DSG with Paddles, Golf Mk8 Diesel (7 speed)
Discussion
Another DSG question!
Over Christmas I've been running around in a Golf Mk8 Diesel DSG Auto (not my car) and I'm thinking the DSG is odd.
Pretty sure I'm not alone?
For example: It seems to be set up for ultimate economy. Like maintaining 7th gear on motorway hills, and really struggling in "D". I have to use the left paddle to drop down to "M6".
Also: Why do these things have trouble pulling away from stopped, like when you want to join a busy roundabout, selecting a gap in the traffic, (and where my old slush-matic makes a smart move away), the DSG won't go, and I find myself saying to it "Come on, come on"! It feels like it's in 2nd gear.
Is it faulty, or are they all like that?
Over Christmas I've been running around in a Golf Mk8 Diesel DSG Auto (not my car) and I'm thinking the DSG is odd.
Pretty sure I'm not alone?
For example: It seems to be set up for ultimate economy. Like maintaining 7th gear on motorway hills, and really struggling in "D". I have to use the left paddle to drop down to "M6".
Also: Why do these things have trouble pulling away from stopped, like when you want to join a busy roundabout, selecting a gap in the traffic, (and where my old slush-matic makes a smart move away), the DSG won't go, and I find myself saying to it "Come on, come on"! It feels like it's in 2nd gear.
Is it faulty, or are they all like that?
Shouldn't have any trouble pulling away from stopped, they select first gear when you stop.
The top gear though is really a cruise gear and mine (petrol R) will drop down to 6th if you use more than a tiny bit of throttle at high speed such as going up long motorway hills. It'll then change back to 7th if you ease off even slightly and drop down again and on and on on longer hills. I just nudge the lever to the left and use manual gear changes to get around the few things the gearbox does that I don't like.
Same applies if i need a quick get away when moving slowly, I'll just nudge the lever down into sport mode as I know it normally loves to get itself in the highest gear possible.
They have some issues, ones that haven't been maintained start to get cranky and jerky as well but overall they're pretty good.
Definitely shouldn't be struggling to pull away from a standstill though. You can see what gear it's in on the dashboard. It will stay in 2nd until almost stationary such as crawling in heavy traffic but not when you stop.
The top gear though is really a cruise gear and mine (petrol R) will drop down to 6th if you use more than a tiny bit of throttle at high speed such as going up long motorway hills. It'll then change back to 7th if you ease off even slightly and drop down again and on and on on longer hills. I just nudge the lever to the left and use manual gear changes to get around the few things the gearbox does that I don't like.
Same applies if i need a quick get away when moving slowly, I'll just nudge the lever down into sport mode as I know it normally loves to get itself in the highest gear possible.
They have some issues, ones that haven't been maintained start to get cranky and jerky as well but overall they're pretty good.
Definitely shouldn't be struggling to pull away from a standstill though. You can see what gear it's in on the dashboard. It will stay in 2nd until almost stationary such as crawling in heavy traffic but not when you stop.
This article is great reading for how a DSG differs from an ordinary automatic:
https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/how-to-play-the-d...
You can avoid the sometime delays by following the tips, it's made my DSG driving better.
It also makes a big difference to responsiveness and keeping lower gears if you put the gearbox into sport mode (tap the lever backwards from D usually.)
My Golf also has a separate mode switch, so I have it in double sport - sport accelerator as well as sport gearbox (sport gearbox resets every time you turn the car off, so has to be selected once it has warmed up.)
https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/how-to-play-the-d...
You can avoid the sometime delays by following the tips, it's made my DSG driving better.
It also makes a big difference to responsiveness and keeping lower gears if you put the gearbox into sport mode (tap the lever backwards from D usually.)
My Golf also has a separate mode switch, so I have it in double sport - sport accelerator as well as sport gearbox (sport gearbox resets every time you turn the car off, so has to be selected once it has warmed up.)
Hmmmm, thank you for the replies.
The linked article does show that the "moving away from a stop" has been flagged up as a problem by others. The DSG has been around for 20 years now, so it's odd VW haven't fixed it. I already knew about the basic design (i.e. two clutches, two shafts, etc) and I can see how that works on the move. I've not had a problem with the actual gear changes once moving over about 20 mph, except for the aforementioned issue of it keeping too high a gear..
The shift lever on the mark 8 is different from the video; the operation of the manual override is via paddles only.
I shall try using "Sport" to move away from a stop, but that's a big pain in a gearbox that's supposed to be automatic!
Having also driven a CVT (non VW), my feeling is the CVT works better, and I didn't expect to say that.
The linked article does show that the "moving away from a stop" has been flagged up as a problem by others. The DSG has been around for 20 years now, so it's odd VW haven't fixed it. I already knew about the basic design (i.e. two clutches, two shafts, etc) and I can see how that works on the move. I've not had a problem with the actual gear changes once moving over about 20 mph, except for the aforementioned issue of it keeping too high a gear..
The shift lever on the mark 8 is different from the video; the operation of the manual override is via paddles only.
I shall try using "Sport" to move away from a stop, but that's a big pain in a gearbox that's supposed to be automatic!
Having also driven a CVT (non VW), my feeling is the CVT works better, and I didn't expect to say that.
What you are saying does sound normal.
Like you say 'D' mode basically is full economy, the gearbox will always chase the highest gear.
To get around the issues you mention I just knock the gearbox into 'S' mode if I know I might want to accelerate soon or if I'm coming to a roundabout/junction.
Like you say 'D' mode basically is full economy, the gearbox will always chase the highest gear.
To get around the issues you mention I just knock the gearbox into 'S' mode if I know I might want to accelerate soon or if I'm coming to a roundabout/junction.
M4cruiser said:
Another DSG question!
Over Christmas I've been running around in a Golf Mk8 Diesel DSG Auto (not my car) and I'm thinking the DSG is odd.
Pretty sure I'm not alone?
For example: It seems to be set up for ultimate economy. Like maintaining 7th gear on motorway hills, and really struggling in "D". I have to use the left paddle to drop down to "M6".
Also: Why do these things have trouble pulling away from stopped, like when you want to join a busy roundabout, selecting a gap in the traffic, (and where my old slush-matic makes a smart move away), the DSG won't go, and I find myself saying to it "Come on, come on"! It feels like it's in 2nd gear.
Is it faulty, or are they all like that?
Sounds about right, I had a Superb with the 190Tdi and DSG.Over Christmas I've been running around in a Golf Mk8 Diesel DSG Auto (not my car) and I'm thinking the DSG is odd.
Pretty sure I'm not alone?
For example: It seems to be set up for ultimate economy. Like maintaining 7th gear on motorway hills, and really struggling in "D". I have to use the left paddle to drop down to "M6".
Also: Why do these things have trouble pulling away from stopped, like when you want to join a busy roundabout, selecting a gap in the traffic, (and where my old slush-matic makes a smart move away), the DSG won't go, and I find myself saying to it "Come on, come on"! It feels like it's in 2nd gear.
Is it faulty, or are they all like that?
It's not DSG per-se, I think it's probally the best gear solution available at the moment (I might even whisper I'll never have a manual again). It's how VAG programme them. It's all about emissions and economy.
The roundabout thing is a ball ache, it will always attempt to pull away in 2nd, keeps the emission 'score' down and the economy up, but the box doesn't know if you're pulling away from a Zebra crossing outside a school or trying to join a busy multi-land roundabout. The usual story is, there's a gap, you go for it, but it's hardly moving "oh s t" really stab the throttle, the box thinks 'oh s t, they wanted first', there's a small delay, shifts into first and then it roars off.
The only solution I found was getting into the habit of pulling the stick back into put it into S mode everytime I needed to know it was going to pull off in first, it became instinctive eventually.
My current Golf R DSG is running about 370PS/500NM and even now and again I'll put into S mode because unless you really stab at it, it's going to pull off in second.
If it makes you feel better, the 6 speeds were worse.
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