Manual Trans / DPF Regeneration / Upshift indicator

BurpleTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2006
Location
Central MA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI
Did some searching on the form but didn't find anything similar.

Just an observation, but anyone notice that the car "asks" you to hold a lower gear (manual trans) during the DPF regeneration cycle? Typically, I get the upshift indicator to 5th of 6th rather quickly once moving, but noticed it was telling me to keep it in 4th on a level back road (40 ish mph). At a stoplight I noticed the tell-tale high idle and fans running. Drove it bit farther and the DPF regen must have finished and the upshift light went back to normal.

Bill
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
I cannot verify this since my car doesn't have an upshift indicator (it's a 2009), but it makes sense. Staying in a lower gear keeps the rpms up to a point where EGTs are high enough to complete a regen. If what you noticed is true - it's an example of good thinking by the VW engineers.

Have Fun!

Don
 

alberg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Location
Portugal
TDI
1.6 Tdi CR
You´re going along and it will say to upshift or downshift but if you press de gas more the info will go away, it will show the gear you are in.
 

lethe

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 11, 2010
Location
Hawley, Pa
TDI
2011 Golf TDI
You´re going along and it will say to upshift or downshift but if you press de gas more the info will go away, it will show the gear you are in.
No, in this once in a blue moon case, it keeps scolding you to downshift. Even going down a hill I've seen.
 

Mark

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2000
Location
Madison, WI
TDI
2009 Touareg TDI
Yes, Iv'e noticed that too during a regen. I have about a 3 mile drive at 30-35 and usually the upshift indicator is asking for 5th, but during regen it stays on 4.
 

nikhsub1

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2015 Golf R
My car only has 750 miles on it so far but I have noticed 3 or 4 regens already, does this seem excessive?
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
40 in 4th isn't normal? I'm normally cruising around in 4th anywhere between 35-50. 5th in 40 would seem to be lugging to me.
 

SIK02SS

Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Location
Brunswick, GA
TDI
2012 JSW TDI
I wish it would tell you when it's in regen (a little light on the dash maybe)..I've turned the car off during regen cycles a couple times and would have drove around the block a couple times to let it finish had i realized that prior to shutting it off..
 

BlueGraphite'10TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Location
Casa Grande AZ
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI 6Man
40 in 4th isn't normal? I'm normally cruising around in 4th anywhere between 35-50. 5th in 40 would seem to be lugging to me.
Agreed. I stay in 4th til 50, then 6th at 60. Glad I do not have the shift light either, seems it would be annoying me when I really don't want to shift.
 

Ryephile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Location
Metro Detroit
TDI
MkVI Golf
Yea my shift indicator changes modes and prefers me to be in higher RPM [>1700-ish RPM] when the engine is in regen mode. Somehow the car has a habit of starting a regen just as I pull in my driveway, then running the fans and stinking up the place. It'll finish its regen next time I drive the car though. Then the shift indicator will go back to its normal upshift-happy mood.
 

danham

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2009
Location
Cape Cod, MA
TDI
2010 JSW
Do the newer cars, with the upshift nag light, offer any logic for its behavior in the owner's manual?

I'm curious because I've observed that my car seems to get better mileage at around 2k rpm than at 1700 in 5th or 6th gear (MT). In other words, if I'm in traffic or conditions that require a cruising speed of much less than 65 I'll use 5th. In top gear, if conditions allow it, I'll try to cruise a "tidge" above 70. Beyond that aerodynamics intervene and mileage starts dropping.

I assume it's due to better breathing/more boost, but if the language in the owner's manual of an '11 car offers some clues I'd love to hear them.

Thanks,

-dan
 

dataiv

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Location
Ottawa, ON
TDI
2015 Golf Wagon TDI 6MT
I haven't really looked too closely at the owner's manual but during my first glance of it I didn't see anything about the shift indicator.

I can say thought that it definitely changes behaviour in regen mode and wants you to keep the RPM a bit higher. I find the normal suggestions of the shift indicator pretty ridiculous, I mean, it tells me to go into 6th gear at about 70km/h which yields an RPM of about 1200. No thanks! I try and keep it near or slightly under 2000 at those speeds.

The shift indicator is a bit strange, I think. Does the DSG really drive the way this shift indicator suggests you drive (i.e. super low RPM almost all the time)? I did test drive a DSG just for kicks but didn't drive it enough to get a feel for when it normally shifts.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
that's probably why they added the shift indicators, and if you play by it's rules, it'll help you DPF in the long run.
 

SIK02SS

Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Location
Brunswick, GA
TDI
2012 JSW TDI
Yea my shift indicator changes modes and prefers me to be in higher RPM [>1700-ish RPM] when the engine is in regen mode. Somehow the car has a habit of starting a regen just as I pull in my driveway, then running the fans and stinking up the place. It'll finish its regen next time I drive the car though. Then the shift indicator will go back to its normal upshift-happy mood.
If it's anything like a Duramax diesel engine, shutting down in the middle of a regen cycle kills your mileage for that cycle..
 

Ryephile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Location
Metro Detroit
TDI
MkVI Golf
The DPF regen kills fuel economy anyway. I'm not going to inconvenience myself by driving around aimlessly until the DPF has completed its regen cycle.
 
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