Picked up a low mileage '15 Golf TDI S

nomadic

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
So Cal
TDI
'15 Golf TDI S dsg
My 2nd VW. Currently also have a '14 Jetta SE. But I lend that out to my parents for 4.5 months out of the year when they stay 7hrs north of me.

Got a certified white golf dsg S with 13,800mi from VW dealer. Test drove a manual too but the dsg just seemed easier to stay in the power band and the shift throws on the manual were kind of long. I'd be happy with either.

So far really enjoying. Built really solid and the gas mileage is amazing.
Yes, I work from home so mileage isn't that big of deal. I actually sold my 680hp supercharged Mustang GT and went to a TDI, lol.

GT was fun and only driven weekends but I could only use a small portion of its power before going insane speeds. And 14 mpg on $4/gallon premium starts to get old.

Really enjoying the TDI. Fun to drive, comfortable, definitely fast enough, well built, and exceptional gas mileage all for half the price of the Mustang. No complaints! No plans for any mods either. Like it as is. We'll add pics soon.
 

Claybreaker

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Location
Maryland
TDI
2015 TDI Golf SE
I picked up a 15 Golf SE COPO a few months ago. I changed jobs and had to turn in my company car. Figured get something that got good milage and was fun to drive. I like mine so far. Welcome.
 

tdi54

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Location
California
TDI
1981 Rabbit Diesel(sold), 2009 Jetta TDI MT(sold)2010 Jetta TDI MT, 2015 Jetta TDI SEL, DSG, 99 Ford F 350 PSD Dually, 2016 BMW X5 xDrive35d, 2016 535d
Smart choice to switch to Golf. Enjoy your new car!!
 

dasjefe

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Location
Taylor Texas
TDI
Golf Sportwagen
Getting a CPO GSW SE 6MT next week. These cars kind of flew under the radar for me - I have had a bunch of VWs over many years but did not become aware until quite recently that VW made a mega-golf. With this thing I can haul around my aged Great Pyrenees, take road trips, and do my daily 100mi commute! Perfect for my needs. I'll be retiring my 03' 1.8T Passat gasser, which has been dependable car but is really beat to hell.
 

bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
My 2nd VW. Currently also have a '14 Jetta SE. But I lend that out to my parents for 4.5 months out of the year when they stay 7hrs north of me.

Got a certified white golf dsg S with 13,800mi from VW dealer. Test drove a manual too but the dsg just seemed easier to stay in the power band and the shift throws on the manual were kind of long. I'd be happy with either.

So far really enjoying. Built really solid and the gas mileage is amazing.
Yes, I work from home so mileage isn't that big of deal. I actually sold my 680hp supercharged Mustang GT and went to a TDI, lol.

GT was fun and only driven weekends but I could only use a small portion of its power before going insane speeds. And 14 mpg on $4/gallon premium starts to get old.

Really enjoying the TDI. Fun to drive, comfortable, definitely fast enough, well built, and exceptional gas mileage all for half the price of the Mustang. No complaints! No plans for any mods either. Like it as is. We'll add pics soon.
how much did you pay if not a secret?
 

nomadic

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
So Cal
TDI
'15 Golf TDI S dsg
how much did you pay if not a secret?
$15,554 before tax, lic fees. Came out a little under $17K OTD. Was planning on getting the manual. I test drove it and liked it but the DSG just felt quicker. The tall gearing on the manual I didn't like as much. But I would have been happier with either. Just decided on the DSG.
 
Last edited:

bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
$15,554 before tax, lic fees. Came out a little under $17K OTD. Was planning on getting the manual. I test drove it and liked it but the DSG just felt quicker. The tall gearing on the manual I didn't like as much. But I would have been happier with either. Just decided on the DSG.
wait till that dsg starts quirking on you, but congrats anyway, its a good car!
 

bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
What quirks do you have? I see you have a DSG and 6MT.
sometimes it feels like the DSG is confused, at low speeds, low throttle during turning for example, it might clunk or jerk. If my wife or daughter could drive a manual car I would never buy a DSG, but it doesn't mean its a bad a car, I just have something to compare it with, side by side.
 

Mrrogers1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
Omaha NEEEBRASKA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT, 2011 Jetta TDI DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI DSG
sometimes it feels like the DSG is confused, at low speeds, low throttle during turning for example, it might clunk or jerk. If my wife or daughter could drive a manual car I would never buy a DSG, but it doesn't mean its a bad a car, I just have something to compare it with, side by side.
No quirks here (3rd DSG) but I would venture to guess it's driving style has a bit to do with this as the sensors have LOTS of things going on the transmission and can get confused for sure. It's trying to stay one step ahead of us and we're not computers and do things our way. :D I guess that would be one of the computer driving manual transmission "quirks" but it's not something everyone experiences.
 

dasjefe

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Location
Taylor Texas
TDI
Golf Sportwagen
I had a Mk7 gasser with DSG and could never get used to the strange creeping at low speeds. It felt like a graceless stick shift driver was at work and the car was near the verge of dying. Much nicer to be able to pull a clutch in and let the car move under its own momentum a bit as you come to a stop. The upshifts with the paddles are undeniably cool though - as long as you're going into the next already engaged gear. I bought a GSW TDI last week and specific looked for a manual one.
 

nomadic

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
So Cal
TDI
'15 Golf TDI S dsg
My DSG has had no issues at all so far. I do notice at super slow speeds like straightening out a parking space, it lunges a tiny bit and is not as smooth as conventional automatic.

I did test drive a manual and liked it except for 1st gear which was really weak/short. The DSG just felt faster to me and the manual TDI was kinda beat up compared to the DSG. Otherwise I may have gone manual.
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
Those driving characteristics should smooth out some after phase 2 fix. The low speed peculiarities vanished after I got the phase 2 fix. I drove a 2012 JSW for a couple years before turning it in, so I had a baseline to compare DSG characteristics to before I bought my phase 1 GSW.
 

Graham Line

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Location
Pacific Northwest
TDI
'12 Golf TDI 6M
There are two modes for the DSG, are there not?

D 'Drive', I guess, and S 'Sport'. I've had the DSG in shop loaners and rentals and liked it well enough. If I drove in heavy traffic every day, would probably like it even more.
 

mopower

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Location
Midwest vandweller
TDI
15 GSW
Congrats and welcome to the MK7 TDI! I too have a DSG and while its not my ideal it seems to work just fine. I do a few things differently when creeping because of the on-off nature of 1st gear from a stop. I like to fully release the brakes for the moment it takes for the transmission to start engaging and then I get back on the brakes to whatever slowness I want to be moving.

My previous 2014 TDI had about 150k DSG problem free miles before it was turned in. Maybe I was lucky?
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
I've read that you shouldn't coast a DSG in traffic like a typical automatic. If you drag it like that without providing throttle, the clutch plates heat up and experience premature wear. Not sure if I have the details correct, but that should give you enough info to search the forums for clarification.
 

tdiinsc

Active member
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Location
Greenville, SC
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI, 14' Jetta TDI
sometimes it feels like the DSG is confused, at low speeds, low throttle during turning for example, it might clunk or jerk. If my wife or daughter could drive a manual car I would never buy a DSG, but it doesn't mean its a bad a car, I just have something to compare it with, side by side.
Yeah this. Its especially bad in stop and go traffic...car doesnt know what gear to be in so it just is jerky. I guess you could fix that by manually shifting it. My wife couldnt physically push the clutch in fully (she is short), so we had to go with DSG on her golf sportwagen. I may not feel as bad if you had a stiffer dogbone mount, but then that presents other issues in itself with higher NHV.
 

nomadic

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
So Cal
TDI
'15 Golf TDI S dsg
I never sit in stop and go (or very rarely) so I don't notice any issues with the DSG much. I guess if I got stuck in bad traffic, I'd see how it goes and would just shift 1-2 in manual mode if D got annoying. :)
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
It's important to remember that a DSG has actual clutches, ours has two, and functions more closely to a manual than a traditional automatic. Some of these experiences *could* be due to the control unit's "confusion" over which gear to select, but they are also explainable by the fact that the DSG has to mechanically select the correct clutch for the gear requested and has to operate the clutch.

The data indicate a DSG does this more quickly and efficiently than a human driver, but the problem seems to be that human drivers associate the DSG with a clutch-less automatic and drive it accordingly, which introduces lag and jerkiness. Numerous reports over the years here indicate that once a driver associates a DSG with a manual, and operates it accordingly, the experience becomes better.

Try this and see if it enhances your driving experience: allow for an appropriate amount of time for the clutches to engage/disengage just like if you were driving a manual (you wouldn't ordinarily switch from stop to throttle without any allowance of the clutch engaging and you wouldn't ordinarily drive through stop and go traffic via clutch pedal operation alone...hopefully).
 

The Tortoise

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
Ottawa
TDI
2015 GSW Trendline - White
Try this and see if it enhances your driving experience: allow for an appropriate amount of time for the clutches to engage/disengage just like if you were driving a manual (you wouldn't ordinarily switch from stop to throttle without any allowance of the clutch engaging and you wouldn't ordinarily drive through stop and go traffic via clutch pedal operation alone...hopefully).
This. If you drive it like it's a manual transmission it is perfectly fine.
 

Mrrogers1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
Omaha NEEEBRASKA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT, 2011 Jetta TDI DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI DSG
I've read that you shouldn't coast a DSG in traffic like a typical automatic. If you drag it like that without providing throttle, the clutch plates heat up and experience premature wear. Not sure if I have the details correct, but that should give you enough info to search the forums for clarification.
Coasting is fine BUT riding the throttle on a hill rather than applying brake will do what you are speaking of. The car will keep trying to slip the clutch it you do this.
It's important to remember that a DSG has actual clutches, ours has two, and functions more closely to a manual than a traditional automatic. Some of these experiences *could* be due to the control unit's "confusion" over which gear to select, but they are also explainable by the fact that the DSG has to mechanically select the correct clutch for the gear requested and has to operate the clutch.

The data indicate a DSG does this more quickly and efficiently than a human driver, but the problem seems to be that human drivers associate the DSG with a clutch-less automatic and drive it accordingly, which introduces lag and jerkiness. Numerous reports over the years here indicate that once a driver associates a DSG with a manual, and operates it accordingly, the experience becomes better.

Try this and see if it enhances your driving experience: allow for an appropriate amount of time for the clutches to engage/disengage just like if you were driving a manual (you wouldn't ordinarily switch from stop to throttle without any allowance of the clutch engaging and you wouldn't ordinarily drive through stop and go traffic via clutch pedal operation alone...hopefully).
100% agree. I never have urk and jerk stuff happen, just drive smooth and not sudden.
This. If you drive it like it's a manual transmission it is perfectly fine.
^^^ This [emoji41]

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 

Mrrogers1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
Omaha NEEEBRASKA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT, 2011 Jetta TDI DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI DSG
By "riding the throttle on a hill" you mean accelerating while driving down the hill?
No, as in if you are sitting on a hill, going up, and instead of applying the brakes and allowing the hill-hold-assist and brakes to do their job, you apply throttle to keep the car from rolling back.
 

cristoaca

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
2015 VW Golf TDI S
Got it. Thank you.
I prefer to manually shift on my Golf's DSG too. However there's some delay from pressing the paddle or using the lever in Triptonic mode, until it actually changes gear. More noticeable on 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd. Is this common?
Will change the vehicle under username. The '11 manual was bought back.
 

Mrrogers1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
Omaha NEEEBRASKA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT, 2011 Jetta TDI DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI DSG
Got it. Thank you.
I prefer to manually shift on my Golf's DSG too. However there's some delay from pressing the paddle or using the lever in Triptonic mode, until it actually changes gear. More noticeable on 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd. Is this common?
Will change the vehicle under username. The '11 manual was bought back.
I don't have any delay when I use my paddles going up or down, they are crispy, clean and immediate shifts. Are you letting of the throttle when you shift? I'm not sure why it would delay but I don't get any of that.
 

Mrrogers1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
Omaha NEEEBRASKA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT, 2011 Jetta TDI DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI DSG
I don't think I let of the throttle when I shift. Should I?
No, not at all BUT I did some messing around last night and if you are just light into the throttle, I noticed the delay. If you are IN IT moderately or for real, the shifts are pretty instant. So if you drive like a "TDI'er" its going to feel delayed, give her some throttle and shifts will be fast. :D

Try driving in S only and see how it drives. It's the main automatic mode I drive in, never use D and always downshift when letting off the throttle isn't enough to get me slowed to where I need to be.
 
Last edited:
Top