Hi all, this is my first post as a new Superb owner! My particular car is a 2.0TD 150 SE-L

 

I wanted to get some opinions from owners with manual gearboxes, as I'm really enjoying my car but the experience is being somewhat spoilt by a slow synchromesh, particularly when changing up from 1st to 2nd gear. On an older vehicle, I would consider this par for the course, but wasn't expecting the same experience with a new build. It's a real pain because it's the one change that needs to be completed quickly in order to join busy roundabouts safely etc. In my case, I'm having to accelerate the car hard in 1st in order to avoid becoming a sitting duck while I wait for it to drop into 2nd. Once warmed up, it changes quicker and easier but then, depending on the speed, sometimes it goes straight in with no resistance and a crash that can be felt through the lever. This is very similar to what I've experienced when driving vehicles with a completely worn out synchro and not a pleasant sensation! Down into 1st is also a bit rough but not such a big issue for me, higher gears are fine until 6th, which is a bit stiff but meshes quickly enough. The clutch is fine; smooth with no judder and plenty of disengagement beyond the bite point.

 

So, in summary, I have a brand new car with a gearbox that feels like it's had 10 or more years of hard use! I've never owned a VAG product before, so is it a bit of, "they're all like that, sir," or do I have a legitimate concern? What really puzzles me is that prior to ordering the Superb, I test drove a Passat with the same engine and the gearbox in that car drove perfectly! Surely it would have been the same design?

 

Thanks for any thoughts,

 

Stu

I had no issues with the manual box on my old 150 TDI. Slick and smooth at any speed or gear selection. 

 

Previos two cars were also 6 spd TDI’s on MQB chassis, again no issues in 10’s of thousands of miles. Even with remaps. 

 

Sounds like you may have to visit a dealer to have this investigated. 

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. The Superb I test drove before purchase was also a bit ropey, but it was used, so I put that down to owner abuse at the time. No issues at all in the Passat demonstrator or the Golfs & A3s I've had as rentals. Maybe there's a build quality issue?

My previous car was a 66 L&K 150 diesel, the gearbox was very good, not at all like yours. I'd get it checked out. I've gone for dsg in my new Superb :-)

Had a manual Audi A6 before and the gear changing was smooth as silk.

 

That offset clutch pedal though,.......     

 

 

I've had my 1.5 TSi manual for a week now and there's something that doesn't feel quite right in the area of first and second gear, but I haven't really worked out what it is yet.  I need a bit longer to assess this properly, but I think it is centered on second gear being almost completely unuseable at low revs (ie under about 1200rpm).  

 

This car replaces a 61-plate Mondeo 1.6 EcoBoost petrol/manual, which would happily pull away from standing or slow rolling in second (without a great deal of revs) if you asked it to, so I accept that I am still getting used to the different characteristics of the new car, but I am finding the following require some concentration:

 

- if I am light on the accelerator when pulling away (in first gear) with a cold engine, the Superb kangaroos embarrassingly.

 

- my usual habit is to change into second pretty much as soon as I am moving. The Superb acts as if second just doesn't work at low revs, however far I depress the accelerator. It's as if there is a blank spot.   This is true whether the engine is cold or warm.

 

- changing from second to first when slowing is a bit clunky.  Like Stu, no problems at all at higher speeds/revs/gears.  

 

Edited 29 November, 20187 yr by driventodevon
added detail

27 minutes ago, driventodevon said:

I've had my 1.5 TSi manual for a week now and there's something that doesn't feel quite right in the area of first and second gear, but I haven't really worked out what it is yet.  I need a bit longer to assess this properly, but I think it is centered on second gear being almost completely unuseable at low revs (ie under about 1200rpm).  

 

- if I am light on the accelerator when pulling away (in first gear) with a cold engine, the Superb kangaroos embarrassingly.

 

Have you read this?

 

 

Edited 29 November, 20187 yr by silver1011

Here we go again.....kangarooing....low revs zero pull away....1.5tsi characteristic.

 

See the long threads on Karoq and Octavia forums with this engine.

 

Also effects other VAG models with this engine.

 

Many frustrated owners, Skoda apparently saying it is a characteristic of the engine. VW rumour that a fix is planned for Q2 2019 (seriously)

 

Complain to your dealer and make sure they log it and report to Skoda UK and don't just give you lip service.

Thanks for those replies. I'm going to have this looked at, but the dealer want's to take the car mid-week and keep it for a day or two in order to do a proper diagnosis. I think that's the right approach, but it will take a couple of weeks to arrange. In the meantime, I'm dropping in tomorrow and will try and persuade them to check the fill level, because I'm doing a lot of miles next week and I don't want to end up with a knackered gearbox for the sake of a bit of oil.

 

23 minutes ago, driventodevon said:

I've had my 1.5 TSi manual for a week now and there's something that doesn't feel quite right in the area of first and second gear, but I haven't really worked out what it is yet.  I need a bit longer to assess this properly, but I think it is centered on second gear being almost completely unuseable at low revs (ie under about 1200rpm).  

 

This car replaces a Mondeo 1.6 EcoBoost petrol/manual, which would happily pull away from standing or slow rolling in second (without a great deal of revs) if you asked it to, so I accept that I am still getting used to the different characteristics of the new car, but I am finding the following require some concentration:

 

- if I am light on the accelerator when pulling away with a cold engine, the Superb kangaroos embarrassingly.

 

- my usual habit is to change into second pretty much as soon as I am moving. The Superb acts as if second just doesn't work at low revs, however far I depress the accelerator. It's as if there is a blank spot.   This is true whether the engine is cold or warm.

 

- changing from second to first when slowing is a bit clunky.  Like Stu, no problems at all at higher speeds/revs/gears.  

 

 

It sounds like those driveability issues are down to the engine not having the same low end torque compared to your old car. Accelerators are all electronic these days and if you're putting your foot down hard with no response, it's usually a sign that the computer is protecting the engine from being laboured in too high a gear. Maybe you just need to hold onto first a little bit longer? I always try to choose the highest gear that responds well without needing a lot of right foot.

17 hours ago, Stu-perb said:

I wanted to get some opinions from owners with manual gearboxes, as I'm really enjoying my car but the experience is being somewhat spoilt by a slow synchromesh, particularly when changing up from 1st to 2nd gear.

 

Whilst not a Superb I have noticed on my last two brand new Skoda's (2016 2.0 TDI 150PS Octavia Scout & 2018 1.4 TSI 150PS Kodiaq) that 1st to 2nd requires a certain degree of concentration to get it right. It isn't so much the resistance felt through the gear lever, more the occasional graunching noise it makes. Not excessive, but noticeable.

*

Edited 29 November, 20187 yr by xman

1 minute ago, silver1011 said:

 

Whilst not a Superb I have noticed on my last two brand new Skoda's (2016 2.0 TDI 150PS Octavia Scout & 2018 1.4 TSI 150PS Kodiaq) that 1st to 2nd requires a certain degree of concentration to get it right. It isn't so much the resistance felt through the gear lever, more the occasional graunching noise it makes. Not excessive, but noticeable.

 

Yes, I would say you're hitting the nail on the head there. Mine doesn't take a lot of effort to get into 2nd, the problem is that it feels somewhat sticky and, if you don't give it lots of time, can result in that awful sensation of moving parts colliding with one another

Yep same here, it can be felt through both the gear lever and clutch pedal. It improves significantly once the engine is up to temperature though.

 

My wife never hears any mechanical noises, however even she commented on the noise, especially during the summer with the windows down.

 

We've got used to it now.

7 minutes ago, Stu-perb said:

 

 

It sounds like those driveability issues are down to the engine not having the same low end torque compared to your old car. Accelerators are all electronic these days and if you're putting your foot down hard with no response, it's usually a sign that the computer is protecting the engine from being laboured in too high a gear. Maybe you just need to hold onto first a little bit longer? I always try to choose the highest gear that responds well without needing a lot of right foot.

 

No, its down to a flawed 1.5tsi development.

Hmmm, just about to order a 1.5tsi, although it’ll be a DSG. Hopefully they will have ironed out all the problems by the time it is built 

3 hours ago, driventodevon said:

 

- if I am light on the accelerator when pulling away (in first gear) with a cold engine, the Superb kangaroos embarrassingly.

 

- my usual habit is to change into second pretty much as soon as I am moving. The Superb acts as if second just doesn't work at low revs, however far I depress the accelerator. It's as if there is a blank spot.   This is true whether the engine is cold or warm.

 

- changing from second to first when slowing is a bit clunky.  Like Stu, no problems at all at higher speeds/revs/gears.  

 

 

It's a different car and probably geared differently with different torque characteristics.

 

1. Give it some more welly.

2. Don't change up into second so soon.

3. You should only really change down into first gear if you are stopped or almost stopped.

14 minutes ago, amwphotos said:

 

It's a different car and probably geared differently with different torque characteristics.

 

1. Give it some more welly.

2. Don't change up into second so soon.

3. You should only really change down into first gear if you are stopped or almost stopped.

 

Yet another "you're driving it wrong” comment. 

 

The 1.5 tsi has identical power and torque specs to the 1.4tsi - torque 250Nm from 1500 - 3500 rpm, power 150ps 5000-6000 rpm

 

Not surprising as they are nearly identical engines in design, although an extra 100cc should give the 1.5tsi the edge.

 

VAG has cocked something up here, maybe the max sackings/exodus of engine designers/testers post dieselgate has something to do with it 

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, xman said:

 

 

The 1.5 tsi has identical power and torque specs to the 1.4tsi - torque 250Nm from 1500 - 3500 rpm, power 150ps 5000-6000 rpm

 

Not surprising as they are nearly identical engines in design, although an extra 100cc should give the 1.5tsi the edge.

 

Considering they were comparing it to a 1.6 ford ecoboost engine then maybe you "didn't read their post properly" again 

Edited 29 November, 20187 yr by amwphotos
Sarcastic emoji

As for the OP, I have manual 6spd tdi 150cr and gearbox is great, a couple of times it has been difficult to get into reverse gear when starting, but never had the issues you described, definitely worth the garage checking it over

Hi guys, I have an update.

 

I had a quick look at my gearbox Thursday night and learned that it is the type without a level plug, so there was no way I was going to persuade the dealer to spot check the oil level ahead of my long trip next week. So, yesterday, for my own peace of mind, I took matters into my own hands and dropped the oil into a couple of measuring jugs.

 

The quantity that came out was just under 2.3L, so absolutely spot on there. What was less reassuring was the very dark colour and thin consistency. Based purely on experience and gut feeling, I decided to change the gear oil in this brand new car (bonkers, I know, but I'd done the hard part already)! I purchased 3 bottles of Febi 21829, which is a 75W synthetic oil meeting API GL4 and (crucially)  VW G052171A2. To wit, it should be the right medicine for this particular 'box. I bought it direct from Amazon and it came today. It looks nothing like the factory fill (see photo attached) and feels very slightly thicker, notwithstanding the effects of temperature difference between my garage and the delivery van (it's still pretty thin for a gear oil).

 

After refilling, I've driven about 25 miles today and, touch wood, I haven't felt that crashing sensation when going into 2nd a single time. Synchro seems to be performing normally as per everything else I've driven over the last 20-odd years. I'll see how it goes!

On 29/11/2018 at 19:09, amwphotos said:

 

It's a different car and probably geared differently with different torque characteristics.

 

1. Give it some more welly.

2. Don't change up into second so soon.

3. You should only really change down into first gear if you are stopped or almost stopped.

 

Different car: yes. Different torque characteristics: yes. Should I need to give an expensive brand new car special treatment to get it to drive smoothly at low revs when the engine is cold?: no.

 

Dealer has confirmed today, following test drive, diagnosis and research by his very competent senior mechanic, that my car is exhibiting similar characteristics to many other 1.5TSi cars (including Superbs and others) and that Skoda are aware of a problem and are working on what he described as a software solution. There is at least one technical bulletin issued by Skoda on this. Current expectation is that there should be a solution available during Q2 2019 (although that is of course only an estimate).

 

Content to know at this is a recognised problem and a it is being worked on. 

 

 

The Superb was our 6th VAG car and since buying it we have bought our 7th, a Fabia.

 

All of these cars have had very good gear changes, nothing to moan about whatsoever. Change between all gears with no effort or noises.

 

During our time with VAG cars we have also had Ford, Nissan, Kia and BMW. Can only really commnet about 2 since all the others have been fine. Mk 2 Focus had a very difficult change form 1st to 2nd form the day we collected the car. We thought it may get better but it never did. We tried another identical car and that was exactly the same. Considering that every other Ford we have owned has had a great gear change it did seem bizarre that ours and the identical car were poor. Guess they have to have a bad design at some time. The other was the Kia Ceed. The gearchange was actually fine, every change was smooth from day one to the day we sold it. But unfortunately the designers had probably saved money and missed out the quiet bushes that other cars have in the mechanism. In the Ceed whilst smooth the lever action was noisy and was exactly the same on the demo we tried and another service car. Never had an issue with it, just unrefined.