I love our Skoda Superb, it does so many things so well. It's a 2014 2.0 TDI 170CR DSG.

 

But one thing that is very irritating to say the very least, and is actually really dangerous, is the fact it has DSG and Start-stop but no hill hold control.

 

So this is what happens...

 

1. You stop on a hill

2. Start-stop kicks in

3. You go to move away, and as you release the brake, the car rolls backwards as the engine restarts and then there is an uncomfortable jolt as first gear engages.

 

As part of my start up procedure I now turn off the Start-stop (as I'm sure many drivers do anyway) - but this doesn't alter the fact that this was not at all well thought out by Skoda.

 

This brings me to my question - is it possibly to retro fit hill hold control? 

Search forum - depends on control module you have - it can be as simple as using VCDS to activate the option. 

 

But, you should do your procedure a bit differently:

1) release brake for a moment then press it again - so S/S deactivates and engine starts,

2) then you can release brake slowly and start rolling - HHS should kick in if activated. 

 

Also, with longer stops, you can:

 

1) move DSG lever to P(ark) position quickly to avoid engaging R(everse), 

2) pull handbrake, 

3) release brake. 

 

Then, when you want to drive:

 

1) press brake, 

2) move DSG lever to D or S, 

3) release handbrake, 

4) release quickly and press again brake to deactivate S/S, 

5) release brake slowly and start driving, 

 

or

 

1) press acceleration pedal slightly - this will start the engine, 

2) press brake, 

3) move DSG lever to D or S, 

4) release handbrake, 

5) start driving. 

I completely   agree with the lack of hill hold on thee cars when its just a matter of a five minute job with vcds
Mines is activated with hill hold and XDS
Hill Hold

Same here ( 2014 , 170CR, DSG ) , hill hold wasn't activated , 5 minutes with vcds and hill hold woks ( also activated XDS ).

This problem caught me out when I was new to the car (same model as the OP's).

I found myself making a frantic grab for the handbrake a few times - thankfully it's not an electric one. Initially I adopted the old-fashioned hill start technique already described. After some experimentation I found it was possible to lift off the brake slightly, just enough to trigger the engine, without the car rolling backwards provided the slope was not too steep. I agree that it is a royal p-i-t-a.

yes it is absolutely possible to retrofit Hill Hold Control. You have 2 options:

 

1) if you are lucky, all you need is find someone with VCDS and activate it for you electronically, because you already have an ABS module capable of it, but is soft factory disabled because you / original buyer didn't pay for the option.

2) if you are unlucky, the ABS module on your car is simply a cheap one that is not capable of having HHC and no amount of VCDS will do the trick. You literally need to buy a new ABS module (or a used compatible one from ebay/breakers yeard) and reprogramme it using ODIN (dealership option) or VCDS (anyone with kit and know how to do it). 

 

2 years ago, I bought a used 2012 Superb Elegance that did not have HHC and I hated it so much that I paid £260 for an grade 1 used ABS module (from ebay I might add for an unopened module new in box, dealership ordering from factory is more, I think £500) and paid the dealership garage £190 to retrofit it. £450 just so I didn't have to slide down hills as I was used to driving an automatic. 

 

 

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just an aside, I also thought, rightly or wrongly that rolling down a hill in a DSG would cause premature DSG box failure because in a manual, you can use the handbrake to hold while you get your clutch to biting point, then use your clutch to hold for 0.5 seconds when you release your hand brake and pump the accelerator. I always thought making the car go forward when it was already going backwards is harmful to the transmission. 

 

someone correct me if that's wrong.