I have recently purchased my first Skoda having crossed over from VW. I have a Skoda Superb II DSG CR Elegance 2.0L 170 HP at 100,000 miles. I have purchased it primarily for towing my 520L Caravan approx 1400kg.

I have been reading info regarding DSG gearboxes and have noticed several comments on sites saying that the clutches in them only last 60-100k before needing replacement. My car is 1 previous owner and full service history. It has had the T/belt and water pump replaced but no mention of clutches.

Perhaps a few comments regarding how best to drive the DSG whilst towing and simply general driving comments.

I have a habit of shifting down on manual mode using the engine as a brake. Is this likely to cause excessively more wear on the clutches.

I would also be interested on the average distance and a set of clutches will do and the cost of replacement. I probably only do 3000 miles per year and drive very sedately with no vigorous shifting or accelerating.

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Does the Service History for Minor & Major Services also have the History for DSG Oil Changes at 40,000 miles and 80,000 miles?

 

Full Main Dealer Service History or Service Plans do not mean a Owner / Keeper had DSG Oil Changes, Haldex or Brake Fluid changes done.

So you need the evidence / invoices that they were charged for.

 

If no actual knowledge of the DSG Oil changes maybe best get the DSG Service carried out.

18 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

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Does the Service History for Minor & Major Services also have the History for DSG Oil Changes at 40,000 miles and 80,000 miles?

 

Full Main Dealer Service History or Service Plans do not mean a Owner / Keeper had DSG Oil Changes, Haldex or Brake Fluid changes done.

So you need the evidence / invoices that they were charged for.

 

If no actual knowledge of the DSG Oil changes maybe best get the DSG Service carried out.

Yes they have been carried out with correct oil and filters. Also although it is high mileage the guy used it mostly to commute motorways UK to South of France.. 

Edited 13 February, 20197 yr by Badgersurfer

Did you read about 60,000-100,000 mile life of clutch packs for DQ200 7 speed twin dry clutch DSG rather than the type of wet clutch DSG your car has?

That is maybe true for some but not the many.

1 minute ago, Skoffski said:

Did you read about 60,000-100,000 mile life of clutch packs for DQ200 7 speed twin dry clutch DSG rather than the type of wet clutch DSG your car has?

That is maybe true for some but not the many.

I think it was on an Audi forum so could well be as you say... What would I expect with the Superb? Any tips as this is the first DSG I have owned.

Drive and enjoy and do the Oil changes as per Schedule / Guidelines.

The clutch packs can be rebuilt in them but I've heard of very few cars ever needing it even on high mileages. If it has been correctly serviced I wouldn't worry about it.

 

When towing, the ECU will change gear according to load as well as road speed so it should manage most of that just fine but manual gearchanging won't cause any issues. The only area where the DSG is not brilliant is reversing up a slope or when towing due to the extra load. If I were you I'd find a large empty carpark to practice reversing in before you need to do it in a tight spot.

Mine has 146k on it and has only had 1 dsg service 1k ago. I have also had it looked at by a leading dsg specialist who told the gear box is in great condition and the clutches are fine. As mentioned before if it’s been serviced I would worry.

31 minutes ago, chimaera said:

The clutch packs can be rebuilt in them but I've heard of very few cars ever needing it even on high mileages. If it has been correctly serviced I wouldn't worry about it.

 

When towing, the ECU will change gear according to load as well as road speed so it should manage most of that just fine but manual gearchanging won't cause any issues. The only area where the DSG is not brilliant is reversing up a slope or when towing due to the extra load. If I were you I'd find a large empty carpark to practice reversing in before you need to do it in a tight spot.

Thanks for that info. TBH I don't do much in the way of reversing as I have a motor mover on it. The only time is if I pull into a Motorway services, then they are usually on the level. I looked at a video that said don't leave a DSG in gear when static always go into neutral to disengage the clutches. Seems to make sense. I figure I would be better off going into manual when in traffic either if I am towing or not. I take it I should manually downshift on hills as I normally would (especially when towing) for engine braking rather than Auto. Would you agree on that?

It is an Automated Manual, loads of way to drive and change gear.

They tow fine in 'D', knock across to manual and shift down if that suits, or back to 'S' when off the accelerator.  Choices are good'. 

Location location location dependent, and the deceleration you need.

As it is on descents the DSG will change down, slope / angle dependent.  

 

Experiment.

Edited 13 February, 20197 yr by Skoffski

46 minutes ago, Badgersurfer said:

Thanks for that info. TBH I don't do much in the way of reversing as I have a motor mover on it. The only time is if I pull into a Motorway services, then they are usually on the level. I looked at a video that said don't leave a DSG in gear when static always go into neutral to disengage the clutches. Seems to make sense. I figure I would be better off going into manual when in traffic either if I am towing or not. I take it I should manually downshift on hills as I normally would (especially when towing) for engine braking rather than Auto. Would you agree on that?

It's up to you how you want to drive really. I'm not sure that there's much engine braking available above 4th though. I've had my DSG for almost two years now and I almost never use the manual mode as the auto control is fine. In carparks or other low-speed manoeuvering it's worth putting it into Sport mode as this brings the clutch up to full engagement earlier: in D mode under these circumstances the system will slip the clutches in 2nd instead of dropping to first which can be a bit harsh on the clutches, especially if you're towing.

 

As an aside, if you haven't already had a towbar fitted, be sure to get Skoda OE electrics, or a compatible system from another manufacturer. These kits intergrate with the vehicle's electronics to enable towing mode in the stability control system (will act to bring a swaying trailer under control), alarm (if the trailer is unplugged while the car is locked the alarm goes off), bulb out warning on the trailer, and the engine and transmission (changes gearchange strategy mainly). The 13-pin version also includes all power supply connections for the trailer (fridge, etc). It's far better than generic bypass relay kits.

When I towed my boat home from Lochgoilhead I was the same as you and very nervous about how the DSG would perform with the steep climbs and descents.
But in all honesty the DSG performed brilliantly and mine is only  140 it just worked effortlessly and changed just when I was thinking I would need to change gear manually 

Edited 13 February, 20197 yr by DEL80Y

2 hours ago, chimaera said:

It's up to you how you want to drive really. I'm not sure that there's much engine braking available above 4th though. I've had my DSG for almost two years now and I almost never use the manual mode as the auto control is fine. In carparks or other low-speed manoeuvering it's worth putting it into Sport mode as this brings the clutch up to full engagement earlier: in D mode under these circumstances the system will slip the clutches in 2nd instead of dropping to first which can be a bit harsh on the clutches, especially if you're towing.

 

As an aside, if you haven't already had a towbar fitted, be sure to get Skoda OE electrics, or a compatible system from another manufacturer. These kits intergrate with the vehicle's electronics to enable towing mode in the stability control system (will act to bring a swaying trailer under control), alarm (if the trailer is unplugged while the car is locked the alarm goes off), bulb out warning on the trailer, and the engine and transmission (changes gearchange strategy mainly). The 13-pin version also includes all power supply connections for the trailer (fridge, etc). It's far better than generic bypass relay kits.

Yep I made sure I had the Skoda loom installed and had it coded for the reason you say. So are you saying when towing I am better in Sport Mode or simply just when towing and manoeuvring in small areas?  

10 minutes ago, Badgersurfer said:

Yep I made sure I had the Skoda loom installed and had it coded for the reason you say. So are you saying when towing I am better in Sport Mode or simply just when towing and manoeuvring in small areas?  

Any low-speed manoeuvering, whether towing or not - I'd often do it crawling along in slow moving traffic too.

@Badgersurfer

 

The next step for you is to remap or chip it you'll feel BIG difference

 

Was your car fixed - dieselgate?