Towing - 2012 Jetta TDI Sportwagon

loonytuna

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Location
Jupiter, Florida, USA
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
I'm back to owning a TDI and very happy about it!

One of the primary reasons I bought this car was the ability to tow the motorcycle with it, I had a TDI previously and it towed great.

The current bike and trailer weight is right at 1,000 lbs.

BUT, I read the owners manual, and the DSG (same tranny I had before) says NO TOWING..........

Is this a change for 2012?

Anyone have experience with this?

Is there a "good" reason for me not to tow ...... forgetting the warranty issue.

Thanks!
 

belome

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Mid MI
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
I can't answer your question, but if I wanted to tow, I would have bought a manual.
 

wolfskin

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Location
Timisoara/Romania
TDI
Skoda Fabia Combi TDI
The tech data I find on the german VW site states towing capacities of 750/1500/1700 Kg for the "Golf Variant" 140hp TDI with DSG for unbraked / 12% braked / 8% braked trailers (the %-age gives the fraction of trailer inertia that is transferred to the towing vehicle).

Are you sure your owner's manual is not talking about tow-starting the vehicle being prohibited? That's a no-no since ages....
 

loonytuna

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Location
Jupiter, Florida, USA
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
Belome - I have the owners manual - see the below, copied from the manual.

Wolfskin - That's interesting, the German site contradicts the manual .. more confusion for me! - lol

On Page 161 - 140 hp (103 kW) diesel engine with DPF
DSG@ 6S automatic - This vehicle cannot be used to tow a trailer
 

loonytuna

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Location
Jupiter, Florida, USA
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
LRTDI - Thanks, I had read that post first.

Maybe this is a change in the 2012 owners manual?

I did get the dealer that sold me the vehicle to agree to install the tow hitch and wiring, so I have a fall back position.

What I'm looking for is anyone with a "reason" why this would have changed.

I am thinking, like some others, it's just a "cover my butt" position being taken by VW.
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
I can't answer the legal side of things but trust me that thing can tow just fine if it is like my fathers 09 sportwagon. He has towwed a Bike and Trike Harley Ultraclassics (the heaviest) together. Also had a few L&G tractors behind him at the same time. And a stationary JD W engine (heavy) as well. He is at 130K miles and counting. Had the dreaded exhaust flap ($600) the other week. A bad rim (bad since new-wobbled/bent), and a couple other things. He also had my brother add a 2 inch reciever hitch (I have a build thread).
 

tdi_addict

Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Location
Halifax NS
TDI
2004,2006 Jettas
I heard DSG has no torque converter and the internal transmission temperatures were hot enough to melt the clutch friction discs trailer towing. The DSG may be "more efficient" but I would gladly give up 2-3 MPG with a Tip to gain towing ability with this wicket 2L TDi
 

redbarron55

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
I believe that the British ratings for towing are very similar for the manual and DSG transmissions. There is less than 50 KG difference as I remember and the biggest difference may be between trailers with brakes and without.
I think the rating with brakes is around 3500 lbs.
The extreme heat with automatics comes form the torque converter and not the gears. The DSG has no torque converter and once the clutches have engaged fully then there would be no slippage and therefore no additional heating form that source.
The additional sipllage and wear and tear would be when starting from a standstill. The silpping to get the car moving would be just like starting with a manual and probably with the very low gearing with the DSG and the computer operating the clutch the resulting wear and heat would be less than most manual drivers foot.
Without a doubt there would be some manual operators that could beat the DSG, but probably very few.
Once the car is moving the DSG would match road speed and engine speed probaly better than all but the very best drivers.
The only drawback would be the high cost of replacement of the DSG over the manual.
I think a light trailer would be of little or no concern at 1500 lbs, especially if you took it easy starting.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
once loaded, I find it easier if I put the dsg in sports mode to start out. Gives it a little more torque before shifting. once it's shifted up to about third, I'll pop it back into D and have no issues.
 

mwrluthier

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Location
Central California
TDI
2013 TDI Sportwagon
Tow Hookup Frustration

I'm a newbie with the TDI, and blindly hooked up a standard U-Haul 2-1 light hookup for a small utility trailer. I occasionally need to haul a washing machine or some stuff from Home Depot. The left rear brake light has gone out. I checked the bulb and it was not blown, replaced it anyway. Disconnected the tow harness, and the left brake still did not work. Went to the dealer, and they charged me $100 to check it out. They said that they needed to replace the portion of the wiring that I had hooked onto, and it would be another $350 to order the wiring and clips. I said no, but cannot figure how to troubleshoot the left brake being out.

When the dealer checked the light out, they made the warning light go out on the dash, but still no brake light.

Half tempted to just wire the other brake light to it, but afraid of what it will do to the wiring system??

I understand the concerns about the DSG tranny, but living in Fresno, it's completely flat so no substantial stress in getting started from a stop with a 4x6 trailer.

HELP!!!!
 

9mmkungfu

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Location
Virginia
TDI
2010 Jetta SportWagen, 2006 Jetta
I'm a newbie with the TDI, and blindly hooked up a standard U-Haul 2-1 light hookup for a small utility trailer. I occasionally need to haul a washing machine or some stuff from Home Depot. The left rear brake light has gone out. I checked the bulb and it was not blown, replaced it anyway. Disconnected the tow harness, and the left brake still did not work. Went to the dealer, and they charged me $100 to check it out. They said that they needed to replace the portion of the wiring that I had hooked onto, and it would be another $350 to order the wiring and clips. I said no, but cannot figure how to troubleshoot the left brake being out.
When the dealer checked the light out, they made the warning light go out on the dash, but still no brake light.
Half tempted to just wire the other brake light to it, but afraid of what it will do to the wiring system??
I understand the concerns about the DSG tranny, but living in Fresno, it's completely flat so no substantial stress in getting started from a stop with a 4x6 trailer.
HELP!!!!
I'm curious to see if there was any resolution to your situation.
 

TDI2000Zim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Location
NJ
TDI
VW hat meinen '14 Passat TDiSE getötet.
I'm back to owning a TDI and very happy about it!

One of the primary reasons I bought this car was the ability to tow the motorcycle with it, I had a TDI previously and it towed great.

The current bike and trailer weight is right at 1,000 lbs.

BUT, I read the owners manual, and the DSG (same tranny I had before) says NO TOWING..........

Is this a change for 2012?

Anyone have experience with this?

Is there a "good" reason for me not to tow ...... forgetting the warranty issue.

Thanks!
I don't see any "NOT ALLOWED ON DSG EQUIPPED VEHICLES" warning here: http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2012_Volkswagen_Jetta+Sportwagen.htm .
 

OnDasher

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Location
Sooke (Victoria), BC
TDI
2006 Jetta Wagon
Anybody know if the 2014 model still has official VW towing restrictions in North America? And, as anybody confirmed any differences in European models that explain this towing restriction in North America? Same engine, same tranny, same brakes?

European models win towing awards, and even come from the factory with nifty fold-away hitches built into the bumper.
 

umrpunter

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Location
Dallas TX
TDI
09' Black Jetta TDI manny tranny, tan pleather, wd6050 hd
hmm.....I just towed a uhaul this weekend and now have the same light except that it is the left rear turn signal it is telling me. I hadn't checked it out yet. BTW the things tow like a dream.
 

OnDasher

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Location
Sooke (Victoria), BC
TDI
2006 Jetta Wagon
Two VW dealers here on Vancouver Island both confirmed towing voids the warranty on a 2014 Golf TDI if equipped with an auto-transmission. Apparently the automatic in these models is highly susceptible to towing damage. Towing with a Golf TDI manual is fine (capacity ~1200 lbs), and towing with a Touareg TDI automatic is OK, too. Most cars in Europe are manuals, so I suspect all those Golf TDI towing awards from Europe were for manuals, too.
 

belome

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Mid MI
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
This has been beaten to death, just need to search for some of the old threads.
 
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