Shaeet
Well-known member
I figured I'd post this thread for informative purposes. After doing a bunch of searches I couldn't find any definitive information with the same symptoms I've experienced so here ya go! Oh and in case you are wondering DMF = Dual Mass Flywheel
Was driving my 2012 JSW TDI DSG to my grandmothers in Syracuse from MD a couple weekends ago and on the way up, about 10 miles from the destination (after 350 miles already driven), I eased into my cars throttle to overcome a minor hill, one of hundreds I had already driven over on the way up there and it started shaking violently. The more throttle I gave it, the more it shook, easing off the throttle lowered the vibrations & letting off entirely the car was as smooth as before the incident.
I was able to baby the throttle and get the car to my grandmothers but it was a struggle. Only 5% of throttle will shake it enough to be unbearable & giving it more than that tripped something in the transmission which cuts the throttle, so I was accelerating like a prius and upset a few people behind me at a couple of lights...oh well for them.
The thing that gets me is how at the flick of a switch my car goes from driving fine to BOOM shaking violently on throttle. I thought maybe something else was to blame like the diesel injection or the transmission mechatronics (although the car shifts perfectly fine when babying the throttle), or clutch packs. Talked to my VW master tech friend and he told me, although rare, the DMF can implode itself like this and fail and he suspects the long driving session may have contributed to it. This will be the THIRD 2009+ Sportwagen DSG that I need the DMF replaced on, woo hoo!!!!
So yay, had to get my bro-in-law to drive all the way up in his truck, rent a u-haul and tow it all the way home. Why? Cuz NO mechanic in Syracuse that I could find wanted to touch my car and the ones that did gave me a 7+ day eta on repairing it with a ridiculous cost of $3000 which I know is completely out of line for a DMF job.
My previous 2009 JSW TDI had 124k mileage and had a clacking/knocking sound when sitting at lights or idling. Lightly revving the engine would make the sound disappear. It also sometimes harshly shifted into 2nd gear from a standstill. DMF replacement fixed all of these issues. As much as I love these cars, they are an absolute pain in the arse to keep maintained. I will repair the DMF on my 2012 and continue driving it but this may be the last straw if something else decides to catastrophically fail for no reason whatsoever.
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Oh and I'll post a brain dump of stuff I Found out while researching this issue:
-Dual-mass flywheels for pre 2010 TDI are cheaper & different part number than 2010-2014. Not sure why, but they sell for ~$420 as compared to $610. The 2010+ only has a OEM Luk unit available. I'm not sure if the Sach's or Luk's for the pre-2010's will fit the 2010+
-Clutch packs in the transmission are about $600-800 and seem to be interchangeable between most of the DSG's, including non-TDI's. They are VERY simple to change out but of-course you have to remove the transmission to get to them. Worn clutch pack symptoms include slippage when shifting, lack of acceleration. I've never experienced this so I wouldn't know for sure, this is what I've read.
-Many of the threads I searched with similar symptoms had people saying "took my car to the dealership and the first thing they replaced is the mechatronics unit. It did nothing to help the issue!". So be warned...dealerships may be ignorant of DMF failure issues and their symptoms and assume it is the mechatronics due to the early DSG TSB's regarding them. Mechatronics replacements will run $1500-2000 and on a 2010+ should be completely unnecessary. Only the 2009 and up to midyear-2010's were affected by the TSB (correct me if I'm wrong). The mechatronics unit controls your shifts so if your car is shifting properly why waste your money?
-Dual-Mass flywheels on all VW's are a wear item so when buying your car used be prepared for their replacement at some point. My personal experience and research leads me to believe they can fail as early as 60-80k miles but can go as long as 120-150k mileage before needing replacement. There are numerous symptoms of a bad DMF including clacking sounds at idle, vibrations at idle & during acceleration and harsh shifts. Make note of these symptons if you are test driving a used DSG VW, it may be a sign of DMF needing replacement.
-DMF Jobs from the dealership are typically $2000-2400 including parts/labor. It involves removing the transmission, replacing the DMF and flywheel bolts, bolting the transmission back and replacing its fluids and filter. Probably 4-5 hours of labor, not sure the exact amount listed in the VW repair manual. I've personally replaced the DMF on a 2010 Sportwagen and getting the DSG out is VERY tight and requires a transmission jack since the transmission weighs well over 300 lbs. You'll need a good set of triple-square bits to get all of the required bolts off and this is not a job I'd recommend for most DIY'ers
Was driving my 2012 JSW TDI DSG to my grandmothers in Syracuse from MD a couple weekends ago and on the way up, about 10 miles from the destination (after 350 miles already driven), I eased into my cars throttle to overcome a minor hill, one of hundreds I had already driven over on the way up there and it started shaking violently. The more throttle I gave it, the more it shook, easing off the throttle lowered the vibrations & letting off entirely the car was as smooth as before the incident.
I was able to baby the throttle and get the car to my grandmothers but it was a struggle. Only 5% of throttle will shake it enough to be unbearable & giving it more than that tripped something in the transmission which cuts the throttle, so I was accelerating like a prius and upset a few people behind me at a couple of lights...oh well for them.
The thing that gets me is how at the flick of a switch my car goes from driving fine to BOOM shaking violently on throttle. I thought maybe something else was to blame like the diesel injection or the transmission mechatronics (although the car shifts perfectly fine when babying the throttle), or clutch packs. Talked to my VW master tech friend and he told me, although rare, the DMF can implode itself like this and fail and he suspects the long driving session may have contributed to it. This will be the THIRD 2009+ Sportwagen DSG that I need the DMF replaced on, woo hoo!!!!
So yay, had to get my bro-in-law to drive all the way up in his truck, rent a u-haul and tow it all the way home. Why? Cuz NO mechanic in Syracuse that I could find wanted to touch my car and the ones that did gave me a 7+ day eta on repairing it with a ridiculous cost of $3000 which I know is completely out of line for a DMF job.
My previous 2009 JSW TDI had 124k mileage and had a clacking/knocking sound when sitting at lights or idling. Lightly revving the engine would make the sound disappear. It also sometimes harshly shifted into 2nd gear from a standstill. DMF replacement fixed all of these issues. As much as I love these cars, they are an absolute pain in the arse to keep maintained. I will repair the DMF on my 2012 and continue driving it but this may be the last straw if something else decides to catastrophically fail for no reason whatsoever.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh and I'll post a brain dump of stuff I Found out while researching this issue:
-Dual-mass flywheels for pre 2010 TDI are cheaper & different part number than 2010-2014. Not sure why, but they sell for ~$420 as compared to $610. The 2010+ only has a OEM Luk unit available. I'm not sure if the Sach's or Luk's for the pre-2010's will fit the 2010+
-Clutch packs in the transmission are about $600-800 and seem to be interchangeable between most of the DSG's, including non-TDI's. They are VERY simple to change out but of-course you have to remove the transmission to get to them. Worn clutch pack symptoms include slippage when shifting, lack of acceleration. I've never experienced this so I wouldn't know for sure, this is what I've read.
-Many of the threads I searched with similar symptoms had people saying "took my car to the dealership and the first thing they replaced is the mechatronics unit. It did nothing to help the issue!". So be warned...dealerships may be ignorant of DMF failure issues and their symptoms and assume it is the mechatronics due to the early DSG TSB's regarding them. Mechatronics replacements will run $1500-2000 and on a 2010+ should be completely unnecessary. Only the 2009 and up to midyear-2010's were affected by the TSB (correct me if I'm wrong). The mechatronics unit controls your shifts so if your car is shifting properly why waste your money?
-Dual-Mass flywheels on all VW's are a wear item so when buying your car used be prepared for their replacement at some point. My personal experience and research leads me to believe they can fail as early as 60-80k miles but can go as long as 120-150k mileage before needing replacement. There are numerous symptoms of a bad DMF including clacking sounds at idle, vibrations at idle & during acceleration and harsh shifts. Make note of these symptons if you are test driving a used DSG VW, it may be a sign of DMF needing replacement.
-DMF Jobs from the dealership are typically $2000-2400 including parts/labor. It involves removing the transmission, replacing the DMF and flywheel bolts, bolting the transmission back and replacing its fluids and filter. Probably 4-5 hours of labor, not sure the exact amount listed in the VW repair manual. I've personally replaced the DMF on a 2010 Sportwagen and getting the DSG out is VERY tight and requires a transmission jack since the transmission weighs well over 300 lbs. You'll need a good set of triple-square bits to get all of the required bolts off and this is not a job I'd recommend for most DIY'ers