the accelerator lightly before i need power, just roll into the space ahead while i'm waiting for a gap but it lets the box of tricks sort itself out while we're waiting, then push the throttle down from there and it takes off rapidly and immediately. If i don't do that, it sits about rolling into the roundabout while it's kicking down then another kickdown, then it just bursts into life but BMW traction control is very aggressive at reining in the throttle immediately that surge comes.

I'm thinking the same whisper in it's ear technique might work on the DSG.

Is it clunky at all engaging drive?

The MY11 Superb Combi that I test drove jerked into both 1st and reverse! I had made my mind up that I wanted a manual box anyway after the huge bills that come with a DSG when the owner needs to pay for repairs (fine whilst it's all covered under warranty) But I was prepared to give it an honest appraisal to see if I could be swayed, suffice to say that i was not impressed enough to order the DSG.

I drive far to many crap auto boxes during the day so I know the problems they can give, I can do more miles per day than most will do in a couple of weeks so although they may only 'have there moments' once every 1,000 miles that can be 2 or 3 times per week for me, unfortunately for me VAG etc are quite a way off from building an 'auto' box that I will buy with my own cash

just two points really:

1. parking in crowded/confined space on a slight slope (not steep enough to engage hill hold) requires either a very brisk but very gentle work with your right foot, a bit of left braking or using the hand brake, to avoid touching the car behind you.

2. the box sometimes hesitates downshifting.

btw it doesn't hold the clutches at the biting point when in D with brake on. at least my 7 speed DSG doesn't. there's a slight delay from releasing the brake until the clutch engages. in start/stop traffic upon stop it will hold the clutch at biting point for like a sec or two assuming you'll start moving in a sec but if you don't it will release it.

krko

The 7 speed box is quite different to the 6 speed box.

Certainly on the 1.8 TSI the 7 speed makes the fuel go farther and CO2 lower.

The 6 speed box tend not to improve fuel consumption or acceleration. It is much heavier than the manual about 40 Kgs I think. The 7 speed only adds about 20 Kgs I think.

Servicing can cost £140 every 40K miles for the 6 speed. Latest 7 speed is sealed for life I gather.

IE not all DSGs are the same, 7 speed is much more rewarding than the 6 speed but unfortunatley is currently limited to 250 NM so 1.4 TSI 180 hp or 1.8 TSI is the best engines it works with I seem to remember it can only work with 105 hp 1.6 CRs or 110 hp 2 litre CD diesel but then VAG are increasingly trying to persuade car buyers to buy petrol rather than diesel with its pricing and waiting lists.

The 6 Speed DSG on the Diesel vRS doesnt have Hill Hold Control

Don't know what the issues are with parking?! Think it is probably the person operating the pedals! Never had a problem getting into any space on an incline. Just release the brake and let the gearbox do the work.

Don't really see why you need hill hold with a auto? Just release the brake or if you are on a very steep incline then pull handbrake up before releasing footbrake..

I am pretty sure that the clutch isn't engaged when at a standstill with the footbrake on in 'D'.

Love mine but have had to drive it in sport these last couple of weeks to try and warm the too dam efficient engine up!

I've got a manual Octy VRS & a Fabia VRS with 7 speed DSG.

If the Fabia VRS was available with a manual box I'd pay extra for it...I certainly wouldn't pay a premium for a DSG as in the real world it doesn't work as well as a manual box IMO.

I have found a few tricks with the DSG which make living with it much less frustrating & much more enjoyable.

1/ When coming to a halt move the lever into N just before you stop...it allows you to pull up without feeling like a learner/lurcher!

2/ When parking/3 point turns, move the lever through neutral into D or R from R or D (i.e. the opposite) without coming to a complete halt first (the gearbox allows 2 seconds of zero brake action which facilitates this). It speeds things up massively!

3/ When approaching a roundabout move the lever into Sport mode...this will give you some useful engine braking on the way in & allow you to merge with other traffic without the horrifying delay/slow pick up that leaving it in D seems to give (rush hour traffic is much easier on the nerves using this technique).

On the plus side the shifts are very smooth & slow speed control is fantastic....it was also much better in the snow than I had expected. The paddles are very useful although I wish they'd allow you to jump from 5th to 3rd with 2 quick flicks rather than having to wait for 4th then flick again for 3rd...selecting S seems to get this kind of desired shift much faster. If you've got paddles another useful tip is to hold the paddle for a couple of seconds to send the box back into 'auto' mode.

I admire this gearbox...using the above tips it's almost as good as a manual which is pretty impressive!

Oh, one final point. At the traffic lights if you press your foot firmly on the brake it seems to stop trying to creep..you can hear the engine go into 'complete idle'..I'm guessing that there's a micro switch which dis-engages the clutch. I'd personaly always put the box into N as it's much nicer for the person behind rather than burning their eyes with your brake lights!

I apologise if I come accross as a DSG hater...it's not the case. It's a very well engineered box & I admire it...it just doesn't 'engage' me like a manual box does & I like to be 'engaged' when I'm driving. If I did loads of city crawling I may very well have a different view though! :yes:

i am baffled by reported problems at roundabouts.

can't say i've had any issues at all, aside from a very manageable delay when pulling into fast moving traffic.

my DSG also had no problems in the recent snow and ice (we didn't get that much to be fair), or parking.

i am baffled by reported problems at roundabouts.

can't say i've had any issues at all, aside from a very manageable delay when pulling into fast moving traffic.

my DSG also had no problems in the recent snow and ice (we didn't get that much to be fair), or parking.

Come to Milton Keynes with all the roundabouts you'll encounter it sooner rather than later . My gearbox gets caught out every other journey or so - how dare it not read the road ahead for me

I like the DSG myself, best automatic I’ve ever driven. To my mind its not as good as a manual in some instances (snow, feeling integral to the car) under the vast majority of conditions its way easier and in some point cases its probably better (straight line standing start drag race - not that I indulge in such things). I think of it as I will spend way more time in traffic where the automatic is a massive bonus than I will hacking round country lanes where a manual really comes into its own, the DSG does a good enough job on the hacking anyway that I don’t really miss the manual & there's always the tiptronic.

On snow, on the flat I had no problem with DSG, in fact it was able to get around way better than my daughters manual Fabia. It was pretty amazing how well it crept its way out of being stuck quiet a few times. Introduce a hill thou and I can see it turning nasty unless you invest in extras like snow socks or chains.

On snow, on the flat I had no problem with DSG, in fact it was able to get around way better than my daughters manual Fabia. It was pretty amazing how well it crept its way out of being stuck quiet a few times. Introduce a hill thou and I can see it turning nasty unless you invest in extras like snow socks or chains.

That'll be the size of the tyres more than anything - i went passed a stuck 4x4 in mine with my 16inch winters on!

I'm going to put in an order for a new petrol DSG estate (my current one is manual). Has anyone got any bad feedback for the DSG? I'm not interested in reliability stories (VAG sell thousands of these without issue), but general living with it issues (that sounded harsher than i meant!).

I'm aware of the need to tell the gearbox you're about to move off before you decide to nail it at a roundabout, otherwise it will fart about and leave you stranded.

I'm aware that it leaves a clutch in constant friction while it's in drive with your foot on the footbrake at the lights.

What about reverse parking, any situations or gotchas?

What about hill starts?

Is it clunky at all engaging drive?

Craig

Although mine's diesel, if you want to head out for spin, try the gearbox out a little (if you haven't already), give me a shout.

Evan

Many thanks for your kind offer Evan, although I'm now past the point of no return, order sent off this afternoon :-)

I can't wait! This is the worst bit of Skoda ownership (probably the *only* bad bit of Skoda ownership)... the waiting for delivery.

Many thanks to everyone who chipped in above, it really is much appreciated.

Many thanks for your kind offer Evan, although I'm now past the point of no return, order sent off this afternoon :-)

I can't wait! This is the worst bit of Skoda ownership (probably the *only* bad bit of Skoda ownership)... the waiting for delivery.

Many thanks to everyone who chipped in above, it really is much appreciated.

Fella, I have a DSG petrol saloon, 6 weeks old, in Motherwell most weekends, pm me if you want to have a wee look...

Many thanks for your kind offer Evan, although I'm now past the point of no return, order sent off this afternoon :-)

I can't wait! This is the worst bit of Skoda ownership (probably the *only* bad bit of Skoda ownership)... the waiting for delivery.

Many thanks to everyone who chipped in above, it really is much appreciated.

what sort of waiting time are they quoting you for a petrol DSG?

what sort of waiting time are they quoting you for a petrol DSG?

I don't have my build week yet but he reckons April time. The diesel waiting times are double that he reckons. Good news for anyone selling a diesel vrs.

I don't have my build week yet but he reckons April time. The diesel waiting times are double that he reckons. Good news for anyone selling a diesel vrs.

What Dealer did you use? Good deal? cos I am rather tempted to order a Scout myself!