Mechatronic Replaced - Radical difference in shifting pattern

wesk1954

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Jul 16, 2008
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Aurora, OH
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09 Jetta TDI
I have 93K on my 09 TDI, and as a precaution, just had the Mechatronic Unit replaced in the tranny as part of a recall. My car was manufacturered early on... in fact it was the very first model my dealer received and served as a demo for a couple of weeks (with the green badging)... had 400 miles on it when I took delivery.

Anyhow, I'm wondering if any others had the unit replaced and have noticed the radical difference in tranny response.

Here's what I've noticed in the last few days that has changed. I would assume what I am now experiencing is likely the "standard" that is already installed on more recently delivered Jetta's with DSG.

1. The digital display now indicates the gear that is currently being used.
2. The shifts are slower and much "softer" than before.
3. The RPM's for each shift are higher than before.
4. The car won't shift into fith until 35 mph, and sixth at 45 mph.
5. The car used to stay in second gear unless I came to a complete stop. It now would shift to first even with slow rolling stops.
6. Upon starting from a complete stop, there is a slight slippage (very slight) whereas before it was grab and go.
7. Upon starting from a complete stop, if you remove your foot from the brake, but NOT apply throttle, it used to grab and roll. Now it grabs and released, grabs and releases, and usually on the third nudge, it will grab and lock in.

Overall the tranny is now generally smoother than before. I question if the higher rpm's will have a negative impact on mileage. Prior to this reprogramming, the car would shift into 6th gear around 35 mph. Now, unless you manually shift, it won't even consider it until 45 mph, and quickly shifts back into 5th once you drop below 45 and apply any throttle whatsoever.

Is this what most of you find to be consistent with your DSG???

Wes
 

Ol'Rattler

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2006 BRM Jetta
I think that the old Mechatronic was probably lugging the engine. shifting to 6th at 35 MPH is way to soon. My guess is that you will get better mileage with the new Mechatronic because the engine is operating in a more efficient RPM range.

At what RPM with light throttle, does it shifts at now?
 
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El Dobro

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If/when VW finally changes my MU, I hope my car receives 1 thru 4. With 5, my car drops into 1st at 10mph and will jolt the car if I accelerate from that point. Overall, in D, the trans lugs the engine, so I'd be very happy with higher shift points. Right now, I use tip to keep the RPMs above 1800.
 

wesk1954

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Aurora, OH
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09 Jetta TDI
I think that the old Mechatronic was probably lugging the engine. shifting to 6th at 35 MPH is way to soon. My guess is that you will get better mileage with the new Mechatronic because the engine is operating in a more efficient RPM range.

At what RPM with light throttle, does it shifts at now?
I'll have to actually check and see when the lower speed shifts are occuring... I can tell you for sure that 5th is 35 and 6th is 45mph. The tranny feels a lot more like a slush box... the shifts are slower (meaning it physically takes longer for each shift to occur.. probably a full second from one gear to the next, and very gentle. The crisp shifting is gone). and the clutch seems to allow slippage more than it used to. Actually I don't dislike the new set up, but it's radically different than it was before.

Wes
 

gumaku1

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2010 Sportwagen TDI - DSG
my 10M JSW sounds very similar to the 93K 09M you describe, not the updated MU you got. sounds like the updated MU is countermeasuring some market problem.......maybe Intercooler Icing?
 

N8116B

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NW Suburbs of Chicago, Il.
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2009 Jetta
I just had this done today to my 2009 TDI and WOW! what a difference. No more thunking into 2nd and 1st on the downshifts. Seems much smoother than the old unit plus the shifts appear to happen at better points. It will be interesting to see what happens with fuel economy.
 

wesk1954

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09 Jetta TDI
I just had this done today to my 2009 TDI and WOW! what a difference. No more thunking into 2nd and 1st on the downshifts. Seems much smoother than the old unit plus the shifts appear to happen at better points. It will be interesting to see what happens with fuel economy.
I started this thread... with exactly the experience as you. Would you agree that the new shift points are at much HIGHER rpms than before???

Wes
 

wesk1954

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Aurora, OH
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09 Jetta TDI
I drove about 1K this week, so had a chance to check the new shift points.

On VERY gentle acceleration, they seem to be 5, 15, 25, 35, 45... pretty consistently.

This is a RADICAL departure from the original shiftpoints, which were more like 2, 7,18, 25, 35.

Wes
 

EatingOrange

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Orange County, CA
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2009 Jetta TDI
My mechatronics unit was really bad. Glad they decided to recall this thing when they did. It was to the point where I could not drive slowly up the slight incline of my driveway without the transmission repeatedly slamming the clutch in and out. Taking off from a dead stop on a slight incline would sometimes result in a stalled engine. My friends stopped riding with me because my car had become so uncomfortable to ride in.

Today she went in for the recall service and WOW! What a difference that made! It's like driving a different car. I've only driven a few miles with the new unit, but I can tell already that it's a huge improvement. My DSG was bad right from the start but it progressively got worse until it really started to effect drivability.

I'm really looking forward to putting some miles on this thing now. Too bad #2 is closing in on $5 a gallon.
 

kennyeicher

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2010 VW Golf TDI
I've had my 2010 Golf TDI into the dealer a few times for stalling & lurching when starting from a stop. They've replaced a few filters (EGR, etc.) but it's never really solved the problems. I just got the call from them saying that they have now concluded I need a new Mechatronic Unit to solve the problems. Of course no MUs can be found in the northeast, so I get to wait on one, but I'm really hoping I get the resultes that you described after the MY gets installed. Thank God for the warranty.
 

Plus 3 Golfer

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Und tschüss! 2009 Jetta 12/23/2012
wesk1954, I've got over 6k miles on my new mechatronics unit and agree 100% with your 7 points.

As far as effect on mpg, it's hard to tell if my mpg has suffered due to the later upshifting. I now virtually always bump to manual / tip mode and make sure I get to 5th and 6th gear as quickly as possible. See this post as the OP believes his mpg has dropped by 4 mpg after the new mechatronics unit and my quick observations on new shifting patterns which I'll repeat below.

After my mechatronics unit was replaced, I found that my DSG holds gear longer before it upshifts to a higher gear and downshifts sooner to a lower gear. For example, if I do not reach about a 45 mph cruizing speed, the DSG will remain in 5th gear when in "D" mode and downshift to 5th gear if I slow down to about 40+ mph. Prior to the recall, my DSG would upshift to 6th gear at about 40 mph and hold 6th gear when slowing down until my speed was around 37-38 mph. In addition, I find many times the DSG still in 4th gear when prior to the recall it would have been in 5th or maybe in 6th gear. I'd estimate that the upshifts and downshifts are about 200 rpm later and earlier respectively now. Look at the graph below for the DSG. Prior to the recall for 5th and 6th gear transitions, upshifts to 6th would be at around 1400+ rpm and downshifts to 5th would be around 1200+ rpm. Now after the recall, I'd say the target rpms are closer to 1600+ rpm before upshift to 6th gear and 1400+ rpm before downshift to 5th gear.

 
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shrifty

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What rock have I been under?

My mechatronics unit was really bad. Glad they decided to recall this thing when they did. It was to the point where I could not drive slowly up the slight incline of my driveway without the transmission repeatedly slamming the clutch in and out. Taking off from a dead stop on a slight incline would sometimes result in a stalled engine. My friends stopped riding with me because my car had become so uncomfortable to ride in.

Today she went in for the recall service and WOW! What a difference that made! It's like driving a different car. I've only driven a few miles with the new unit, but I can tell already that it's a huge improvement. My DSG was bad right from the start but it progressively got worse until it really started to effect drivability.

I'm really looking forward to putting some miles on this thing now. Too bad #2 is closing in on $5 a gallon.
I just received the notice today regarding a recall on the Mechatronic Unit, I will be having mine replaced very soon. Wonder why I didn't receive the recall notice earlier?
 

Plus 3 Golfer

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Und tschüss! 2009 Jetta 12/23/2012
I just received the notice today regarding a recall on the Mechatronic Unit, I will be having mine replaced very soon. Wonder why I didn't receive the recall notice earlier?
The notices are supposedly sent out based on production date of your car so that sufficient units are always available to the dealers. My production date was 08/08 and IIRC, I received my notice in the Jan. 2011 time frame.
 

shrifty

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Strange...

The notices are supposedly sent out based on production date of your car so that sufficient units are always available to the dealers. My production date was 08/08 and IIRC, I received my notice in the Jan. 2011 time frame.

My car was made around the same time as well. At least I got the notice now while it is still just under the 100K warranty. Need to get it replaced NOW before my road-trip coming up. Could push it over on the mileage and be out of warranty.
 

Elfnmagik

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Oooh, this sounds great. Hopefully I'll get a letter soon. I've put off making waves at my dealer in hopes of this getting resolved through a recall/campaign. I'm taking the same approach with the HPFP issue and holding my breath.
 

Plus 3 Golfer

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Und tschüss! 2009 Jetta 12/23/2012
My car was made around the same time as well. At least I got the notice now while it is still just under the 100K warranty. Need to get it replaced NOW before my road-trip coming up. Could push it over on the mileage and be out of warranty.
My plan was to wait as long as I could also (up to the end of my 100k warranty) to have my mechatronics unit replaced as my unit was performing just fine. However, my plans were abruptly changed when my HPFP failed on June 1st, about one week before I was to begin a 5k road trip. The dealer said they were going to do my mechatronics recall since my car was going to be in the shop for about a week anyways.:D

So, I now have a new HPFP AND a new mechatronics unit.:rolleyes:
 

shrifty

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Upcoming road trip

My plan was to wait as long as I could also (up to the end of my 100k warranty) to have my mechatronics unit replaced as my unit was performing just fine. However, my plans were abruptly changed when my HPFP failed on June 1st, about one week before I was to begin a 5k road trip. The dealer said they were going to do my mechatronics recall since my car was going to be in the shop for about a week anyways.:D

So, I now have a new HPFP AND a new mechatronics unit.:rolleyes:
I'm guessing at that point you had to pay for the HPFP? If so, how much did that hurt? I've been fortunate with that part, although the car does need to have the mechatronic unit replaced. It is very noticeable in rush hour traffic. Fortunately, my driving is about 98% highway, and the little city driving I do isn't too bad overall.

I have a road trip coming up soon, I'm hoping they can get the part in and replaced before I leave in 2 weeks. I'd also like some time to drive around prior to taking the trip, I'm a bit paranoid at having something fixed just prior to a few thousand mile drive. When I bought the car new, I ended up waiting until after my trip to take possession. Fortunately I did as the car had to be towed in at 121 miles just two days after I bought it. Ended up being the fuel pump relay, took a few days to figure out the issue.
 

mpriolo

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New Hampshire
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2009 Jetta Sedan, DSG, CP3 HPFP
I am assuming that the transmission fluid is replaced. What about the filter? I just got my notice today and have 65K on my TDI. Might as well tie a "DSG Transmission service" in and avoid the upcoming 80K DSG service. Can someone let me know if they changed the filter also? Thanks very much.

Regards,

Marty
 

El Dobro

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The trans filter is not changed in the campaign. I changed it myself when I got the car back.
 

shrifty

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fantastic question!

I am assuming that the transmission fluid is replaced. What about the filter? I just got my notice today and have 65K on my TDI. Might as well tie a "DSG Transmission service" in and avoid the upcoming 80K DSG service. Can someone let me know if they changed the filter also? Thanks very much.

Regards,

Marty
If they change the fluid, that would be sweet!! The dealership does mine at 50k insread of 40, said i do enough highway that it will be fine. This will save a lot when the 100k come up in a few weeks :). Would love to see the response to this.
 

shrifty

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my excitement was short lived...

The trans filter is not changed in the campaign. I changed it myself when I got the car back.
Ah, I was too slow typing. Could they do the filter for a fee on just the filter, or would they charge full price on the set fluid change?
 

Plus 3 Golfer

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Und tschüss! 2009 Jetta 12/23/2012
I'm guessing at that point you had to pay for the HPFP? If so, how much did that hurt? I've been fortunate with that part, although the car does need to have the mechatronic unit replaced. It is very noticeable in rush hour traffic. Fortunately, my driving is about 98% highway, and the little city driving I do isn't too bad overall.

I have a road trip coming up soon, I'm hoping they can get the part in and replaced before I leave in 2 weeks. I'd also like some time to drive around prior to taking the trip, I'm a bit paranoid at having something fixed just prior to a few thousand mile drive. When I bought the car new, I ended up waiting until after my trip to take possession. Fortunately I did as the car had to be towed in at 121 miles just two days after I bought it. Ended up being the fuel pump relay, took a few days to figure out the issue.
No, VW covered everything as I had 44k miles on the car when the HPFP failed. My sarcasim was that in 44k miles, I should not need anything replaced. That speaks volumes about the quality of VW products.

Incidentally, my road trip was to southwestern PA (I spent over 24 years there '70-81 and '85-99). I've put nearly 7k miles on my car since the HPFP and mechatronics replacements and no issues at all. But, I haven't inspected my FF for metal specks since the HPFP replacement (I'm afraid to look:D).
 

mpriolo

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2009 Jetta Sedan, DSG, CP3 HPFP
The trans filter is not changed in the campaign. I changed it myself when I got the car back.
Thanks - I didn't figure that they would change it. I'll have to see how much the dealer wants to change it. I haven't looked too closely at changing it - is it a PITA to change myself if I go that way?

Regards,

Marty
 

shrifty

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ah, ok

No, VW covered everything as I had 44k miles on the car when the HPFP failed. My sarcasim was that in 44k miles, I should not need anything replaced. That speaks volumes about the quality of VW products.

Incidentally, my road trip was to southwestern PA (I spent over 24 years there '70-81 and '85-99). I've put nearly 7k miles on my car since the HPFP and mechatronics replacements and no issues at all. But, I haven't inspected my FF for metal specks since the HPFP replacement (I'm afraid to look:D).
I didn't realize this happened at 44k, I may have overlooked that part in your post(I blame the Droid). That stinks big time, I had my exhaust flap replaced around that mileage, of course not under warranty. Been fine since then, hope to keep it going for a long time. Where in PA specifically? I'm near johnstown.

I don't think I would look either, just keep the pedal down and keep on motoring!
 

Plus 3 Golfer

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Thanks - I didn't figure that they would change it. I'll have to see how much the dealer wants to change it. I haven't looked too closely at changing it - is it a PITA to change myself if I go that way?

Regards,

Marty
When I changed my filter I removed the upper part of the air box, the battery, and battery shelf and shifted the lower part of the air box to the side. I then had clear access to the top of the filter canister. Some claim they have accessed the filter on 2009s without removing the battery but I don't see how it can be done as there is virtually no room to get a socket square on the filter cap let alone removing it. It requires a 24mm socket to screw the cap off. Figure about one hour of time to change the filter.

I'll bet VW will charge about one hour labor to do it.
 

Plus 3 Golfer

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I didn't realize this happened at 44k, I may have overlooked that part in your post(I blame the Droid). That stinks big time, I had my exhaust flap replaced around that mileage, of course not under warranty. Been fine since then, hope to keep it going for a long time. Where in PA specifically? I'm near johnstown.

I don't think I would look either, just keep the pedal down and keep on motoring!
Greensburg and upto Erie to vist my mom.

No, I didn't mention the mileage of my HPFP failure in this thread.

I've got a trip to St. Louis in October so my plan is to examine the FF after the trip. I'll be near 60k miles (end of Powertrain warranty) and hope that NHTSA / VW reach a favorable (to me) resolution on the HPFP investigation. I'll make a decision then whether I keep or sell / trade it. I don't need a second HPFP failure if it's on my dime.
 

mpriolo

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2009 Jetta Sedan, DSG, CP3 HPFP
When I changed my filter I removed the upper part of the air box, the battery, and battery shelf and shifted the lower part of the air box to the side. I then had clear access to the top of the filter canister. Some claim they have accessed the filter on 2009s without removing the battery but I don't see how it can be done as there is virtually no room to get a socket square on the filter cap let alone removing it. It requires a 24mm socket to screw the cap off. Figure about one hour of time to change the filter.

I'll bet VW will charge about one hour labor to do it.
I think I'd rather keep the $$ in my pocket and do it myself. Per your description, it seems like a straight forward DIY procedure. Thanks for the steps to change out the filter.

Regards,

Marty
 
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