How does hill hold work?

[Pjm57]

I am tempted to have hill hold activated on my 1.2SEL DSG. I did have it on my Audi A3 and it worked well. Has anyone got it fitted and how do they find it? Does it cause jerky take offs and out of curiosity how does it work?

[the_raz]

I find the Hill hold really nice. When you release the clutch the brakes let go at the same time, so starting is no different than on level ground.

I assume that the hill hold works by maintaining the break pressure even though the pedal is released. 

[jxenos]

If you are facing up an incline when you come to a stop, the brakes will engage to prevent rollback. If you take your foot off the brake, hill hold will hold the car for a few sessions before crawling like a regular auto.

It can be a little jerky if you don't realise what is happening and just mash the accelerator pedal - same as city stop.

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[rum4mo]

I keep meaning to get wife to watch and report to me what is happening, though it would probably be best if I did the watching, really to see if all wheels or just the rears stay "braked" for a second or two after the clutch is released.  Easy to understand on my Audi S4 as it has an electric handbrake.

[pfaff]

Ive got it, even for preventing rolling forwards downhill. Dont give it any notice at all but its probably more noticable if you enabling the stop-start mode. Which I always disable at start. That delay doesnt suit me.

[Pjm57]

So in its Skoda guise it only holds for a few seconds? The Audi version held until you accelerated through it.

[rum4mo]

So in its Skoda guise it only holds for a few seconds? The Audi version held until you accelerated through it.

 

Sort of with VAG cars with electric handbrakes, in the manual trans models, the clutch pedal has at least one switch, when the "lift" contacts are made, the handbrake motors get switched on and retract the rear pads. I've only noticed the hill assist in wife's manual trans Polo a few times, and once or twice noticed that when taking away briskly, the brakes do hold it back at bit initially as I've accidentally "beaten" this simple system.

Edited 6 November, 2015 by rum4mo

[Huskoda]

I keep meaning to get wife to watch and report to me what is happening, though it would probably be best if I did the watching, really to see if all wheels or just the rears stay "braked" for a second or two after the clutch is released. Easy to understand on my Audi S4 as it has an electric handbrake.

It doesn't involve the handbrake in any way on cars with real ones. It just locks valves in the ABS unit so the fluid can't come back out if the calipers. If you come to a stop with very light braking on an incline the car may roll back as it just locks the brakes at the pressure you left them at.

[Pjm57]

Is the abs system used in the Skoda? If it only holds for a few seconds it seems to defeat the object. I was hoping it would be the same as the A3. If you stopped it held it until you pressed thecacceleratorvand deliberately drove 'through it'. As the Fabia has a manual handbrake perhaps it is different.

[rum4mo]

Yes, it only uses the hydraulic brake fluid control - which comes from the ABS controller.  On cars with the electric handbrake it uses the control of the motor, though you are warned that "hill assist" should not be expected to be a same as using the handbrake, as the "hill assist" will "come off" under most conditions where the car is made to move, where as the handbrake needs a few conditions to be met before it "comes off" - ie driver's door closed + seatbelt on for "auto release" or at least "foot on brake" to release by switch.

[Neo_VR]

Can hill-hold be activated via VCDS? 

 

I see its an option on the fabia.. even my Citigo has it as standard.

 

It is quite handy, as it holds the car on while transitioning from taking foot off brake and onto accelerator, and it releases as soon as you lift the clutch, so you dont need to use the handbrake for moving-off on hills.

[fabiamk2SE]

So in its Skoda guise it only holds for a few seconds? The Audi version held until you accelerated through it.

 

the Ford version holds for 5 seconds. then youll roll backwards if you dont act on it before hand

[trundlenut]

Can hill-hold be activated via VCDS?

I see its an option on the fabia.. even my Citigo has it as standard.

It is quite handy, as it holds the car on while transitioning from taking foot off brake and onto accelerator, and it releases as soon as you lift the clutch, so you dont need to use the handbrake for moving-off on hills.

It depends on the exact version of the abs controller fitted.

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[SoupDragon]

I can tell a bit about how it works (not the mechanicals but the practice) with the 1.2 110ps with DSG. The hill hold function is an integral part of the DSG operation and restart system. If you come to a halt on a gradient and hold your foot on the brake pedal enough to stop the car rolling, the engine stops. Keep the engine stopped by maintaining the pressure on the brake pedal, which is something I do not like to do but here is a way round that.

    When you want to move off, you release the brake pedal and the engine will restart. There is now a period of between 1 and 2 seconds when the brake pressure is maintained during which period, you apply throttle to move off. It works reliably and well, but you have to feather your throttle input so gently to avoid a jerky/jumpy start. It took me a lot off practice to get a smooth pull away but now I am moderately confident I am not going to get complaints from the passengers. The downside is that it really does take about a second longer to make a smooth start than with a regular gear box and clutch.

  There are things you can do to make it a bit easier. First is to move the gear lever to Park after the car has completely stopped moving. In Park, the engine will either stop or idle depending on the stop/start switch. Then you can apply the hand brake. In Park, if the engine is stopped, it can be restarted by touching the throttle so that it is ready to run by the time you have selected Drive, then release the handbrake and apply the throttle for a smooth take off. The other thing that helps with a smooth restart is to just disable the start/stop. Reversing is another matter. It's OK if you are, say, parallel parking because the change from forward to reverse does not stop the engine or apply the hill hold. But if the hill hold activates between forward and reverse, the back end of the car lifts up and can make a sudden reverse lurch if you are not super careful. 

[pipsyp]

Yes Hill Hold Control is different to Auto hold as found on some other VAG group cars.

Hill hold....the car maintains applied braking pressure through the ABS pump on all four wheels for 5 secs or so after letting go of the footbrake....comes off as soon as the clutch is lifted and forward movement is sensed.

Auto hold maintains applied pressure on all four wheels permanently until the clutch is lifted and forward motion is sensed. Its switchable and only fitted on cars with an e-handbrake. Was a cheap optional extra on cars like the A4 for a long while but is standard fit on the Mk7 Golf and other newer e-handbrake equipped VAG cars.

Technically speaking the car will just sit there with the brakes on (and the brake light illuminated) until you try to drive off. On some cars removing your seatbelt or opening the drivers door when at a standstill and auto hold is active will trigger the handbrake.

My new Mk7 Golf Auto Hold works without a seatbelt and can be turned on and off still but the handbrake still comes on when the drivers door is open....annoying when you are trying to park but turning auto hold off stops it happening I think.

[fabiamk2SE]

Its a good feature on a petrol imo, as they dont have the low down torque. 

 

However on a decent powered diesel, you dont really need it, as you can pull away on tickover just by releasing the clutch with no throttle input. 

[pipsyp]

Its a good feature on a petrol imo, as they dont have the low down torque.

However on a decent powered diesel, you dont really need it, as you can pull away on tickover just by releasing the clutch with no throttle input.

Pretty necessary on a DSG too as they can be prone to rolling backwards on a slope when pulling away even in D...the clutches sometimes being a little slow to come together.

I had a Mk2 Octavia vRS DSG without Hill Hold and it was bloody horrible in those situations.

I think the DSG equipped Fabias come with it anyway though.

[fabiamk2SE]

Pretty necessary on a DSG too as they can be prone to rolling backwards on a slope when pulling away even in D...the clutches sometimes being a little slow to come together.

I had a Mk2 Octavia vRS DSG without Hill Hold and it was bloody horrible in those situations.

I think the DSG equipped Fabias come with it anyway though.

 

ah didnt realise that.

 

DSG golfs must come with it as standard then. 

 

we had a 2010 CR140 DSG and that would pull forward with torque if you let your foot off the brake on tickover

[pipsyp]

ah didnt realise that.

DSG golfs must come with it as standard then.

we had a 2010 CR140 DSG and that would pull forward with torque if you let your foot off the brake on tickover

Indeed they creep but sometimes the box forgets to engage the clutches...or quick enough anyway.....you go to drive away...and with a flurry of revs and mucb embarrasment you roll backwards :-)

Id never have a DSG without hill or auto hold now.

[fabiamk2SE]

Indeed they creep but sometimes the box forgets to engage the clutches...or quick enough anyway.....you go to drive away...and with a flurry of revs and mucb embarrasment you roll backwards :-)

Id never have a DSG without hill or auto hold now.

haha brilliant. 

 

ive seen plenty do that in a manual on a hill too though, so nothings completely idiot proof  

[abaday789]

Found this on the skoda website http://www.skoda-auto.com/en/models/hotspotdetail?HotspotName=C18+-+Asistent+rozjezdu+do+kopce+[Fabia%2CRoomster%2C+Octavia%2C+Yeti%2C+Superb]&Page=technology&WebID=ae2ae2a8-0c6f-4493-9d23-38f65b4ea067

[Damo]

I've had hill hold activated via vcds

Highly recommended

[rum4mo]

What I wrote about Hill Assist, well on the Audi B8 A4 is totally ballocks, I was corrected but continued to say that Hill Assist, as Audi calls it does the same as Hill Hold does on other VW Group marques with the proviso that it holds maybe for ever and not just the 3 or 4 or 5 seconds that Hill Hold keeps the brakes on for. Plenty safety bits with Audi Hill Assist though and probably other marques, switch engine off with it engaged and the electric handbrake gets applied and Hill Assist released, same if taking driver's seat belt off and/or opening driver's door.

 

One thing for anyone that has not driven a car with Hill Hold, it will never engage if the car is in neutral, that confused me for a while as after reversing out of the garage, and waiting for wife to close/lock the garage door, when in neutral the car would run forward if I left Hill Hold to hold it!

 

Edit:- I like to try to be kind to that Polo and after engaging reverse, ease the clutch up slowly to try to just get the drive engaging as the Hill Hold releases. (6MT)

Edited 2 June, 2017 by rum4mo

[philbes]

On ‎26‎/‎11‎/‎2015 at 19:55, pipsyp said:

Pretty necessary on a DSG too as they can be prone to rolling backwards on a slope when pulling away even in D...the clutches sometimes being a little slow to come together.

I had a Mk2 Octavia vRS DSG without Hill Hold and it was bloody horrible in those situations.

I think the DSG equipped Fabias come with it anyway though.

My MKII FL DSG has never shown that behaviour in over 35K miles and I live in the Cotswolds so plenty of hill starts.  I release the handbrake as I apply light throttle and had NEVER had the car roll back even when facing up a 1 in 8 hill.  Are you sure that you don't have a fault in the DSG?

[Rooted]

If there was a fault with thew DSG in the Mk2 Octavia getting on for 2 years ago in the quote box you would hope it would be dealt with by now....

 

Hill Hold Assist or what ever the current name is on the Fabia works as in stooping the roll back when moving your foot from brake to accelerator.

With hand brake and throttle you are doing as drivers have done for decades pre Hillhold Assist / Control or what ever name is used for the 2-3 seconds hold.

Edited 24 June, 2017 by Awayoffski