DSG Niggles - Starting Off

[SiSuperb]

OK, I will admit that this is the only niggle I have with a car which is otherwise absolutely perfect. I love it. (Superb DSG 150 L&K Hatchback, coming up 1 year old). 

 

I've driven a few different VAG cars with DSG (Passat, Golf, Octavia, Leon) and it's something I've noticed in varying degrees depending on the car. It's definitely a problem that is evident in my Superb: the DSG box can be very jerky at low/crawl speeds and when setting off!

 

Here's a few scenarios where this issue is most obvious:

 

• Starting off in slow traffic on level ground - you have to shove the accelerator quite hard to disengage AutoHold, and then clap on the brakes! If I can get away with it, I'll keep the brake on very lightly so that I can move off again before the AutoHold engages. It's not always possible though!
• Starting off on a downward slope - it's really hard to get the balance right here. Again, you have to press the accelerator quite hard to get the car rolling, but the AutoHold lets off the brakes with quite a jerk (imagine in a manual car releasing the foot brake whilst slightly pressing the accelerator - that's what I mean!)
• Inching out of a junction - AutoHold can be a real pain here sometimes, jamming on the brakes with quite a jerk when one is trying to edge forwards
• Getting into a tight parking space or driveway - as above (I have Park Assist but it's not always relevant to use it in every scenario)

 

I live in South Devon so the majority of roads are on hills. The Hill Hold Control is extremely useful, and the AutoHold can be useful too. Just sometimes it's an absolute pain and doesn't contribute to a comfortable ride!

 

I've read several threads on here but some are a few years old and others aren't conclusive on this particular topic (

Is there a way to disable the AutoHold function, or are there any other changes I can make?

 

Thanks in advance!

[BillyJim]

40 minutes ago, SiSuperb said:

Is there a way to disable the AutoHold function

 

RTFM...

[Lol6]

I know I am in a minority saying this but having just read of another catastrophic dsg failure, plus this other stuff, I am very pleased to have a gear lever and a pedal with which to exercise my left foot.

 

Just personal taste you understand.

[SiSuperb]

BillyJim... read the manual, LOL I can't believe it's that simple. Honestly I thought it was a much more complex issue than the simple press of a button. When I got the car, I vowed I would read through the manual to make sure I understood everything. A year on, I still haven't done it

 

Funny though, I did lots of googling and searched the manual... must have just used the wrong terminology!

 

I shall try it out.

 

Lol6 - Most of the time I love the DSG (having had a manual before that). It'll be interesting to see if my opinion of the DSG improves after turning the Auto Hold off. I rather think it will. I read on another post here that using Sport mode in low speeds helps to reduce the jerkiness between 2nd and 3rd gears. I've also noticed quite a jerk when it drops down from 3rd to 2nd braking quite hard. There's a traffic light junction which I travel through most days; it's a sharpish right-hand bend on a fairly steep slope, and that's when it's most noticeable if you're braking hard for the lights...

 

Another thing I've noticed is that the car stalls relatively easily - it's happened 5 or 6 times in the past year. Seems to be specially when crawling out of a space at very low speed. I was quite surprised!

 

So overall, this is a brilliant car. I just think the DSG box has dropped down the rankings a bit in recent years compared to other boxes (my dad has a Merc Viano people-carrier with the loveliest auto box I've ever experienced). It's time the DSG had a bit of investment and development IMHO!

[JR RS]

i have no issues with auto-hold and DSG on mine.  works nicely.

love it actually.

no jerkiness.

 

if i happen to have start-stop enabled too, then single tap of accelerator to restart the engine, car will still b held by auto-hold, then continue with normal acceleration.

 

u shouldn't have to "shove" the accelerator to get it going off auto-hold.

a feather touch of the accelerator is all that is needed.

 

if this is not the case for u, then get ur auto-hold checked as it may not be fully disengaging the brakes as it should!!

[Ootohere]

Brakes need inspecting, not the DSG.

The Autohold mal-function being the issue likely,  leave your car with the dealership for the Master Tech to figure out the fault,

and get a loan of a similar Demonstrator or courtesy car with DSG / Autohold / Electric Handbrake and compare.

[SiSuperb]

Thanks for the advice guys - however lightly I touch the accelerator, sometimes it gives quite a kick starting off. Maybe shove was the wrong word - I don't mean flooring it, just often it seems to need more than just a feather touch to get it going again. I'm beginning to think maybe it is the brakes holding on too hard... I'll have a word with the dealer.

 

Nice-looking car BTW JR RS 

[Superb170]

3 minutes ago, SiSuperb said:

Thanks for the advice guys - however lightly I touch the accelerator, sometimes it gives quite a kick starting off. Maybe shove was the wrong word - I don't mean flooring it, just often it seems to need more than just a feather touch to get it going again. I'm beginning to think maybe it is the brakes holding on too hard... I'll have a word with the dealer.

 

Nice-looking car BTW JR RS 

I do find this happens a bit but just assume it is normal with the DSG.  It is not particularly annoying though.  It is more noticeable when the engine is cold however.

[Matt_FW]

I've raised this issue with the dealer while mine is in, the auto hold seemed very reluctant to release meaning a jolt forward. This must put strain on the gearbox and clutch but even if it doesn't it's not right. The Golf I'm in awaiting mine to come back is smooth setting off, auto hold releasing instantly.

[SiSuperb]

Thanks Matt, yeah it's just uncomfortable for passengers in particular. It really is quite a jolt sometimes. Actually a bit embarrassing too cos I'm sure it must feel like I'm driving like a jerk!  

 

My wife gets car-sick fairly easily so every little helps!

 

It would be interesting to hear what the dealer says...

[Lol6]

5 hours ago, SiSuperb said:

BillyJim... read the manual, LOL I can't believe it's that simple. Honestly I thought it was a much more complex issue than the simple press of a button. When I got the car, I vowed I would read through the manual to make sure I understood everything. A year on, I still haven't done it

 

Funny though, I did lots of googling and searched the manual... must have just used the wrong terminology!

 

I shall try it out.

 

Lol6 - Most of the time I love the DSG (having had a manual before that). It'll be interesting to see if my opinion of the DSG improves after turning the Auto Hold off. I rather think it will. I read on another post here that using Sport mode in low speeds helps to reduce the jerkiness between 2nd and 3rd gears. I've also noticed quite a jerk when it drops down from 3rd to 2nd braking quite hard. There's a traffic light junction which I travel through most days; it's a sharpish right-hand bend on a fairly steep slope, and that's when it's most noticeable if you're braking hard for the lights...

 

Another thing I've noticed is that the car stalls relatively easily - it's happened 5 or 6 times in the past year. Seems to be specially when crawling out of a space at very low speed. I was quite surprised!

 

So overall, this is a brilliant car. I just think the DSG box has dropped down the rankings a bit in recent years compared to other boxes (my dad has a Merc Viano people-carrier with the loveliest auto box I've ever experienced). It's time the DSG had a bit of investment and development IMHO!

 

@SiSuperb I tow a caravan and prefer a manual gearbox for that task.  An automatic for town driving is great, but the change on the manual box is so light and smooth I do not find it a chore, just part of the mechanical action of driving I enjoy.  I am just uncomfortable with the VW dsg.  The best auto I have ever driven was on a BMW 4 series.

 

As one of our other colleagues said the problem here appears to be more brakes than gearbox.  However, with the manual box I don't suffer from the same problems.  I hope you can get it sorted to your satisfaction.

[facet edge]

I think there is something wrong as my brake comes off very easily. You should not have any jerking at all on down changes either.

[nicknorman]

4 hours ago, facet edge said:

I think there is something wrong as my brake comes off very easily. You should not have any jerking at all on down changes either.

Agreed. I can just about detect the downchanges but certainly wouldn’t describe them as jerks. As to the auto-hold, I use 2 dabs. First dab of the throttle restarts the car (if auto stop start active), second disengages the autohold and moves the car off. I do find that if the engine is stopped and you just press the throttle, there is a little bit of a jerk as the engine starts and then moves off momentarily fighting the auto-hold.

[SiSuperb]

Seems like turning off the AutoHold has solved a lot of the problems. I can see that I'll be turning it off and on to suit whatever driving I'm doing but that's fine for me. Talk about the solution staring me in the face!! 

 

NickNorman - yes the 'two dabs' is exactly what I was doing. Most of the time though, there was quite a jolt when moving off. Turning off AutoHold sorts that problem (although you then have to keep your foot on the brake, or apply the electronic handbrake so it's a swings and roundabouts situ!)

 

[BillyJim]

But... it shouldn't be jerky at all. Mine is, as others have also stated, nice and smooth.

The only time I switch Auto Hold off is on the odd occasion when manoeuvring at low speed.

Turning Auto Hold off should not be your solution. I'd still get it looked at as soon as convenient.

[dg360]

The stalling doesn't sound right at all either

[freelunch]

Jerky starts, stalling? If this was 20 years ago, I'd have said your idle was too low. 

[SiSuperb]

Cheers guys, yep I think it's time for a trip to the dealers...

[freelunch]

@SiSuperb I normally drive with stop/start activated. Lately, it's colder and the car sits unused for a week at a time and I've noticed that the battery management system disallows the stop/start until the battery has been sufficiently recharged. So yesterday, I switched off the stop/start after starting the car. Now I notice that auto hold has taken over. So I can understand your first post complaint about having to really put your foot in the pedal before anything happens. I used to have this problem, too.

 

Now, I have DTUK's Pedal Box installed on my car. You might be interested, because it corrects the slack responsiveness of the standard throttle position. When auto hold is activated, it only takes the slightest press on the pedal to get things rolling. There are other threads about pedal boxes you might find interesting. It might be the answer to your problem?  DTUK do a 14-day money-back guarantee.

[rtj70]

I have a 1.4TSI DSG equipped S3 and only a tiny amount of pressure on the accelerator is needed to disengage auto-hold or the electronic parking handbrake. It was the same on my previous car (Audi A3) with the same engine/gearbox combination for the EPB (that didn't come with auto-hold as standard).

[Whenwillilearn]

Same as rtj70 my car needs only small throttle input to release the autohold and parking brake. Only after is the dsg far from smooth.