Hi all

 

As in the title I am raising the question regarding the up shift gear changes of the DSG TSI 6 speed and owners experiences of this. Auto gear shifts I may add. 

 

Not interested in diesel DSG characteristics here. 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Not good for slow speed things like parking, 3 point turns etc especially on any slope.
2. Very smooth underway in normal driving.
3. Doesn't always  use the gear I would if driving manually. e.g. drops into 6th and 1400-1500 revs as slow as 35-40.
4. Nice and tidy if marching on. Responds well to right foot control
5. However if in "have fun" mood then full auto isn't helpful. Using the paddles/manual mode is best. 
6. No problems 2 years on.
7. Nowhere near as smooth as the t/c box in SWMBO's Volvo.

6 hours ago, Sagalout said:

1. Not good for slow speed things like parking, 3 point turns etc especially on any slope.

 

Indeed see - 

For me slow maneuvering on flat ground is not a problem at all. What can go wrong? Particularly if you have Auto-Hold engaged (and indeed, for the next paragraph too)...

 

I am more concerned about all the clutch slipping the system needs to do on slopes. While the DSG is designed for it, its just that nagging voice in the back of my head telling me the computer is riding the clutch to do certain things. And yes, if I was in a manual, and I own several, you need to do the same thing yourself, but I am never sure when the clutch is fully engaged in this thing (an indicator would be nice).

 

If you live and work in a flat area, I would say you will never have any real issues. If you need to back up a steep driveway every night. then no. DSG is not a good choice, and definitely a bad choice if you regularly need to maneuver trailers, boats or caravans on sloping ground.

 

For that get a car with a standard auto and good transmission cooler (which these days is all of them). 

 

Apart from that I really like the DSG mated to the TSI 220 / 162 KW motor. Smooth, although like Sagalout noted, it has a tendency (for fuel economy reasons) to jump into a higher gear earlier than I would, and under load conditions I would not normally use. I find myself, ofren, manually dropping a cog going up hills so as not to lug the motor. You can do this anytime by using the paddles, and after a while the car goes back to Auto mode without further user input (nice).

 

I'd use sport Auto mode more often, but its far too aggressive, running then, in a gear lower than I would like most of the time.  I would prefer something in-between, that revved out a little more before up-changes (another 500 RPM) under light throttle, and kicked down earlier under load.

 

EDIT

 

The TSI Direct Injection engines (indeed my engine has both direct and port injection) now compete with Diesel for torque, and so I am not 100% sure why you specified Diesel vs Petrol. since that would be the major differentiating factor? Also, it depends on what size TSI engine you choose.

Edited 29 April, 20197 yr by digifish

Interesting. I live on a bloody steep hill and have to reverse out the drive and set off up it every morning. I would have thought clutch wear would be marginal due to the 6 speed ' wet clutch' ?

2 hours ago, Nick_H said:

Interesting. I live on a bloody steep hill and have to reverse out the drive and set off up it every morning. I would have thought clutch wear would be marginal due to the 6 speed ' wet clutch' ?

 

Indeed a wet clutch is going to dissipate heat and reduce wear, but friction is still friction. 

 

When you reverse, the best thing you can do is to make sure you are up to speed and the clutch is fully engaged, not gingerly crawling backward at less than walking pace up the hill. Worse, doing that with a trailer attached. Whenever am going any distance that way, I always try to get up to a speed where the clutch is (feels) fully engaged (where's that light Skoda!) . 

 

DSGs are fairly robust now, and I am mainly reacting to the gremlins in my own head. However, DSGs still suck compared to full autos for low-speed reversing up hills etc.  They can do that all day with no wear and tear. The only enemy of an auto is heat (and that's a thing of the past).

 

I do think a problem here is that people have been led to think of DSGs as automatic transmissions and teat them as such. Indeed there are drivers who have never used anything but autos and so, apply all the old habits to the DSG (did anyone's dealer educate them on picking up the car? Mine didn't). They are nothing like an auto, and if your clutch is not fully engaged (where's that light Skoda! ) you are riding the clutch(es). Not good. 

Edited 29 April, 20197 yr by digifish

I have the DSG-6 on my 220 MY17.

I'm finding it great.  Had it since new (factory).

No issues changing gears at speed, or during slow parking manueveres.  

Likewise on slopes.

I always have auto-hold on, and it's a treat.

I must say though, it doesn't like reversing up hill. It doesn't slip or stall, but I need to put more gas.

Otherwise its a pleasure.

Similar to the DSG-6 I had in my previous mk2 Octavia RS TSi.  Same gearbox.

I've always treated my gearboxes like its a manual gearbox.

Edited 29 April, 20197 yr by JR RS

47 minutes ago, digifish said:

 

Indeed a wet clutch is going to dissipate heat and reduce wear, but friction is still friction. 

 

When you reverse, the best thing you can do is to make sure you are up to speed and the clutch is fully engaged, not gingerly crawling backward at less than walking pace up the hill. Worse, doing that with a trailer attached. Whenever am going any distance that way, I always try to get up to a speed where the clutch is (feels) fully engaged (where's that light Skoda!) . 

 

DSGs are fairly robust now, and I am mainly reacting to the gremlins in my own head. However, DSGs still suck compared to full autos for low-speed reversing up hills etc.  They can do that all day with no wear and tear. The only enemy of an auto is heat (and that's a thing of the past).

 

I do think a problem here is that people have been led to think of DSGs as automatic transmissions and teat them as such. Indeed there are drivers who have never used anything but autos and so, apply all the old habits to the DSG (did anyone's dealer educate them on picking up the car? Mine didn't). They are nothing like an auto, and if your clutch is not fully engaged (where's that light Skoda! ) you are riding the clutch(es). Not good. 

 

Good info cheers.  Luckily I reverse out and then forward up the hill but I dont mess about but always have in back of mind cold oil lol ! Mechanical sympathy. Passed down from father to son :-)

The above comments highlight the detail under my point 1. Perhaps  I should have said that you cant easily  'creep' a DSG at slow speed. I am thinking, for example, of that point when you need to move forward by 12 inches, the proximity sensor is beeping and no manual handbrake to hold back with.

 

The auto hold is either on or off. In mine it only releases with a lurch especially in reverse. PITA grade 1 and never used

57 minutes ago, Sagalout said:

The above comments highlight the detail under my point 1. Perhaps  I should have said that you cant easily  'creep' a DSG at slow speed. I am thinking, for example, of that point when you need to move forward by 12 inches, the proximity sensor is beeping and no manual handbrake to hold back with.

 

I can creep with Auto Hold off, on level ground, no problem. Not on any slope tho. Indeed.

Isn't the point about a multiplate wet clutch pack that when slipping there isn't any metal-to-metal (or metal-to-plate-material) contact, the "slip" is dealt with by shear in the transmission fluid? So when you slip the fluid gets hot (which is why it needs a cooler) and the plates get hot (because they're immersed in the hot fluid) but the plates shouldn't wear? Engaging and disengaging the clutch moves the plates together or apart so the fluid slips more or less, it doesn't rely on surface friction which is what causes wear.

No issues with upchanges. Flat out in my 280ps, up changes are nearly instant and very smooth. The box tells the engine to back off momentarily as the new gear (clutch) engages. Perhaps my only complaint is that under normal low speed driving it is barely in D1, goes to D2 at just a few mph. This means that creeping up to eg a roundabout, it is in D2 at say 5 mph and so when you spot a gap and want to leap forward, it is really in the wrong gear and initially a bit sluggish. Manual gear selection fixes the issue.

6 hours ago, IanJD said:

Isn't the point about a multiplate wet clutch pack that when slipping there isn't any metal-to-metal (or metal-to-plate-material) contact, the "slip" is dealt with by shear in the transmission fluid? So when you slip the fluid gets hot (which is why it needs a cooler) and the plates get hot (because they're immersed in the hot fluid) but the plates shouldn't wear? Engaging and disengaging the clutch moves the plates together or apart so the fluid slips more or less, it doesn't rely on surface friction which is what causes wear.

 

There's a continuum of operating conditions, and so if this were true all the time, DSG clutch packs would never need replacing

 

Certainly some creep works this way under low-load conditions (flat ground), but once you need torque (slopes, trailers), and you are below the Speed/RPM range needed to engage 1st / R, its real friction to friction material contact just like a dry clutch. 

Edited 29 April, 20197 yr by digifish

14 hours ago, Sagalout said:

The above comments highlight the detail under my point 1. Perhaps  I should have said that you cant easily  'creep' a DSG at slow speed. I am thinking, for example, of that point when you need to move forward by 12 inches, the proximity sensor is beeping and no manual handbrake to hold back with.

 

The auto hold is either on or off. In mine it only releases with a lurch especially in reverse. PITA grade 1 and never used

 

I can creep, forward or reverse, by 1-2 inches at a time, but I gotta have auto-hold off.

 

I had to do it the other day - park my car in my dad's garage, which is less that 10 inches longer than my car.  I had to creep in reverse, until I just cleared the roller door by 2 inches.

Edited 30 April, 20197 yr by JR RS

1 hour ago, JR RS said:

 

I can creep, forward or reverse, by 1-2 inches at a time, but I gotta have auto-hold off.

 Yes same here. On flat ground, with auto-hold off, the car starts creeping the moment I release the brake.

 

A lot like an auto. Probably programmed to simulate one that way.