In a week's time I am due to take delivery of a new Skoda Superb estate, 1.4 TSI 150PS DSG.

 

Reading forums and the online manual has left me confused.

 

The car is a DSG. It will have auto-hold (that's standard with DSG across the range). I did not specify "hill hold assist" (or any of the thousand variants of that name) as an option, perhaps foolishly. It seemed to be redundant if auto-hold was present, although I now appreciate the two systems are not the same.

 

So what's the correct procedure, with this combination of AH + DSG but no HHA,  for pulling away in traffic when you come to a stop on a slope?

 

Do I rely on auto-hold kicking in to hold the car? But I believe that only activates (assuming it is turned on) after you keep your foot on the brake for 3s.  Fine and spiffy if you are stationary for a while, but too unresponsive for many situations.

 

Do I rely on the "creep" of the DSG? That is, is the whole scenario a no-brainer? I just come to a stop, lift foot off brake and the car will start to move forward on its own, or (for a steep incline) at least hold itself in place during the brief interval before I can move my foot to the right and tap the gas?

 

Do I switch on the parking brake, then tap the gas to move away, with the PB automatically releasing? Sounds a bit of a faff. 

 

 

I thought DSG equipped cars have hill hold by default? 

 

But it was offered to me as an option, which implies not. 

I recall reading this at the w'end.  In the pricing and spec brochure.  Just rechecked and:

 

"Hill-hold control standard with DSG transmission"

 

???

You're correct: prompted by what you said I Googled and found

http://www.skoda.co.uk/models/superb-estate/features-and-spec

 

Says

 

Hill-hold control (Standard with DSG transmission)

 

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the part of the "customer experience" where I was asked to select options was riddled with inconsistencies. There are so many options, some mutually exclusive or dependent on others, I think the sheet of options I was presented with was simply incorrect in this regard.

 

Well, that nails that one.  Thank you!

 

 

I certainly wouldn't let the car hold on creep as this will wear the clutch packs.

I use auto handbrake which frees the clutch when you are stationary. A light press on the accelerator disengages the handbrake.

4 minutes ago, facet edge said:

I certainly wouldn't let the car hold on creep as this will wear the clutch packs.

I use auto handbrake which frees the clutch when you are stationary. A light press on the accelerator disengages the handbrake.

Yep. It also takes off the brake lights, which stops you dazzling the driver behind.

3 hours ago, Awed said:

Do I switch on the parking brake, then tap the gas to move away, with the PB automatically releasing? Sounds a bit of a faff. 

 

Because the handbrake is just a flick-switch, it's really easy. No faff at all.

 

Enjoy the new car. The DSG is excellent in my experience.

2 hours ago, BriskodaJeff said:

Yep. It also takes off the brake lights, which stops you dazzling the driver behind.

Because the handbrake is just a flick-switch, it's really easy. No faff at all.

 

Enjoy the new car. The DSG is excellent in my experience.

I think you'll find the brake lights are still illuminated with the auto handbrake unfortunately.

Surely not @facet edge? I thought it was hill hold that left the brake lights on. The OP doesn't have it so I would expect the parking brake to hold him and the brake lights to come off once he takes his foot off the pedal. Will check tomorrow on the way home from work in the dark. I must confess I rarely if ever use my hill hold.

From what I've read, auto-hold does leave the brake lights showing. After a certain amount of time on AH (I've read figures of between 3 minutes and 10 minutes), the car automatically releases AH and applies the parking brake, at which point the brake lights would quit. 

 

Auto-Hold "Green" light = brake lights on.

Auto-Hold "Red" light = no brake lights

 

It's a safety thing.

The auto-hold system uses the hydraulic service brake (green) hence the brake light switch being activated.  The parking brake (red) uses actuators on the calipers hence no brake lights.  You have the main vehicle brakes on all wheels in operation with auto-hold.

10 hours ago, Awed said:

In a week's time I am due to take delivery of a new Skoda Superb estate, 1.4 TSI 150PS DSG.

 

Reading forums and the online manual has left me confused.

 

The car is a DSG. It will have auto-hold (that's standard with DSG across the range). I did not specify "hill hold assist" (or any of the thousand variants of that name) as an option, perhaps foolishly. It seemed to be redundant if auto-hold was present, although I now appreciate the two systems are not the same.

 

So what's the correct procedure, with this combination of AH + DSG but no HHA,  for pulling away in traffic when you come to a stop on a slope?

 

Do I rely on auto-hold kicking in to hold the car? But I believe that only activates (assuming it is turned on) after you keep your foot on the brake for 3s.  Fine and spiffy if you are stationary for a while, but too unresponsive for many situations.

 

Do I rely on the "creep" of the DSG? That is, is the whole scenario a no-brainer? I just come to a stop, lift foot off brake and the car will start to move forward on its own, or (for a steep incline) at least hold itself in place during the brief interval before I can move my foot to the right and tap the gas?

 

Do I switch on the parking brake, then tap the gas to move away, with the PB automatically releasing? Sounds a bit of a faff. 

 

 

 

Never given it much thought as to correct procedure but I just move from brake pedal to accelerator. Like you say it's only a brief interval in between swapping pedals. 

Right, STREE.  Exactly what I was hoping for. And it works because, as Penguin17 pointed out, a car with the DSG box *does* include hill assist.  In other words...I never had anything to worry about. Even with auto-hold disengaged, or with it engaged but not activated, the car will not roll on a slope as you swap between the brake and the gas. 

I have found that if you are in a queue and it looks like it's going to be while before you move you can just apply the handbrake. This will extinguish the brake lights. The handbrake will still automatically release when you accelerate.

Not all VW Group vehicles have the Brake Lights on with AUTO HOLD,  or even need to have them on.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/433302-auto-hold-brake-lights 

On 26/02/2018 at 22:52, Awed said:

Right, STREE.  Exactly what I was hoping for. And it works because, as Penguin17 pointed out, a car with the DSG box *does* include hill assist.  In other words...I never had anything to worry about. Even with auto-hold disengaged, or with it engaged but not activated, the car will not roll on a slope as you swap between the brake and the gas. 

 

One thing I do tend to do is drop it into sport if the situation requires it. For example our road joins a main road by way of a hill so you have to wait to pull out whilst sitting on a slope. Dropping it into sport makes pulling out much quicker / safer, just be gentle with the throttle. Actually I tend to use sport on most islands and junctions if I have to come to a stop. I'm sure you know but you can just tap the selector backwards to go into sport and tap it back again to put it back into normal drive. 

Edited 1 March, 20188 yr by STREE

Thanks for the tip STREE.  Due to collect the new car Monday although the weather looks to be making a fair fist of p1551ng on that prospect. No car washes (old-school mechanical or new-style 'pop-up' crew) are working anywhere, so unable to get my current car valeted ready for the trade in; and if things continue as they are, I'll be lucky if my first week of ownership consists of more than just digging my new car out every morning and admiring it as it slowly thaws. Plus maybe the occasional 5 mph sideways slide into town and back.

Fingers crossed for a big melt over the weekend. Just back from walking our dog and it's like a scene from a snowy disaster movie around here. The snowplow past us but due to being on a hill and the gale force winds some roads have drifts up to to 14ft high.