I have noticed that when moving from "P" to "D" after being parked on a slope (uphill) a distinctive clunk sound can be heard,as if some strain has been put on the gearbox.

Is this normal?

Thanks

Does your car have Hill Start Assist? If so then I would think it could be the braking system applying so that the car doesn't roll back

Does your car have Hill Start Assist? If so then I would think it could be the braking system applying so that the car doesn't roll back

I have a yeti identical to yours.

I suspect it is normal. The car will slightly roll back when you are parking it and will slightly wind up the gearbox. It also have a clunk in similar situations.

It also clunks slightly when slowing down and changing into 1st gear.

By its very nature a DSG will never be as smooth as a torque converter auto, because the DSG is not a genuine auto.

I have noticed that when moving from "P" to "D" after being parked on a slope (uphill) a distinctive clunk sound can be heard,as if some strain has been put on the gearbox.

Is this normal?

Thanks

Do you apply the handbrake before moving into "P"? The car is then held by the braking system and not by the gearbox so there is no torque on the gearbox and thus no clunk.

I have used this system with all my autos but find it particularly effective with DSG type autos.

I still find there is slight movement using the handbrake, but it could be my imagination, or maybe laziness putting the handbrake on after putting in P, allowing the car to move slightly in between. :lol:

Do you apply the handbrake before moving into "P"? The car is then held by the braking system and not by the gearbox so there is no torque on the gearbox and thus no clunk.

I have used this system with all my autos but find it particularly effective with DSG type autos.

Thanks,I shall adopt your advice,and make sure to apply the handbrake before shifting to "P".

No need to use handbrake, that noise sounds like it could be normal. When you engage "P" a gear or pawl, is pushed into engagement in the gearbox to lock the output shaft to the casing. This will stop the car rolling and is usually sufficient on the level. On a slope you should apply the handbrake too. The clunk is the gear being pulled out of engagement and the strain being released from the gearbox.

Ian

No need to use handbrake, that noise sounds like it could be normal. When you engage "P" a gear or pawl, is pushed into engagement in the gearbox to lock the output shaft to the casing. This will stop the car rolling and is usually sufficient on the level. On a slope you should apply the handbrake too. The clunk is the gear being pulled out of engagement and the strain being released from the gearbox.

Ian

Exactly - that is what the clunk is, the strain being released from the gearbox! However, IMO it is best to avoid the strain by putting the handbrake on before moving into P on any form of slope. Rather brakes took the strain than expensive DSG gearbox.

Exactly - that is what the clunk is, the strain being released from the gearbox! However, IMO it is best to avoid the strain by putting the handbrake on before moving into P on any form of slope. Rather brakes took the strain than expensive DSG gearbox.

Totally agree with you,Expatman.Getting the brakes fixed will always cost much less.

if you park on a slope you should never rely just on the gearbox parking lock. Once you understand how that works, and what it is you'll realise how easy it is to damage. On a slope always apply the handbrake before selecting P, to avoid unneccesary stress on the gearbox parking lock. My Superb manual made specific mention of this, and always applying the handbrake before P. The clunk is basically all the stress being removed, and will over time cause wear on the parking lock mechanism. On a flat, then you can just use P without a handbrake of course.

If you are stopped/stationery

& moving the shifter from 'D' through 'N' & 'R' to 'P' , or just from 'R' to 'P',

surely you have your foot on the brake

& as such have the front wheels and rear wheels locked/braked.

Select 'P' & apply the Hand Brake, & release the Brakes held on by your foot. Turn off ignition.

So what difference does applying the Hand Brake make, which only operates on the rear brakes which are already applied..

Some cars will be Disc/Pads & hand brake Drum/shoes,

some only Disc/Pads, & older vehicles Shoes/Drums.

(Even if you have a 4x4 Yeti it is only Front Wheel Drive as you Stop & apply 'P',

so your foot on the brake has front and rear brakes applied & then 'P' is locking the front wheels only, not the rear, applying the hand brake does the locking of the rear once Parked.).

& i have only one foot,

so need to use a hand brake quite often on cars without Hill Assist Control etc. (ie, that was every vehicle till recently)

Never in 36 years of driving only Automatics have i ever Applied the Hand Brake with the engine running before selecting 'Park', some cars need that movement, for the 'Pawl' to engage correctly,

or to feel you have Park Engaged Safely..

So, Stop, foot on brake, *That is front and rear brakes on & car held.*

Move Gearstick, Apply handbrake.

Starting an Automatic,

Car is in Park 'P', Foot on Brake, Hand Brake is Still on, Start Vehicle, Select Reverse or Drive,

release Hand Brake but foot is still on brake,

Then do what it is you do.

??Or am i missing something here?

george

Like sk4gw....

I've always put her on P, then hand brake and then foot of brake pedal...ignition off.

When driving off..ignition on.....foot on brake pedal, select D or R, then hand brake off, then release brake pedal and were off...

Done ths in all previous autos too...

Are we saying this wrong?

All together, now!: "You put your right foot in, right foot out! In - out - in - out - shake it all about....."

(Sorry if that confuses our Overseas members)

Being long, long steeped in ancient motoring rituals, my own procedure follows along traditional lines:

To standstill on footbrake.

Select Neutral.

Handbrake.

Release footbrake.

Select First Gear (or, in present DSG context, Park) for security. (The vehicle is static on the handbrake so there can be no natural stress on the gearbox.)

Ignition off.

Moving off, I start the motor in N, then to D or R as appropriate.

Exactly - that is what the clunk is, the strain being released from the gearbox! However, IMO it is best to avoid the strain by putting the handbrake on before moving into P on any form of slope. Rather brakes took the strain than expensive DSG gearbox.

Hear hear Expatman and that is the reason I never put my car in P in a traffic queue, having a bump up the rear is bad enough but maybe fixable, however if the box is locked then think of the strain/damage that could be caused to it by even a minor bump from the rear.

Anyway, it is always good practice to put the handbrake on, then car into P/neutral then off. After all isn't that what the highway code instructs you to do?

Ian

Not the Highway code i know.

It covers parking on hills, putting an Automatic in Park, Hand Brake & turning wheel to the kerb etc.

I must have missed the bit that said before selecting 'P', pull on a Mechanically operated Hand Brake that works on the rear wheels in almost all vehicles,

while you already have a Hydraulically operated brake applied to both the Front & rear Wheels.

george

As a former Seat DSG driver I think it is just a characteristic of the non torque converter auto. The box is much more suited to those who value the immediacy and response of a manual but with much quicker reactions but in return you have to put up with less smoothness manoeuvring. You can feel it when you engage drive with even good slush boxes (I've run 3 Lexus, 2 v8 and 1 straight six).On my Seat it made no difference whether I used the footbrake or handbrake and I cannot think of any mechanical reason why it would. Reading reports of driving high end exotica I think it is a case of "They all do that sir".

As a former Seat DSG driver I think it is just a characteristic of the non torque converter auto. The box is much more suited to those who value the immediacy and response of a manual but with much quicker reactions but in return you have to put up with less smoothness manoeuvring. You can feel it when you engage drive with even good slush boxes (I've run 3 Lexus, 2 v8 and 1 straight six).On my Seat it made no difference whether I used the footbrake or handbrake and I cannot think of any mechanical reason why it would. Reading reports of driving high end exotica I think it is a case of "They all do that sir".

Yes - "they all do that sir" if you put a load on the gearbox when parking! The reason for applying the handbrake and releasing the footbrake before moving into "P" is that there is then no load on the gearbox - so no clunk when the load is released. This is easily demonstrated because you get no clunk when parking on the level (no load) but a clunk when parking on a hill WITHOUT applying the handbrake to prevent the gearbox torquing up as the car moves slightly forward or back to the "P" pall.

The clunk must be a feature of just 'some' DSG equipped vehicles being parked on slopes then,

because it has never featured in any i drive, & that has been quite a few Diesel & Petrols, 6 & 7 speeds.

If the Hand Brake applied pre selecting 'P'/Park, and the Pawl being engaged does the job for those that have a clunk

& it stops that happening,,

then that is probably a good practice for them to follow.

george

I am copying and pasting Expatmans advice,here it is:

"Exactly - that is what the clunk is, the strain being released from the gearbox! However, IMO it is best to avoid the strain by putting the handbrake on before moving into P on any form of slope. Rather brakes took the strain than expensive DSG gearbox."

I have used this proceedure on the slope I usually park on this morning,and guess what? No more clunk.

I am copying and pasting Expatmans advice,here it is:

"Exactly - that is what the clunk is, the strain being released from the gearbox! However, IMO it is best to avoid the strain by putting the handbrake on before moving into P on any form of slope. Rather brakes took the strain than expensive DSG gearbox."

I have used this proceedure on the slope I usually park on this morning,and guess what? No more clunk.

Pleased it worked for you.

I have driven automatics for 25+ years both in UK and in USA and all autos are prone to the 'clunk' if the autobox is torqued up. The advice to apply brake before moving into P came originally from a US automechanic, although he admitted that most US drivers never use the handbrake at all. As he said - ' gives me repair business after a few years'!

The clunk must be a feature of just 'some' DSG equipped vehicles being parked on slopes then,

because it has never featured in any i drive, & that has been quite a few Diesel & Petrols, 6 & 7 speeds.

If the Hand Brake applied pre selecting 'P'/Park, and the Pawl being engaged does the job for those that have a clunk

& it stops that happening,,

then that is probably a good practice for them to follow.

george

No not a feature, just us being lazy causing the problem.

:lol:

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