6 months later and still stalling car!

Jim'stdi · Jul 21, 2010

This clutch is ruthless!!!! I have driven manual cars for 40 years. When I test drove this car I did not stall it once. I still manage to stall it, mostly on hills, about once a week. I don't drive the car everday and that probably has something to do with it. How does this compare to what others are experiencing?

Aonarch · Jul 21, 2010

Jim'stdi said:
This clutch is ruthless!!!! I have driven manual cars for 40 years. When I test drove this car I did not stall it once. I still manage to stall it, mostly on hills, about once a week. I don't drive the car everday and that probably has something to do with it. How does this compare to what others are experiencing?

I've stalled 5 times now? My god.... I've owned 1 automatic my whole life.

sjjaskow · Jul 21, 2010

I have my days where I'm just abysmal at the clutch. I came from an automatic and had not driven a normal manual for a LONG time b4 this car. I practiced on TDIs at almost all the MN VW dealers! hehe

PaulGiz · Jul 21, 2010

This morning I could have said my learning curve was over -- until I stalled out on my way out of the CVS parking lot this afternoon.

Oh well.

Still love the car.

P.

sabersix · Jul 21, 2010

Jim'stdi said:
This clutch is ruthless!!!! I have driven manual cars for 40 years. When I test drove this car I did not stall it once. I still manage to stall it, mostly on hills, about once a week. I don't drive the car everday and that probably has something to do with it. How does this compare to what others are experiencing?

I've similarly driven manual clutch vehicles for over 25 years and had issues with the Jetta TDI. My wife had such severe problems that I considered it a safety issue and sold the vehicle in favor of an identical DSG equipped 2006 model. I've since purchased two 2010 and did not even consider buying another VW manual transmission.

DriverFoundNC · Jul 21, 2010

Been driving manuals for 25 years...when I test drove the JSW I stalled it pulling out of the lot. Ended up getting a DSG because that's what my employers wanted to lease for me...plus my wife could drive the car. She don't do manuals. I'd have been happy with the manual I think. My MG has a Nissan transmission in it with a hair trigger clutch so I think I could have done OK with the 6 sp VW but oh well...

sjjaskow · Jul 21, 2010

With the ridiculous transmission, I can claim that only I can drive it! hehe. Unfortunately I think most of my new roomates can drive manual...

epc · Jul 21, 2010

For me I found the clutch pedal to be slippery, and that makes things harder for me. I want more grip between my shoe and the pedal surface. Is the sports pedal more grippy?

mysql · Jul 21, 2010

There's nothing wrong with the clutch or transmission. The issue is that the cut off for the engine rpm is rather high. You are also not given a chance to "save" it from being cut off. It's abrupt and can be worrisome.

Imagine pulling out to cross a street - cars are flying towards you, and you made a slight error with feathering it, causing the car to shut off. Now you have 4 seconds to shut off the car, turn it back on, and then feather it correctly before you're plowed into by a H2.

What I do is walk on eggshells with 1st gear. 2nd gear isn't a big deal, and by 3rd gear, it's like any other car.

Jim'stdi · Jul 21, 2010

My wife drove the car for the first time a few months back and did well with it but she stalled it in and intersection! Once you have stalled it you have to restart the engine and start again.

mysql · Jul 21, 2010

Once you stall it, you can't restart it. You have to turn the key to the off position first. It makes a bad situation worse.

Jim'stdi · Jul 21, 2010

I know!!!

vw_sportwagen_mn · Jul 21, 2010

Try starting a 2010 Sportwagen TDI 6M on a hill with three full size adults, one child and the AC running, not fun. But, after a month of driving the TDI, (2,700 miles) I have improved greatly.

sportriderseattle · Jul 21, 2010

mysql said:
Once you stall it, you can't restart it. You have to turn the key to the off position first. It makes a bad situation worse.

This truly is a HUGE safety issue. Hopefully no one is killed and their family brings a lawsuit to VW. I would not want that for an individual or VW, but VW really needs to look at this seriously!

MPBsr · Jul 21, 2010

Being driving a stick since 1973 and last stalled a few weeks again.

Either the clutch or the low rpm's needs a recall to fix.

Prior to the recen time was last year. Go figure.

DCdesign · Jul 21, 2010

I've found that now its into the summer hot months using my A/C makes it much easier to stall.

mysql · Jul 21, 2010

Imagine if you didn't know about having to shut it off before you can start it up again. You can crank on the starter all day and nothing will happen.

back2vw · Jul 21, 2010

I've stalled it once. It's my wife's daily driver but I have driven it a couple/few hundred miles each weekend. It is different, but nowhere near being unsafe. It just takes a different technique.

Our 03 Jetta VR6 was similar, I stalled it once and realized that you had to turn the key to 'off' before restarting it.

Arne in Oregon · Jul 21, 2010

Jeeze, people, it's not that bad. We've only had ours for a month, but neither my wife or I have stalled it more than one time apiece. Yes, it's different than any of the other manual transmission cars we have owned recently, but not THAT different.

Aonarch · Jul 21, 2010

DCdesign said:
I've found that now its into the summer hot months using my A/C makes it much easier to stall.

My gf turned on the a/c and fan to three when I wasn't looking as I was going into first... stall.

nj1266 · Jul 21, 2010

First, this is not a safety issue. It is a driver adjustment issue.

Second, I stalled my car about 7-8 times in the first couple of weeks I got. After adjusting my driving, I have not had a stall since even on the steep hill leading to my house. I drive this hill daily and sometimes I have to take off from a stop. Not one stall on the hill and I do not use the ebrake or burn the clutch.

AlcoC420 · Jul 21, 2010

Arne in Oregon said:
Jeeze, people, it's not that bad. We've only had ours for a month, but neither my wife or I have stalled it more than one time apiece. Yes, it's different than any of the other manual transmission cars we have owned recently, but not THAT different.

Agreed. It's easiest for my wife and I to stall on hills. I keep my eye on the tach as I get underway in 1st so I don't drop below 1K RPM. I modulate the fuel pedal accordingly and power it up as I move out. Takes more concentration than a gasser, but we have no regets whatsoever on choosing the 6M.

sportriderseattle · Jul 21, 2010

Education Time Everyone

This is a Huge safety issue because:

1. This car, unlike nearly any other manual transmission car is much easier to stall because of its design. I have driven Saleen Mustangs and Porsches amongst countless other manual transmission cars and this car is by far easier to stall than all other cars I personally have driven.

2. Now that you have stalled your VW, you must detect that you have stalled it, then go through the process to get moving again. Standard reaction time alone ranges between 1.5 to 2.5 seconds.

3. Next, after you have become aware of what has happened, you then take action by pushing back in the clutch, turn the ignition counterclockwise to turn off the ignition, then recycle the ignition the opposite way to restart the ignition. (Probably ranging in another 2.5 to 3 or so seconds.)

4. Vehicles travel approximately 37 feet every second at just 25 mph, 66 feet every second at 45 mph and 96 feet every second if you were going 65 mph!

What this all comes down to is when your VW stalls while entering traffic such as pulling out from your driveway where the speed limit might be 45 mph, or you pull out from an intersection where the intersecting road speed limit is 65 mph and those cars are coming at you at the distances each second as outlined above, TIME IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE, which greatly increases your risk of being impacted by another vehicle.

Therefore, when you stall your car while pulling out onto an intersecting street that has a speed limit of 65 mph, you'd better hope that the car coming at you is greater than 382 feet away or he will not have time to react and avoid colliding with you.

To put that into perspective, a football field (USA) is 360 feet in length.

Arne in Oregon · Jul 21, 2010

Sorry, I don't buy it. I currently have three manual transmission cars in the household, and the TDI replaced yet another manual transmission car. All four of those cars have completely different clutch action - feel, throw and engagement point. They each require a different technique. I routinely drive each of the three cars I still have once or more per week. I don't stall any of them. Yes, I stalled the TDI once, within the first couple of days. After that experience, I learned and no longer have a problem with it. I guess I'm saying, "learn to drive, people."

sportriderseattle · Jul 21, 2010

Arne in Oregon said:
Sorry, I don't buy it. I currently have three manual transmission cars in the household, and the TDI replaced yet another manual transmission car. All four of those cars have completely different clutch action - feel, throw and engagement point. They each require a different technique. I routinely drive each of the three cars I still have once or more per week. I don't stall any of them. Yes, I stalled the TDI once, within the first couple of days. After that experience, I learned and no longer have a problem with it. I guess I'm saying, "learn to drive, people."

I do not mean to belittle you or the place that you live, but your statement of stalling your TDI once in a place like Springfield, as compared to a place like downtown Seattle or even any other place that has a large population, tells me that your one stall is actually a lot. I'd also suspect that it is "possible" that you may drive your manual transmission cars in a way that increases maintenance cost...which is something that anyone could certainly do to prevent stalling a car. Again I am not insulting you or making accusations.

The real issue is NOT "learn to drive"...in my opinion that's an idiotic statement that I'd expect to hear from a 17 year old when his 16 year old friend stalls their car due to lack of driving experience. The issue is a combination of designing of a car that clearly stalls easier than most other cars and the procedures VW put in place to restart their ignitions. The combination greatly increase the likelihood of another vehicle colliding with you due to the initial stalling of the engine.

Arne in Oregon · Jul 21, 2010

I've been driving German cars (mostly VWs) since 1979. All German cars require you to back the ignition to lock before a restart. Have for years - prevents you from trying to "start" an already running engine and tearing up the starter or ring gear. It's something you get used to, I suspect.

You can say what you want about where I live, etc. I have no problems driving my car, and neither does my wife. I find it hard to say that the design or implementation is flawed when neither of us has had any problem with this past the first couple of days adjusting to our new car. And your implication that we are abusing our clutch to avoid stalling is ludicrous.

In my opinion, this is cultural - don't take responsibility, find someone else to blame. I stalled the car - it's VW's fault.

40X40 · Jul 21, 2010

sportriderseattle said:
Education Time Everyone

This is a Huge safety issue because:

1. This car, unlike nearly any other manual transmission car is much easier to stall because of its design. I have driven Saleen Mustangs and Porsches amongst countless other manual transmission cars and this car is by far easier to stall than all other cars I personally have driven.

2. Now that you have stalled your VW, you must detect that you have stalled it, then go through the process to get moving again. Standard reaction time alone ranges between 1.5 to 2.5 seconds.

3. Next, after you have become aware of what has happened, you then take action by pushing back in the clutch, turn the ignition counterclockwise to turn off the ignition, then recycle the ignition the opposite way to restart the ignition. (Probably ranging in another 2.5 to 3 or so seconds.)

4. Vehicles travel approximately 37 feet every second at just 25 mph, 66 feet every second at 45 mph and 96 feet every second if you were going 65 mph!

What this all comes down to is when your VW stalls while entering traffic such as pulling out from your driveway where the speed limit might be 45 mph, or you pull out from an intersection where the intersecting road speed limit is 65 mph and those cars are coming at you at the distances each second as outlined above, TIME IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE, which greatly increases your risk of being impacted by another vehicle.

Therefore, when you stall your car while pulling out onto an intersecting street that has a speed limit of 65 mph, you'd better hope that the car coming at you is greater than 382 feet away or he will not have time to react and avoid colliding with you.

To put that into perspective, a football field (USA) is 360 feet in length.

ADAPTor adopt public transport.

Bill

RomanL · Jul 21, 2010

well im kinda glad its not just me., i guess clutch is a little different on this car.
i've learned to drive stick when i was way young, but have always had an automatic till 2 month ago when i got my GOLF TDI 6MT, so even though i knew how to drive a stick and would do it once in a while, i did not feel confident by any means.
now that i got my GOLF, i did stall out and counted every time, i think in first 2 weeks i stalled out about 15 times total, been doing good since. i thought it was just me, but clutch is different on this car for sure. i drive my gf's 07 Rabbit 5MT and its totally different. either way, i got used to it and its fine now.
but as someone mentioned, 1st gear is the worst. i still dont get it perfectly smooth when getting going at a light or something, car is a bit jerky between start up, and then from 1st to 2nd. once you in 3rd its all super smooth.
i feel like to be super smooth i jsut have to be very very slow from a stop.
but when im in a rush and trying to race from a stop, revin into 3,500 RPMs in 1st, its hard to perfectly rev match to throw it into 2nd smooth enough not to feel the gear change.
thats my goal when driving, i want it to be smooth so a passenger cant feel when im changing gears.

RomanL · Jul 21, 2010

o and speaking of stalling out.
i had a close call on the highway last week, when a car infront of me hit the brakes all of a sudden, and i was changing radio station or something, so i hit the brakes, and came to a complete stop from at least 45mph. ABS works amazing. i stopped no more then a foot away from the guy in front of me. everything felt like it was in slow motion when it happened. anyways, it happened so fast, that i did not have enough time to clutch in. of course i car stalled out *(i believe i was in 4th gear).
is what happened really bad for my car? i mean im glad that i stopped in time, but i still would like to know

fastalan · Jul 21, 2010

There is nothing wrong with the clutch, even formula one drivers can stall their cars. I stalled it too today, bad mistake, wasn't concentrating, as soon as I dropped the clutch I knew it would stall, recover time is almost immediate, re-start engine right away, it's almost an automatic reaction.

This is a perfect example on how a manual tranni car makes you a better driver.

Car and Driver has started a "save the manual" movement. Check out their website.

6 months later and still stalling car!

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