Hello,

I currently drive 2021 Superb 3 Sportline 2.0 TSI 206 kW (DNFE) which is equipped with DQ381 DSG. Car is still under warranty.

Car currently has covered 120k KM. Gearbox oil was changed at 117 k KM as dealer suggested it might cure the vibration (it didn't), all other service is done in accordance with Skoda maintenance schedule at 117 k. KM spark plugs, engine oil and filter where also changed.

The problem:

Vibration through seat/pedals/steering wheel (best i could describe is like you would drive a manual car in to high of a gear and would request to speed up and the engine would not have a required power and would begin to stutter, other example would be trying to start the car from a standstill with 2 gear without additional throttle) when driving in city in D and E gearbox modes, most notably in 1100 to 1600 rpm range harshest vibrations happen in D4 when trying to speed up from 30 to 40, in D5 when trying to speed up from 40 to 50, D6 when trying to speed from 50 to 60, D7 from 60 to 70 Km/H. As the speed climbs over stated values the engine exceeds 1700 rpm and vibration stops altogether. Sometimes i feel the vibration when the car is upshifting if after upshift revs drop bellow 1700 rpm. If i am using sport mode or use M mode and drop a gear when vibration happens it instantly stops vibrating and car drives smoothly. I am also experiencing a bit of a tug when stopping to a standstill (when transmission is shifting from D2 to D1 at about 2 to 3 Km/H). Vibration is worse when the outside temperature is colder, but is still there to some extent even after doing a 100 Km trip. Last week (when outside temp dropped to -5/-6 degrees) I experienced a new symptom , the same vibration vas felt all the time when reversing or creeping in 2/1 gears, that would disappear after driving 10-15 Kms. When the outside temp rose again to +3/4 this symptom vanished.

Problem is entirely load dependent as for example it feels the worst when i have to accelerate uphill in mentioned rpm (1100 to 1600) when the engine is still warming up (steering wheel, seat, pedals seem to vibrate/shudder similarly to like pre stalling vibration you get in a manual car.

If i release the throttle or manually shift down the vibration will stop instantly.

During the vibration i can hear low rumbling noise in cabin (but that can just be engine vibration or shudder), on idle or when in gear there is no flywheel noise present from the outside.

I have been communicating with dealer for past 2 months and have booked the car in for them to carry out some of manufacturer guidelines which they have to do before they dig in further.

They haven't specified what work they are going to carry out, but for now my best guess is that they will do clutch adaptation or other software tweaks.

My personal guess would be a flywheel, transmission mount or an injector. Engine itself starts up good, Mileage is unaffected, pulls strong to the redline.

And to amplify the issue My superb just loves to stay in that rev range when driving in city so i get to feel the vibration almost all the time when driving around in city.

Maybe you have experienced something similar? Please share your thoughts as this problem ruins a car which otherwise would be the best one i ever owned. As in it's current state I much rather prefer to drive my Wife's Octavia MK 4 2.0 tdi with the same DQ381 as her's feel a lot more refined when driving in city.

Edited 29 November, 202529 Nov by SimplySuperb

If it’s engine revs irrespective of gear then my money starts to go onto engine mount/Dogbone mount…

Edited 29 November, 202529 Nov by travs

It is hard to feel the vibration in 1/2/3 gears it does it sometimes when cold during creep up a steep driveway when it downshifts from 2 to 1 coming to stop before the junction. It only consistenly happens consistently in 4/5/6/7 gear during that rpm interval 1000-1700 rpm. As soon as i downshift (to get over the mentioned interval) or lift up the throttle it stops vibrating. On specificly cold morning (-7 degrees) I could feel the subtle but same type vibration even at idle when gearbox was in P.

On 29/11/2025 at 22:09, travs said:

If it’s engine revs irrespective of gear then my money starts to go onto engine mount/Dogbone mount…

Yeah, I would recommend to try to isolate transmission from engine, when it is revved or kept in that range in N does it also? True that with an auto you cannot really "detach" engine from driveline as you would with a manual, but is a start ....

Also you did not say if the same problems occur in other shifts modes, or in manual?

Dont' want to add a polemic statement, but when reading the entire OP I was "shuddering in horror" hoping the highlighted situations as mostly for testing purposes and not the usual ... call me mechanically old fashioned, but I think the recipe of: a) revving up a b) petrol c) turbocharged engine from d) 1100RPM (practically a fast idle!) in e) 4th gear (a high gear) f) on an incline at g) 30MPH, and maybe h) cold before oil temp reaches at least 70C .... well I guess when you cook all that in the oven, minimum you can expect is some vibration 😁

I rarely drive the car below 1500RPM, around 2k is its sweet spot for relaxed driving and proper response. Obviously this implies driving on Sport or Manual, thanks to the imbecil programming of the DSG ****box, with its too early upshifts and inexistent downshifts ... and the malevolent eco idling coasting ... someday its day will come as well.

On colder mornings i can feel similar (not as pronounced) constant vibration when the rpm drops from the initial start up (from 1500rpm to 700-800rpm) does not make a difference wheater the gear selector is in P or N. When shifting to drive i get the same kind of momentary shudder (like when driving) as revs climb up to a 1000 rpm when drive mode is selected. When the temp dropped to -4/-7 two mornings in the row i got constant shuddering/vibration in Reverse gear when coming out of the driweway, also the same constant vibration was pressent when creeping in second gear.

Yes i too feel like the programing in the D of the DSG is just wrong, but i cant ovveride how gearbox behaves in city traffic even when using Sport mode if i use ACC or travel assistant as it will still upshift like in Drive if i am using it , hence geting almost constant vibration when driving in city. Also vibrations seems worse in E mode than D, and almost non egzistant in S mode (but S mode in general is a bit too harsh for my liking as i can feel every upshift and downshift. As i said no matter the driving mode this vibration seems to be rpm/load dependent. And as soon as i let of the throttle or climb past 1800 rpm it seems to smooth out. I aslo get some shudder vibration when comming to a stop from 4 km/h to 0 as dsg shifts to 1 gear. I also seem to get the sense that the car seems to not disengage a gear when standing still (as i feel the car wants to move forward when stationary in D and S ) and as a result i also feel vibration (though not nearly as strong as when driving) when standing and transmission is shifted in D or S.

Also i don't know if it is a characteristic but when using acc in stop and go traffic it seems to come to a standstill very harshly (i think it might be related to transmission controlling the clutch incorrectly or applying to much preassure to it).

Thanks for replies I am bringing her to a dealer today. Will let you know if they will manage to fix it.

Waiting to hear ... this is more than "normal" indeed.

I have occasionally some rough idling after cold start, and the 'bump' of the DSG when in Sport especially, but in general there is smoothness ... unlike your tale.

Hope the dealer finds some bush or something that makes like a "resonance" and thus generates the effect you describe!

So I picked the car up from the dealership. They did engine and dsg software update and dsg calibration with guided drive. These actions have not made any difference to how the car behaves and all of the problems remain. Might be wrong but seems that 2 to 1 downshift when comming to a stop is a tiny bit better but still noticable. Returned with a car back to them after 5 mins of picking it up. Did a drive with one of the consultants. He agreed that something is off (suprise). So now they will get back to manufacturer (as software was manufacturers suggestion) and will let me know when to bring the car in, probably going to end up in the loaner as they are planing to take dsg off. Its a furstrating experience for sure 🙄

Update.

After lots of arguing the dealer has replaced gearbox mount (drivers side), it made a big difference in shift quality and shift speed in particullar. Gearbox in general felt a lot better. Howewer vibrations were not really affected and stayed the same.

I brought it back to the dealership with the problem and again after arguing and then being ,,thats a characteristic of a vechicle" which i didin't buy it was agreed that the dmf will be changed.

I took it back yesterday after dmf replacement and it drives like a complete different car very smooth. The old one had a lot of play both rotationally and from side to side (but supprisingly was not making any idle noise which is a telltale sign of a worn dmf). Now i am now almost satisfied with the way it drives howewer it still has slight and noticable in steering wheel when driving in D mode or eco mode 52-58 km/h in 6 gear (rpm is about 1100 to 1300) i can tell that it is comming from the engine and not the wheels, now im just wondering for peace of mind if it is trully normal or not and should i contact the dealer once more possibly asking them to replace the other engine mount? It is cold arround 0 degrees in where i live and the issue is more pronnounced when engine is cold.

The dmf and gearbox mount significantly impproved drivability of a car, shifts are noticeably more precise and faster it also got rid of idle shudder, and shudder when creeping in first gear, i also experienced a tug when gearbox downshifted from 2 to 1 when comming to a stop and that is also now fixed completely.

If someone has a same car in same config can you tell me do you feel any vibration in steering wheel when in 6 gear trying to speed up from 52 to 60 kph, thanks🙂

Edited 5 March5 Mar by SimplySuperb

I will try to remember next time I take the beast out, but I will need to remember: perhaps out of my mechanical upbringing, I cannot bear myself to drive at such low regime of engine speed in a very high gear.... it is a noticeable strain in the various mechanical components, regardless of what is written in the brochure.

I seldom drive after 3rd and upwards below 1500 RPM, hence why I dislike all DSG driving modes and lately I have taken it up to drive in manual mode all the time 😒

On 05/03/2026 at 07:08, SimplySuperb said:

Update.

After lots of arguing the dealer has replaced gearbox mount (drivers side), it made a big difference in shift quality and shift speed in particullar. Gearbox in general felt a lot better. Howewer vibrations were not really affected and stayed the same.

I brought it back to the dealership with the problem and again after arguing and then being ,,thats a characteristic of a vechicle" which i didin't buy it was agreed that the dmf will be changed.

I took it back yesterday after dmf replacement and it drives like a complete different car very smooth. The old one had a lot of play both rotationally and from side to side (but supprisingly was not making any idle noise which is a telltale sign of a worn dmf). Now i am now almost satisfied with the way it drives howewer it still has slight and noticable in steering wheel when driving in D mode or eco mode 52-58 km/h in 6 gear (rpm is about 1100 to 1300) i can tell that it is comming from the engine and not the wheels, now im just wondering for peace of mind if it is trully normal or not and should i contact the dealer once more possibly asking them to replace the other engine mount? It is cold arround 0 degrees in where i live and the issue is more pronnounced when engine is cold.

The dmf and gearbox mount significantly impproved drivability of a car, shifts are noticeably more precise and faster it also got rid of idle shudder, and shudder when creeping in first gear, i also experienced a tug when gearbox downshifted from 2 to 1 when comming to a stop and that is also now fixed completely.

If someone has a same car in same config can you tell me do you feel any vibration in steering wheel when in 6 gear trying to speed up from 52 to 60 kph, thanks🙂

The cold temperature could definitely affect the issue if it is down to an engine mount as the rubber may be slightly stiffer and transfer more NVH (Noise, Vibration Harshness). I'd still look at the dogbone mount (which is the engine mount at the bottom of the engine into the subframe).

I added a dogbone insert (Powerflex) which stiffens the connection between the dogbone and subframe. It's not really noticeable when driving (although I don't think I have the revs low in a high gear like that) but most noticeable when the revs something like: Reversing on idle power slightly uphill (for example onto the drive), so when the car is in gear, and the engine is labouring a little.

Perhaps try reversing slightly uphill and if you notice it then?

You wanna make him drive uphill in reverse at 60kph ? 😄😆

So last couple of days tried driving the car as usual and found out the following:

My ussual routine During cold start after a night when temperature was negative (-5) is to start the car (car starts to run in high idle 1200-1300 rpm) turn on defrosters and go back to the house to make coffe, i ussually come back to the car after 6-10 minutes and it runs in low idle (800rpm) and when i get in the car running at this low idle there is this slight vibration in steering wheel and peldals (similar to what i feel when driving in low rpm), at this point in my mind i think that it has to be mounts (as under wot i feel a bit of drivetrain slop that has to be from mounts) or some problem with the engine istelf (injectors, carbon buildup or etc). I dont feel any missfires just constant normal engine vibration which is not being dampened, same as in high gears. As with previous cars when there were problems with injectors or other things the rpm would jump on idle (injectors) or cars would stutter during acceleration (coils, plugs). Mine seems to run fine and pulls hard in any rpm range.

P.S AC on and off does not make a difference, vibration might be a tiny bit bigger when using all of the electronics heated seats, heated windshield front and rear, heated steering wheel, but thats to be expected as load on engine increases.

Sport mode negates all my problems and car shifts and drives like a dream apart from a little bit of drivetrain movement which can be felt during wot shifts.

Edited 8 March8 Mar by SimplySuperb

Def feeling like mounts if the engine performs as expected. I think there is a large one on the UK driver’s side and then the dogbone underneath into the rear of the subframe.

Be aware…when you look at dogbone mounts, most will suggest you have one of two types. I found out the hard way, the DNFE engine doesn’t have either. There is a third design which you have to be aware of. I did a thread in this section called Dogbone I think which has pictures and explanations in case you’re interested.

Yeah I suppose that I will let the dealer to sort out a part number and replacement by themselves since i still have a couple of months of warranty left. Quickly gone through the thread but as the bottom of the car is covered it is hard to tell which type of dogbone mount I have. Engine code is DNFE, car is european spec so i suppose it would be the same as yours Do you find the powerflex insert mod worh it? Had one of their inserts on Audi a6 c7 Allroad 3.0 tdi but couldnt bear with added NVH so it was removed after a week of driving.

I don’t mind it but you can tell it’s there.

They have 4 variants of firmness:

Red - softest, standard upgrade for diesels

Yellow - standard upgrade for petrols

Purple - fast road/track

Black - track/race.

You could try the softest one (red for diesels) depending on what you had previously…but tbh I don’t think you want that, I think you’ll prefer the original setup but just working properly.

Ok,

So for last couple of months I had an oil leak comming from an oil filler cap. And on high idle i also heard unusuall whistling sound. Mentioned that to the dealer after they ordered the replacement oil filler cap which was replaced together with dmf, and has not solved the issue as oil was still comming through the new oil filler cap. They now have ordered but not yet fitted a new plastic timing chain cover motivating that it might be wrapped and thus does not create a good seal with a filler cap. I have read in the forum that my leak and frankly all of the other symptoms might be caused by a bad pcv valve. Checked it in accordance to guidance engine idling there is like a boiling kettle sound which dissapears as soon as i remove the oil cap (which is held by quite a strong suction) do you guys think that it might be a faulty pcv all alone?

Car still has original pcv valve, its plastics are already yellowish coulour.

Edited 9 March9 Mar by SimplySuperb

I think PCV always look a crappy off-white/yellow colour.

I thought you’d have issues with idling with a dodgy PCV - like a hunting idle. I don’t think it would cause additional vibration felt at low/idle revs.

Well i did all of the test i could find on forums and my symptoms point straight to pcv failure. I have an oil leak trough filler cap. A very strong vaccum holds oil cap when trying to remove it. Also i have a whistling sound which dissapears when oil cap is removed 🤔

Edited 9 March9 Mar by SimplySuperb

Still ongoing,

Oil leak was solved by changing pcv and timing chain cover. Probably only pcv would have solved it. After replacement car had more power through the rev range and also started coasting in D and E modes which it hasnt done before also i am getting better fuel economy when drivig the same route. Howewer the vibration and harsh upshift (from 3 to 4 gear with rpm flare during partial throttle upshift) is still there. After repair the technician alsofelt the rough 3 to 4 gear change and booked me in for a dsg basic settings reset next week and we will move from there with part replacement. Fingers crossed that it will help. During last visit i test drove an electricelroq and kodiaq 4x4 with 2.0 tsi, apart from infortainment upgrade and lovely dcc plus in kodiaq theese cars felt like a downgrade from Superb 😏 Vibration seems even more persistant now during low load high gear acceleration as engine seems to have more power in the low rpm range. Similar vibration is felt in P and N modes when car is cold.

Edited 11 April11 Apr by SimplySuperb

Good that it’s getting worse - eventually you’ll find the problem when the problem part falls off.

Kidding - have you looked at engine and gearbox mounts?

Yeah , just getting a bit tired of it not being solved 😀

Gearbox mount was replaced together with spark plugs, made improvement on shift quality and speed but hasn't changed the vibrations or harsh 3 to 4 upshift also I have a litle tug when comming to a stop when gearbox drops from 2 to 1. Engine and dogbone mounts are still from factory, I also mentioned that to dealer but i guess they are folowing the manufacturers guidelines strictly now 😀

Have engine mounts replaced.

Also, on a neighbour with a similar issue the dogbone needed replacement, but not only the "dogbone" part, but also the upper mount in the subframe, for which the latter had to be taken down ... a real hassle, but it solved his issue.

Note - to align the two bushes - dogbont and upper sub-frame bush - a special VAG tool is needed, there is no other workaround.

My neighbour - he is an indy and Webasto/Eberspacher center, so not improvised - has a real fun day doing this.

I admit this has left me wonder if only to do the dogbone like travs, or to do all bushings together ...