1.4 tsi and DSG

[obi604]

In regard to the Skoda Octavia II with the 1.4 TSI engine.

im looking at buying the 122 BHP version - from 2009 onwards................with DSG

I think this particular one has the 7 speed DSG with a pair of dry friction clutches

Anyone have any comments on this 122 BHP car in regards to power, reliability, MPG and just the general drive, is it slow ?

Also, any specific comments on this 7 speed DSG ?

Ive seen alot of stuff about issues with these DSG boxes > mechatronic units, failure of the boxes and some people say not to even buy them outside of warranty as if something goes wrong, its going to cost you......lots

EDIT : YET ANOTHER QUESTION FROM ME : I do 7000 miles a year and 80% of that is start/stop city centre traffic. In fact my commute to work is 4 miles and takes 20 minutes >>>> how would this suit the DSG and would MPG be very bad in conditions like this ?

SORRY for all the pedantic questions.

Edited 29 November, 2012 by obi604

[Auric Goldfinger]

I cannot comment on the 122 bhp Octavia DSG but we have a Fabia Vrs (180BHP ) with the same box and it's a dream.

you need to get to know the box, it has a slight hesitation from a stand ( I think it does ) in " D " but you can drive around this.

It's the 8th wonder of the World

[k.young]

My 6speed DSG box now has 522,000kms on it and still working perfectly. I know its not the same box but they are obviously built very well.

[Perc]

I have exactly that combination. I've put about 800 kilometers on it since I got it so I can't comment on long-term ownership quite yet, but I love it so far.

It can't obviously compare to the performance of the 210hp/320Nm Volvo 2.5T I had before, but I wasn't expecting that either, and 122hp with a very flat torque curve certainly doesn't make the car feel underpowered.

During normal puttering around town the DSG swaps in cog after cog after cog, never exceeding 2000rpm. With the shifter left in D, the engine pulls nicely from a smidge over 1000rpm with zero complaints from neither the driver nor the engine. This, along with the fact that you can't even hear the engine at normal revs, is what I imagine it feels like to drive an electric car.

As for the DSG... my last 3 cars had conventional automatics, and the DSG sure is a bit different. Gearchanges are as smooth as they can be, you don't notice them if you aren't paying attention. I absolutely love it and see no reason to go back to a normal slushbox at this point.

Parallel parking, hill starts, and so forth is slightly different since there's a robotized clutch involved instead of a constantly slipping torque converter... but you get used to it quickly. The main thing is that the DSG dumps the clutch rather ferociously if you are too brisk with the accelerator. In the wet, this results in wheelspin off the line... even with the 1.2TSI dealer demonstrator. Oops.

I also had several people tell me to avoid DSG because of the possible issues they can have, but I just couldn't. It's so lovely to drive, and I swore off manuals in my daily drivers many years ago already. Sure, some people have had issues with them, but I'm hoping mine will be trouble free. Most DSGs are, after all. It's just the vocal few that you hear about, like always.

Edited 29 November, 2012 by Perc

[obi604]

Excellent replies so far -- that's why I LOVE this website !

[sly200sx]

I cannot comment on the 122 bhp Octavia DSG but we have a Fabia Vrs (180BHP ) with the same box and it's a dream.

you need to get to know the box, it has a slight hesitation from a stand ( I think it does ) in " D " but you can drive around this.

It's the 8th wonder of the World

Lol 8th? The DSG's are fab, but the 180 horse unit is a greedy oil drinking bugger. In my bocanegra (now gone) had 2 engines....

[eccleshill]

The 7 speed DSG box is a wonder of mechanical and electronic design. It has a few little quirks that you soon get used to and then you just love it!

Sure a few have had problems but a whole lot more are 100% trouble free.

[obi604]

Anyone else ; )

[tony2311]

i have a 1.2 dsg and in 18months 19000miles, the mechatronic units has fail resulting in slight jerky gear changes , Skoda has agree to replace the unit under warrentee, i get 36mpg in town. would i buy dsg again, there is no way i want a manual or normal gearbox as dsg is so smooth and engine is so quiet making the journey so relaxing

Edited 30 November, 2012 by tony2311

[obi604]

I know you got it repaired under warranty, but any idea how much this costs to get replaced ?

[eccleshill]

At the end of the day if you start thinking about everything that could go wrong and how much it will cost you can easily talk yourself out of buying any car.

Don't know the real costs but you get the idea -

DSG - new mechatronic unit - £2000

Turbo can fail - £1500 repair if it doesn't take the engine with it.

DPF - another £1500

DMF - £1000

Fabia VRs 1.4's "all" burn vast quantities of oil and need new engines after a few thousand miles

etc, etc, etc

If you look through the pages of this forum you will scare yourself out of buying anything. The number of posts where folk are reporting problems will always be disproportionate. Wish I could find the quote to properly acknowledge it but someone on here put it brilliantly well:

Looking on a forum like Briskoda to determine how reliable a car is, is like walking into a hospital and concluding that humanity is doomed 'cos everyone is seriously ill.

I have done 24k trouble free miles in 2yrs with this 1.8TSi DSG Octavia Elegance and I love driving it so much that I regularly add a 30 mile detour to my 8 mile commute just to drive it more. If I can afford it (not a foregone conclusion!) my next car will be another DSG to the point where I will drop a level (maybe even 2) on spec to have another.

[7oaksoda]

Although i don't have the DSG, I do have a 10 plate Octavia with the 1.4 TSI - engine is very good, accelerates well given it's size (turbo helps with this) although it doesn't have the supercharger that the higher powered Fabia VRS version gets. I have a 30 mile round trip for work every day mainly A roads and get around 40-41 mpg (own calcuations). Does seem to use oil, serviced three months ago and I'm already topping it up again as level dropped to nearly half, but this is a minor thing and outweighed by the performance of the engine. My first petrol after years of diesels and don't think I'd go back to diesel now. The mark 3 Octy I think is getting an updated, lower co2 version of the 1.4 TSI which I may consider but I'm very happy with what I have in the mark 2.

[obi604]

At the end of the day if you start thinking about everything that could go wrong and how much it will cost you can easily talk yourself out of buying any car.

Don't know the real costs but you get the idea -

DSG - new mechatronic unit - £2000

Turbo can fail - £1500 repair if it doesn't take the engine with it.

DPF - another £1500

DMF - £1000

Fabia VRs 1.4's "all" burn vast quantities of oil and need new engines after a few thousand miles

etc, etc, etc

If you look through the pages of this forum you will scare yourself out of buying anything. The number of posts where folk are reporting problems will always be disproportionate. Wish I could find the quote to properly acknowledge it but someone on here put it brilliantly well:

Looking on a forum like Briskoda to determine how reliable a car is, is like walking into a hospital and concluding that humanity is doomed 'cos everyone is seriously ill.

I have done 24k trouble free miles in 2yrs with this 1.8TSi DSG Octavia Elegance and I love driving it so much that I regularly add a 30 mile detour to my 8 mile commute just to drive it more. If I can afford it (not a foregone conclusion!) my next car will be another DSG to the point where I will drop a level (maybe even 2) on spec to have another.

I hear what your saying eccleshill, seems that every car has some problems.

Does the 1.4 TSI have a DMF ? Thought that was only in diesel cars ?

Sounds like you love teh 1.8 tsi alright

[tony2311]

Copy from pistonhead

I have worked for an Audi centre for just over two years now. Its hard to talk about reliability because I only ever see cars when they are broken. But I'd say up to 60,000 miles DSG is pretty bullet proof and beyond that your looking for trouble. We do on average 1 DSG mechatronics unit every 2 or 3 months or so. SO yes that is the bit that goes wrong, and Its not cheep, £2-3k i think. Complete box it £5K.

But one every 2-3months is not bad compare to amount of dsg car on the road

[nimchimpsky]

I bought a 2009 1.4 tsi (122bhp) NO DSG though.

I love it, accerlates from 80mph very well in 6th - the turbo kicks in at about +3,5krpm. Never had a turbo before, but by golly they are nice. I do quite a few miles a year and probably should have got the diesel but just thought the petrol was so smooth and powerful. I may take it to jabba sports and get it remapped for another ~30hp, when I get bored in a year or two and fancy a new car.

Edited 30 November, 2012 by nimchimpsky

[Jockdooshbag]

My 6speed DSG box now has 522,000kms on it and still working perfectly. I know its not the same box but they are obviously built very well.

How many KMS???????????? Crikey. Good to know they are robust not that mine will see anything even close to that.

[obi604]

Im hoping for a definitive answer on this as im hearing lots of conflicting reports

I know there are 6 speed DSG's and 7 speed DSG's

I think the 6 speed DSGs are wet clutches immersed in oil and its recommended they be serviced every 40,000 miles

I think the 7 speed DSG boxes are dry clutches and supposedly "sealed for life " and don't need a service.

Can anyone tell me if the 7 speed DSG has any recommended service intervals or is it indeed service free and nothing is recommended to be messed with on it from a servicing point of view ?

Edited 30 November, 2012 by obi604

[Anddenton]

I know you got it repaired under warranty, but any idea how much this costs to get replaced ?

I believe there are now independant places that can repair or refurbish mechatronic units much cheaper than replacing them once they are out of warrenty.

A mate of mine had one or two of the "Sollenoids" I think they are called replaced on the mechatronic in his DSG TT.

[Tom Tallon]

Sorry to put the cat among the pigeons but as rehearsed here many, many times with adulation by owners, why not get the 160 hp 1.8 tsi with dsg if you can lay your hands on one. Turbo lag is not present because of the power of the engine and 0-62 in 7.8 secs is faster then the manual 1.8 tsi.

[Anddenton]

Sorry to put the cat among the pigeons but as rehearsed here many, many times with adulation by owners, why not get the 160 hp 1.8 tsi with dsg if you can lay your hands on one. Turbo lag is not present because of the power of the engine and 0-62 in 7.8 secs is faster then the manual 1.8 tsi.

And as people are claiming mpg of 36 in the 1.2 and 40 in the 1.4 I don't think you would take much of a hit economy wise in the 1.8.

[Perc]

I decided to put my fingers in my ears and LAAALALALALA not testdrive the 1.8TSI at all.

I got to choose between a 1.8TSI DSG hatch and a 1.4TSI DSG estate that the dealer had in stock. I personally think the hatch looks wrong without the vRS trim, and the 1.4 had more options on it as well, so I decided to go for less power.

So far the 1.4 has proven to be a wonderful engine for tooling around town, but when you poke it with a stick it obviously lacks at the top end compared to the 210 horsepower volvo I was coming from.

Edited 30 November, 2012 by Perc

[k.young]

Im hoping for a definitive answer on this as im hearing lots of conflicting reports

I know there are 6 speed DSG's and 7 speed DSG's

I think the 6 speed DSGs are wet clutches immersed in oil and its recommended they be serviced every 40,000 miles

I think the 7 speed DSG boxes are dry clutches and supposedly "sealed for life " and don't need a service.

Can anyone tell me if the 7 speed DSG has any recommended service intervals or is it indeed service free and nothing is recommended to be messed with on it from a servicing point of view ?

I have spoke about this before.Maybe I'm just lucky but I would say my box has only had 3 services in its life.At one stage I let it go nearly 200,000kms without an oil change. I have changed the filter a couple of times in between oil changes. It only ever had one hiccup,on a long drive it got stuck in 1st gear and would not change up. I left it for about 90mins and it reset itself, that was about 100,000kms ago and as per my earlier post it now has 522,000kms on it.

[obi604]

I have spoke about this before.Maybe I'm just lucky but I would say my box has only had 3 services in its life.At one stage I let it go nearly 200,000kms without an oil change. I have changed the filter a couple of times in between oil changes. It only ever had one hiccup,on a long drive it got stuck in 1st gear and would not change up. I left it for about 90mins and it reset itself, that was about 100,000kms ago and as per my earlier post it now has 522,000kms on it.

thanks

But yours is the 6 speed DSG and I know that has a recommended service interval

However, Im asking about the 7 speed DSG and if it has any recommended service intervals

[xman]

IAs far as I knew, DSG 7 speed required oil and filter change every 40,000 miles / 4 years. Its not a DIY job and costs about £200 from what I can remember. It has its own built in oil pump and the micron level filtration is probably the thing that is critical to stop the mechatronics units failing, I suspect.

Having said that this thread seems to support the view that the 7 speed box is sealed for life, maintenance free!

Who knows???

Edited 30 November, 2012 by xman

[obi604]

IAs far as I knew, DSG 7 speed required oil and filter change every 40,000 miles / 4 years. Its not a DIY job and costs about £200 from what I can remember. It has its own built in oil pump and the micron level filtration is probably the thing that is critical to stop the mechatronics units failing, I suspect.

Having said that this thread seems to support the view that the 7 speed box is sealed for life, maintenance free!

Who knows???

All very confusing.