DSG Technique

[Mph25]

Coming from 50 years of manual and clutch preservation - I tend to want to knock the car into neutral at stops of more than a few seconds. For a start it saves the guy behind staring at my brake lights - which can be annoying.

 

However - is there any advantage or disadvantage from a mechanical point of view in doing - or not doing this  - with a DSG?

[Brijo]

My approach too is one of consideration for both the chap behind and my own gearbox:  a few seconds is OK, but any longer means shifting to N. 

[Phil-E]

Coming from 50 years of manual and clutch preservation - I tend to want to knock the car into neutral at stops of more than a few seconds. For a start it saves the guy behind staring at my brake lights - which can be annoying.

 

However - is there any advantage or disadvantage from a mechanical point of view in doing - or not doing this  - with a DSG?

 

Yes there is. While the car is in D and stopped the clutch is partially engaged. Putting it in N fully disengages the clutch.

 

So you could save some minimal clutch wear, oil degradation and fuel.

 

Phil

[Mph25]

Yes there is. While the car is in D and stopped the clutch is partially engaged. Putting it in N fully disengages the clutch.

 

So you could save some minimal clutch wear, oil degradation and fuel.

 

Phil

Seems kind of win/win then

[Phil-E]

Yes. And if you put it into N then to get it back to D as long as your foot is on the brake you don't even need to press the button on the lever to get back into D so quick to get moving again.

 

Phil

[Camberley_Chris]

I'm with the rest of you on this, also having driven autos for over 40 years and considerate of the driver behind. Although the brochure or handbook says it is OK to keep the DSG in Drive I agree with Phil-E that there must be some wear in doing that and applying the handbrake and slipping into Neutral if stopped for more than a few seconds seems sensible. There are too many lazy and inconsiderate drivers around already, the world doesn't need any more.   

[psycholist]

On a slightly linked question, with a manual gearbox and stop/start activated, the engine will stop if you put the car in neutral and let the clutch back up and restart again when you push the clutch down. Do you have to put the DSG in neutral for stop start to work? If that is the case then the DSG designers expect the gearbox to be used like this, so further justification .

[Mph25]

On a slightly linked question, with a manual gearbox and stop/start activated, the engine will stop if you put the car in neutral and let the clutch back up and restart again when you push the clutch down. Do you have to put the DSG in neutral for stop start to work? If that is the case then the DSG designers expect the gearbox to be used like this, so further justification .

No it stops in D - except I always turn the irritating device off! I cannot imagine the extra wear and tear on the battery, cam belt and other bits and pieces!

[LS108]

Coming from 50 years of manual and clutch preservation - I tend to want to knock the car into neutral at stops of more than a few seconds. For a start it saves the guy behind staring at my brake lights - which can be annoying.

 

However - is there any advantage or disadvantage from a mechanical point of view in doing - or not doing this  - with a DSG?

 

You put car into Neutral without holding it with brakes?

[Mph25]

You put car into Neutral without holding it with brakes?

Yes - especially on a hill - I just let it roll back into the guy behind.

 

I do have a handbrake fitted to mine!  :p

[LS108]

Yes - especially on a hill - I just let it roll back into the guy behind.

 

I do have a handbrake fitted to mine!  :p

 

I wonder would it be better to use P instead of N? 

Edited 28 November, 2014 by LS108

[Mph25]

I wonder would it be better to use P instead of N?

It's a thought. . Don't know, though it makes a longer selector movement required.

[peterposh]

I test drove a dsg model and when i stopped at a hill junction i used the foot brake while I looked for a gap in the traffic but the engine cut out doing it's start stop malarkey so when I pressed the throttle to move off the car rolled back about a metre before the engine managed to restart / grabbed the handbrake, clearly there are different techniques compared with my last traditional auto box. Seems pointless getting a dsg box when you have to faff about selecting n and d , you might as well have a manual which is what I chose

Edited 29 November, 2014 by peterposh

[john999boy]

Do the new cars have the auto handbrake aka VW, Audi etc as that IMO is a fantastic thing to have?

[LS108]

I test drove a dsg model and when i stopped at a hill junction i used the foot brake while I looked for a gap in the traffic but the engine cut out doing it's start stop malarkey so when I pressed the throttle to move off the car rolled back about a metre before the engine managed to restart / grabbed the handbrake, clearly there are different techniques compared with my last traditional auto box. Seems pointless getting a dsg box when you have to faff about selecting n and d , you might as well have a manual which is what I chose

The only relevant reason of start-stop system I think is to show lower Co2 emissions on paper. That's it. First thing after starting the car I disable it.

[linni]

Do the new cars have the auto handbrake aka VW, Audi etc as that IMO is a fantastic thing to have?

 

Unfortunately not.

[Phil-E]

I test drove a dsg model and when i stopped at a hill junction i used the foot brake while I looked for a gap in the traffic but the engine cut out doing it's start stop malarkey so when I pressed the throttle to move off the car rolled back about a metre before the engine managed to restart / grabbed the handbrake, clearly there are different techniques compared with my last traditional auto box. Seems pointless getting a dsg box when you have to faff about selecting n and d , you might as well have a manual which is what I chose

 

The trick with start stop on a d DSG is that if you have your foot firmly on the brake pedal it will stop the engine.

 

If you release a bit of pressure on the pedal but still enough to hold the brakes on the engine will restart.

 

I'm surprised the model you drove didn't have hill hold though!

 

Phil

[Mph25]

The trick with start stop on a d DSG is that if you have your foot firmly on the brake pedal it will stop the engine.

 

If you release a bit of pressure on the pedal but still enough to hold the brakes on the engine will restart.

 

I'm surprised the model you drove didn't have hill hold though!

 

Phil

Mine is DSG without Hill hold.  I too disable the bloody start stop - but sometimes only after the damn thing has caught me out.  I hate looking down to check where the button is too, as it is on the far side of the selector lever with two other buttons.  Of course there is room for four buttons on my side of the selector - but they are all blanked off!  :(

 

For me start stop is a stupid gimmick designed to improve the theoretical (untrue) mpg figures.  It would only be useful in situations where you were stopping every few seconds when it would drive me mad anyway - as well as increasing wear and tear on the car.

[Alvaro]

So you could save some minimal clutch wear, oil degradation and fuel.

 

And you are making the mechatronic mechanism to work, which at the end fails.

 

Experience learned from hundreds of taxi drivers with DSG cars here in Spain: NEVER put the gear lever in position N in short stops if you make frequent urban driving. If you do so, do not expect the mechatronic to last too much. Tipically, around 100K km.

 

Now forewarned...

[Mph25]

And you are making the mechatronic mechanism to work, which at the end fails.

 

Experience learned from hundreds of taxi drivers with DSG cars here in Spain: NEVER put the gear lever in position N in short stops if you make frequent urban driving. If you do so, do not expect the mechatronic to last too much. Tipically, around 100K km.

 

Now forewarned...

 

Interesting

[old newbie2]

I wonder would it be better to use P instead of N? 

Bad Idea, P is for when the car is parked & should only be selected / deselected whilst the foot or hand brake is applied.

 

Applying P on a gradient will apply stress to the mechanism, & releasing it in these circumstances can cause more damage.

 

Also, holding the car on the foot-brake whilst in D causes very little wear to the clutches, as they are only just dragging, but leaving the car in D

& holding the car on hand-brake is a big no-no, the clutches are trying to start the car moving, & could quite easily burn-out.

 

IMVHO, stop-start is a joke, as has already been stated, but hill hold (it's fitted to my EOS but not to our two Skodas) is very useful for hill-starts, especially if you are used to a conventional

auto-box but co-ordinating the hand-brake & throttle isn't to difficult.

 

DC

[LS108]

Bad Idea, P is for when the car is parked & should only be selected / deselected whilst the foot or hand brake is applied.

 

Applying P on a gradient will apply stress to the mechanism, & releasing it in these circumstances can cause more damage.

 

Also, holding the car on the foot-brake whilst in D causes very little wear to the clutches, as they are only just dragging, but leaving the car in D

& holding the car on hand-brake is a big no-no, the clutches are trying to start the car moving, & could quite easily burn-out.

 

IMVHO, stop-start is a joke, as has already been stated, but hill hold (it's fitted to my EOS but not to our two Skodas) is very useful for hill-starts, especially if you are used to a conventional

auto-box but co-ordinating the hand-brake & throttle isn't to difficult.

 

DC

 

Well, my question was more theoretical. I personally have simple approach to DSG - D is for drive, N is for towing, P is for standing in one place longer than 5 min (in reality this does not happen more often than once per 3 months). 

[old newbie2]

Well, my question was more theoretical. I personally have simple approach to DSG - D is for drive, N is for towing, P is for standing in one place longer than 5 min (in reality this does not happen more often than once per 3 months). 

If you are going to leave the car when it is parked, you have to leave it in "P" to remove the key.................

 

DC

[LS108]

In case the car have the key

[Brijo]

.... N is for towing, ..

 

Good one!