DSG Gearbox manoeuvring uphill & going downhill

[audio2]

I am new to a DSG gearbox so would welcome some advice. When trying to get into a car park space which is slightly uphill the Ocean seems remarkably reluctant to start. It wont creep like previous automatics, opening the throttle slightly does not move it forward, a bit more throttle nothing, more throttle & it suddenly goes too quickly for manoeuvring in a car park . Is this lack of technique on my part, a design fault of the dsg gearbox or a problem to be sorted by the dealer?

Also I have noted that when going down hill, if I brake quite gently, so just before a bend it changes down to 4th or third. When you take your foot off the break it seems reluctant to change up again, so you can get engine breaking when I would normal let gravity increase the speed.

I have previously driven various automatics & manuals, but am not sure what to expect with a DSG gearbox. Most of the time it seems to work well.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Come to think of it your "issue" is the same as my observation. Car park manoeuvring in my case reversing up to a wall and a line of trees slightly uphill resulted in a bent bike rack as a result of sudden acceleration! Fortunately the tailgate was fine but the tie wraps holding the bike rack together have now become a permanent feature (well I do replace them from time to time).

 

[AlanC]

Your van's gearbox has rollback prevention, i.e.an automatic hill start system.

When maneuvering up a slight incline, this will come into play and you will need to squeeze the accelerator a little more than expected to overcome this facility. It is an equal pain trying to get up leveling ramps gently.

There is nothing wrong with the gearbox and a 'pita' of a facility if you are used to using your hand brake on hills. Unfortunately it can't be disabled as far as I can see.

Alan

 

[Loz]

I think the lack of uphill creep is due to the weight as it does creep on the flat after a couple of seconds. If you need to get real close in this uphill situation grab the handbrake and use that to help you as you come off the throttle..

 

[briwy]

Exactly why we got rid of the dsg and got a manual.
In our case we park the van at the back of our house. Have to reverse round a hairpin bend on a 40% slope, at angle through the gate with two inches spare either side and then turn sharply to avoid a five foot drop onto our conservatory. DSG just not suitable. Great to drive normally but for us no good.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Exactly why we got rid of the dsg and got a manual.
In our case we park the van at the back of our house. Have to reverse round a hairpin bend on a 40% slope, at angle through the gate with two inches spare either side and then turn sharply to avoid a five foot drop onto our conservatory. DSG just not suitable. Great to drive normally but for us no good.

I have to confess I do miss the control I feel I had with a manual 'box in my other cars.

 

[Eber123]

The way I understood Audio2, it seems to be a bit like my wife's Polo.

Shifting to drive the car won't move, pushing the accelerator slightly, still nothing - until the car jumps forward (or backward). Our driveway has gravel which means that the front wheel will spin almost every time. I never had that problem with my Tiguan.

Spoke several times to VW, but it was said that is normal ?! Now with 110k km my wife got use to it.

I thought that with the Tiguan the larger engine and the 4x4 was the reason why it was so much more comfortable to manoeuvre on tight spaces or uphill.

Eberhard

 

[Akvist]

Going downhill, the DSG is default set to free-rolling (gear in neutral) if you don't give any gas. When you brake going downhill, the gearbox thinks you want to go slower and engages a gear to use the engine to brake. Just touch the gas pedal slightly again to engage free-rolling if you don't want to engine brake. This feature can be disabled so the gearbox never free-roll going downhill.

 

[audio2]

Thats exactly the problem, especially when in a car park you decide you can get in another foot. I suppose with more use I will know exactly where the front is rather ran relying on the beepers, or go backwards a bit & then go in forwards. It does seem regressive compared to the old 3 speed BorgWarner, the might of VW triumphs again. Should I not need to worry surely their wonderful Front Assist with City Emergency Braking System will stop it hitting the parked car in front.

Generally the comments about DSG on this forum are very positive, I am surprised that this issue has not been raised before.

 

[Loz]

Generally the comments about DSG on this forum are very positive, I am surprised that this issue has not been raised before.

it has...

 

[sidepod]

Is the lurching issue caused by the EPB not the gearbox.
We had a Tiggy that was a pain to manoeuvre on a hill and that was an over eager EPB.

 

[GrannyJen]

If I can, needing to go uphill, I roll forward a little first. It does need very gentle application of the accelerator to make it move, although with practice it can be quite precise. Strangely enough happened to me this morning, reversing to hook up our caravan, had to go up hill so gave myself a bit more room to get the 3 ton weight rolling.

The effect of "coast" has been described well enough above. A dab of the accelerator shifts the vehicle effectively into neutral and a dab of the brake then engages engine braking.

 

[motacyclist]

Use your left foot on the brake to mimic the effect of feathering a clutch. Raise the revs slightly with foot down then gently release to creep forward or back. It may take a little practice.

As mentioned above, when going downhill the vehicle will coast (if enabled), a dab on the brakes will re-engage the drive, and a harder press will cause the box to downshift. To let the speed increase by gravity, a dab on the accelerator will put the van into coast again (I’ve noticed that this may not occur on a steeper hill, probably a safety feature). The coast function can be disabled in “Settings” if you don’t like it, or you can put the box into sport mode which disables coast.

BTW, the DSG box on the T6 is, I find, much better than the previous model with regards to pulling away from standstill; and seems to predict and choose the right gear better for most situations. This may be due to individual vehicle variations rather than model change, but it is my finding on the ones I’ve had.

 

[Stoneybroke]

Regularly reverse up our drive and never had an issue with our DSG - smooth and gentle everytime.

 

[andyinluton]

It does seem regressive compared to the old 3 speed BorgWarner, the might of VW triumphs again.

Generally the comments about DSG on this forum are very positive, I am surprised that this issue has not been raised before.

Thats because the DSG is effectively a computer operated manual gearbox, any low speed manoeuvring involves slipping the clutch which the computer doesn't really want to do. If you want to wreck the gearbox quickly just try & hold the van on a steep hill using just the accelerator.

The old BorgWarner has a fluid coupling so infinitely variable ratios which is ideal for low speed manoeuvring but not so good at high speed.

 

[burnercan]

There seems to be quite some variation in the clutch bite points on these. The few I've driven were all a bit different, having tested them all on the same 'reversing uphill parallel parking maneuver' in the same place.

Our 2013 Golf has a really nice, smooth, positive feel of clutch engagement. It will happily creep itself over the 5cm high curb in front of our parking spot without any gas pedal at all. I can hear the engine lug just a wee bit and then the clutch feels likes it's cleanly engaged and it just rolls over whatever small obstacle is in the way. The new T6, will creep as soon as you lift off the brake, but the clutch never really feels fully engaged until there is pedal enough for 16-1800RPM. The slightest incline, or bump, or pebble an it stops until I insist hard on the pedal. I know the Golf has a dry clutch pack vs. wet in the T6, but the rest of the system should be pretty much the same principles. Just that the VW utility guys are used to making vans for builders instead of people who actually want to drive.

I've got a tuner who reckons he can fix it and wants to fiddle with it, but I'm reluctant since I've only just rolled over 1200km.

 

[Volkywagen]

I have to store mine in our tight garage which is a bugger to get into. I move in and out on tickover slowly and it’s fine. If the oil in gearbox is cold this sometimes requires 500rpm to make it shift at first, but when it’s warm it’s fine.
Also experienced the delay then the sudden movement sometimes but I’ve put this down to the fly by wire throttle.
Also just been over the Sierra Nevada mountains and the gearbox had a right workout. I found it more useful having it in sport mode though as it held the engine revs for longer.
Knew I should have opted for the 204ps

 

[WelshGas]

Also, as I understand it, the DSG computer system learns your driving style over time.

Bedtime reading.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-shift_gearbox

 

[sidepod]

Also, as I understand it, the DSG computer system learns your driving style over time.

Bedtime reading.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-shift_gearbox

Correct but if your driving routine varies greatly it kind of gets confused.
I had my Porsche box software reset and it made a noticeable difference once it had its memory cleared.

 

[burnercan]

made a noticeable difference

Would you say that you noticed a change in initial clutch engagement or more the shift points once rolling?

 

[sidepod]

Just a more consistent performance. Clutch bite I’ve never had an issue with.
I find these boxes do work better with more throttle.

Have you tried selecting manual when manoeuvring?

 

[bvddobb]

Have you tried selecting manual when manoeuvring?

Indeed! While reading this thread I was wondering: is there no manual option on a DSG? That's what you use on a touring car when manoeuvring to the cm. Have never driven a DSG, so don't know.

 

[mccp]

Just a more consistent performance. Clutch bite I’ve never had an issue with.
I find these boxes do work better with more throttle.

Have you tried selecting manual when manoeuvring?

Isn't the OP asking about reverse? There is no manual override for reverse as far as I know.

I found it very awkward to reverse uphill and around a corner last week in Falmouth, so I'm following this thread with interest.

 

[burnercan]

Have you tried selecting manual when manoeuvring

Yes, I do this by default fwd maneuvering and reverse is obviously the same as manual mode, just holds whatever gear you select. It seems to make no difference to the bite point but climbing out of my underground carpark it doesn't try to get 2nd gear on the steep ramp. It crawls up that ramp at ~1500-1600 rpm and the clutch doesn't seem fully engaged.

The Golf idles up that hill at the same speed it idles on the flat, no pedal needed and no apparent clutch slip. Once your foot is off the brake, the clutch engages fully. It's doesn't ever seem to slip under normal circumstances. OK, the bus is double the weight. But also has double the torque so if the clutch would just fully engage, the ECU should be able to hold it at idle and drag it up the hill. Unless on an absolutely flat surface, it seems as though it is slipping until you give it a boot full. Doesn't seem right.

 

[sidepod]

Soooo just spoke with colleague who’s thang is transmissions.

It’s seems these dual clutch boxes use a learning algorithm for set off. They monitor throttle position and take note of how the vehicle performs during take off adjusting clutch bite point and duration accordingly then applying this next time.

So Burnercan you need to spend more time driving up your ramp until you’re happy with the performance.

Just give it the beans.