they are a lot more complicated than a manual which any Tom dick or Harry clutch shop can fix. Realistically the dsg is probably dealer service only unless you know of a very good high tech trans shop (I don’t). They both come with dmf so no benefit there but again for the 300-400k haul the simpler the better only because it’s easier to fix WHEN it breaks
I'm not sure why you think this. The clutch pack is simple to replace and relatively inexpensive. Any basic shop can do it. Owners can do it themselves. You take the pump shaft out, remove some circlips, then slip the old pack out and the new one in.
The list price at the dealer is $850, iirc, but here's one you can customize for less or more depending:
https://www.sspperformance.com/vw-a...-audi-dq250-clutch-core-exchange-program.html
That's close in price to my manual Stage2 SBC kit I put in my '98. Here's the manual kit for the CRs we're talking about:
https://www.tunemyeuro.com/cr-tdi-stage-2-performance-dmf-clutch-kit-by-south-bend/ ($700).
A mechatronic unit is $860:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine...MImZOC8_zA4AIVEMpkCh1dRwnnEAQYASABEgJGRfD_BwE
The reason you don't see a lot of discussion about the time and cost of fixing DSG transmissions is because impactful wear and failure are relatively rare, not because they are too complex or expensive to service.
If you are talking about internal failure, like synchro replacement, no one is going to be able to do that type of repair cost effectively compared to replacement on a manual, either, and that's assuming the tools, parts, and training are even available. It will absolutely require specialized tooling, knowledge, and parts to work on the internals of a modern VW manual transmission that no Tom, Dick, or Harry Clutch Shop will be able to perform. That same shop will be able to do a basic clutch replacement, but then again they'd also be qualified to do a DSG clutch pack replacement for about the same time and cost.
The practical implications are that a manual's internals are more likely to wear out than a DSG's internals (although both should be relatively rare events due to abuse) and when they do wear out the DSG replacement is going to be easier to source in the aftermarket (consider how few manuals already exist and how few are going to trickle down into the yards over the next decade or two). As of today, you'll pay more money for a base option when the manual transmissions have a lower list price than DSGs simply because of market supply and demand. That's poor economy of choice, in my opinion.
I definitely didn't want a pano roof. I live in the desert in one of the, if not the, hottest place in the world. I'm not worried about water intrusion, but I do have to deal with the sun and
heat. Yet, like I said, it's not realistic to base buying choices on one aspect of a vehicle in a vacuum. These vehicles are sold as packages. If I want a slicktop, I have to accept other things about the vehicle that merit consideration. I never said that the only right choice was to buy a pano roof because the only right choice was to drive an SEL. Instead, I'm pointing out it's not fair to frame the discussion as pano vs. slicktop and leave out the other factors that might play into that discussion.
For example, I paid $12K out the door for my 2015 SEL DSG GSW. I'd rather budget $2k for a pano repair in ten years than spend $14K for a slicktop S trim. I think people are going to be driven more by the difference between a manual and a DSG than a pano vs. a slicktop. I think the way it gets conflated in these conversations is that most manuals are going to be in an S trim and those don't have panos. That's the best of both worlds for a customer like ol rattler, but it's not really reflective of what the average customer wants. It's complicated even further by that being, at list, the most basic model and lowest priced vehicle on the lot but can actually be priced above higher trim levels in a used car context due to market conditions.
If you want a higher trim than S, you'll end up with a pano. You might or might not be able to find a manual, though. Once you get into the range of a manual SEL, you will have to be a very motivated buyer because the price tag is going to rival a brand new car. You have to compare that to an Alltrack, for example, or a Hyundai or Mazda, etc. And as you certainly know, the more motivated a buyer you are, the more the price tag goes up.
The bottom line in regards to this thread, though, is that DSGs are purported to be reliable and when they do fail (as all things do eventually) they aren't much more expensive or labor intensive to fix than the things that can reasonably be fixed on a manual transmission. The only difference between the two in terms of cost would be the mechatronic unit so that should be calculated into the long-term cost calculations and negotiated appropriately if it's of concern to you as a buyer.
