Proper Care and Feeding make a Happy DSG

[SVTWEB]

97K Miles on my 2005.5 Pkg2 DSG and all is still well. There has been a great deal of chatter on how bad the DSG is. Thus far other than being a little unique in very cold weather on startup, i find it to be a fine piece of engineering. Some of my thought and observations:

New Filter and Fluid @ 40K and 80K so far (as per the 2005.5 manual) Other than being a pain in the glute, following the procedure to the letter complete with the run-though at temp. When i look at the mileage logs I see that I get about a 2-3 MPG increase after a fluid/filter change. The unit also tends not to be as noisey at idle.

Re-caliberation with every oil change. This has been the biggest difference. When I change my oil I also change all my filters, Cabin, Fuel, Air. I then do the DSG caliberation squence. The car drives like a different vehicle. Much smoother and quieter and I see a solid 6-8MPG increase. It could be the oil-change, filters or whatever, but the improved drive and shifting definetly make a difference. You can get the procedure from wiki.ross-tech.com.

I far from baby my can but I also don't drive it like a 19 yo punk who thinks every red-light is the staging lanes a Pamona. I have the RocketChip Stage 1+ and have had it that way for over a year.

 

[SVTWEB]

You can get the procedure from wiki.ross-tech.com.

ahem...

 

[Da~da~da]

I am for some reason this morning, retarded. I cannot find the link for the DSG Recalibration. Would you be so kind as to post it up for me. Thanks in advance

Eric

 

[Hurst89]

I can't imagine changing all the filters every 10k. Maybe doing the fuel filter and oil filter with each oil change instead of just the oil filter and the fuel at 20k. Those filters get pricy and from what others have said, the air filter is way over engineered for our little engines. Cabin air filter...well, that isn't really crucial to the car's reliability mechanically, but more for comfort and wellbeing when driving the car. It is good to hear you are having good sucess with the DSG. It really is a simple and effective design...just so many things are computer controlled.

Hurst

 

[Da~da~da]

Nevermind I found it, sorry for being a tard Thanks to Sebastian at Ross-Tech for sending me the link.

Here it is for everyone.

http://wiki.ross-tech.com/index.php/6-Speed_Direct_Shift_Gearbox_%28DSG/02E%29

 

[Lightflyer1]

I can't imagine changing all the filters every 10k. Maybe doing the fuel filter and oil filter with each oil change instead of just the oil filter and the fuel at 20k. Those filters get pricy and from what others have said, the air filter is way over engineered for our little engines. Cabin air filter...well, that isn't really crucial to the car's reliability mechanically, but more for comfort and wellbeing when driving the car. It is good to hear you are having good sucess with the DSG. It really is a simple and effective design...just so many things are computer controlled.

Hurst

I think he meant the trans oil change at 40k intervals not engine oil changes.

 

[Jason D]

I think he meant the trans oil change at 40k intervals not engine oil changes.

That is not what I gathered from his post.

I would think he is throwing away money on 10k air and fuel filter changes.

Good to hear no troubles w/ the DSG. Any other high(er) mileage DSGs out there?

 

[Tim Birney]

That is not what I gathered from his post.

I would think he is throwing away money on 10k air and fuel filter changes.

Good to hear no troubles w/ the DSG. Any other high(er) mileage DSGs out there?

No, the Fuel Filters @ 10K are OK from what I have seen posted on this forum, and Air Filters won't hurt your wallet or the the Intake.
on the 10K Fuel/Air Filter replacements.

After all, it is your car, not the Dealerships, or VW's...

 

[Hurst89]

No doubt about it, he is free to service his car in any way he wants. I just wanted to make sure he knew the air filter isn't needed except at 40k (I think that is right, need to check the manual again) and the fuel filter isn't necessary until 20k per the manual, but if you go 20k, I would keep a spare in the trunk... Don't want to start any arguing. Just making sure he was aware, hate to have had him told by the dealer all this needed to be done at 10k intervals just so they could make more money off of him... again, hope no offense is taken and please don't make me put on my flame suit

Hurst

 

[40X40]

The DSG needs filter/fluid service every 40,000 miles

That just happens to coincide with the other filters/fluids coming due too.


Fuel filter @20,000 every 2nd time..... =40,000
Air filter @40,000 every time... =40,000
Engine oil @10,000 every 4th time.. =40,000
Cabin filter each time I service the car for most any reason.... Leaves accumulate in there you know...

At least that is how I read the manual and SVTs post.

Bill

 

[SVTWEB]

ok, as most of you know I put the (-) in anal-retentive, but I also have made sure that my vehicle is in it's utmost form. Am I replacing things at a faster rate than the manual call for, YES! Remember grasshopper's, Manufacturers are in the business to sell more cars, their practices are to ensure that parts do not fail premeturely (under warranty) and provide a long life (100,000 miles) for their owner. For the few $$$$ i spend on the extra filters I know that the cars future owner (I have sold every project so far) have a car that is rock solid and operational sound. My service intervals are as follows.

Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter, Fuel Filter, Cabin Filter every 5K
Wiper Blades, Rotate Tires - 10K
DSG Fluid, DSG Filter - 40K
Brake Fluid - 50K
Motul Diesel additive - Every other tank

As a note I ONLY use OEM VW parts and I source them at www.worldimpex.com.

Excessive? Maybe.. My car? Defintely.

 

[40X40]

Well, I missed your schedule by a mile... But I just follow the book for my cars.
Yeah, I know. I'm Boring!

Bill

 

[Hurst89]

I don't want to start up an argument with this, but it has been shown that the wear in the engine is faster if oil is changed at sooner intervals because the oil needs a sort of "break-in" period. I know some people refuse to believe this, but it make sense to me. Some of the ingredients in the oil need to establish themselves in the engine before they become effective with heat and pressure. I am not sure where the post was, but I am sure someone else will have a better memory than me. It shouldn't be too hard to find it in the search if I remembered what forum to look under on here. Changing the other filters isn't going to hurt anything as long as you prime the fuel filter housing before trying to crank the engine...running unit injectors dry is not good on the internals. I am just saying this because I want you to see as long of a life as you can out of your car. I would do a few UOA to find out how long you should make your OCIs. Again, not trying to point fingers, just giving my advice. Also, the extra amount on OEM filters isn't cheap. For example, if you went 20k on a fuel filter (which is easily done if you use good fueling stations) you would spend $60 less. Air filter, that would be around $200 in savings (I think they are about $30 a piece, I usually buy them in packs) and if you went 10k with the cabin filter, that would be about $20 in savings. If you went 20k, that would be about $60. The oil is about $30 in savings if used to its full potential (assuming 505.01). That can add up pretty quick. I don't want to make anyone feel bad for being so strict with the maintenance, as I am very strict with mine on my car...hell I won't even let anyone else touch my car for maintenance... but I also want you to be aware that what you are doing may be unnecessary. People have followed VWs advice on TDIs for quite some time and have had good results, so I am not completely convinced VW wants to have their cars break down after warrenty (that wouldn't give them a very good rep), although some things like "lifetime" fills in auto transmissions don't get my approval...that is just plain rediculous, no fluid is going to last a lifetime...except the lifetime of the component it's lubricating because it will fail sooner than it should due to lack of fluid change. Again...the flame suit is really uncomfortable, please don't burn me on this

Hurst

 

[metallocene]

Interesting, I didn't even know we could do a DSG recalibration.

Any know what it does? (ie. blank out the drivers shifting profile; thus putting an "aggressive" driver back to the basic economical starting profile?)

 

[SVTWEB]

Hurst.... Oh, nevermind.... M1A3 w/ flamethrower put back in garage.

While you may have a valid point, money isn't so much the issue as ensuring that the future buyer of my projects get a car that will last for years and years (check my sig)...

Metallocene - It runs through an internal diagnostic to recaliberate all the tolerences in the mechetronics unit so that the reference points are reset to account for wear.

 

[Hurst89]

lol, thanks for not burning me. You have a valid point and seem to have pretty good luck with what ever you are doing. Like I said, I was merely just sharing information just because I wasn't sure if someone had told you you needed to do all that every 5000 miles. I guess you can look at it this way...you replace all those filters for what the normal person pays the dealer to do just what the manual says lol. If you keep track of this car or keep this car for a while, could you run some UOA on it just to see how the earlier OCI effect the wear metals? I am just curious as I have heard that the oil shouldn't be changed earlier than needed because new oil is not the best things for the engine until it "breaks in" but your results seem to prove otherwise. I really would like to find out what maintenance items will have a positive effect if done more periodically. For the fuel filter, I have a friend who's dad is a big sales rep for CAT, so I am thinking about seeing if he can get me a good CAT filter housing and do the CAT filter conversion on my A5 (5 or 2 micron filter, can't remember which, less expensive filter, more filter media...ahh life would be so nice ). Thanks for keeping the flame thrower in the garage (that kind of worries me, I just hope whereever beyond comprehension is, it is not close to where I am lol.

Hurst

 

[metallocene]

Thanks, sounds like a very useful activity. Does it take very long? The Ross-Tech link appears to be quite straight forward.

Strange, that I can't find any mention in the online eBahn manual. Wonder what the "recommended" recalibration frequency is? 20K?

 

[wjdell]

I did a early change to be sure all was well, UOA and VOA info posted in the DSG database. The Si was very high this was assembly dirt or gasket, not sure. I did not do the calibration. My mileage did not fluctuate a bit. I have 8k till my 40k OC in DSG. I will consider this calibration then.

The transmission seems to be better with age. The cold start when you first go into reverse I think has more to do with the ABS. Trans pushing against the brakes as you release the pedal.

 

[Da~da~da]

Here is my routine.... I have 38,900 miles and this has been performed every 10k.

Oil & Filter=10k Elf Solaris LLX 507.00
Air Filter=10k
Cabin Filter=10k
Fuel Filter=10k
FWIW my air filter is nasty dirty at 10k, so I figure that if it is getting that dirty at 10k then it would behoove me to change all of them to be safe.

Excessive? perhaps, but just like SVT it is by "choice"

I will be doing my 40k here in about 3 weeks, and like most of you I do all of my own servicing, including DSG.

Cheers

 

[Jason D]

I would recommend the winter air filter as I changed mine at 20,000 and the only thing that showed dirt was the prefilter pad itself. The filter looked brand new. More protection for you anal-retentive types.

 

[MyAvocation]

There has been a great deal of chatter on how bad the DSG is.

Have I missed a whole-lotta posts? I'm only aware of a small number of actual DSG failures (from TDI perspective). DMF is a separate issue. There's no arguement the unit has numerous quirks... I know first-hand.

I agree with OP about DSG being a wonderful unit. Been under the impression it's extremely reliable thus far. If I am wrong, someone please summarize pervasive failures.

SVT, much thanks for the recal procedure... will be following your advice.

 

[1998993C2S]

OP - Nice to hear of your, 100k+ mile, service success with VW AG's ground breaking DSG gearbox. "knock on wood".

The word around the campfire is VW's 6sp DSG gearbox (Borg Warner as the manufacturer) as we know it, will also be used with the upcoming Jetta 2.0 Common rail diesel. This should/will supply the market with plenty of VW's equipped with the DSG which will breed familiarity at the service level I would think. (bummer, fewer "Stupid Service Trick" stories)

Many a "Dual Clutch" gearbox is headed to a dealership near you ~ . . as example, BMW's (Getrag) MB's, (ZF) Porsche's, (Borg Warner) Ford, etc. A DSG equals the greatest gearbox since sliced bread, IMHO.

 

[Hurst89]

DSG the greatest gear box since sliced bread?? Nah, that's still gonna go to the manual transmissions lol. Just jking! I really think the DSG is a great tranny for fuel mileage and simplicity. As they become mroe common, one thing manufacuters should focus on is making clutch replacement a little easier, kind of like manual transmission cars. Does anyone know how hard the DSG is on syncros? I wonder if those are a possibility for failure. I still don't see how it is an 8 grand transmission...maybe that will change as production numbers increase.

Hurst

 

[tdisedanman]

OP - Nice to hear of your, 100k+ mile, service success with VW AG's ground breaking DSG gearbox. "knock on wood".

The word around the campfire is VW's 6sp DSG gearbox (Borg Warner as the manufacturer) as we know it, will also be used with the upcoming Jetta 2.0 Common rail diesel. This should/will supply the market with plenty of VW's equipped with the DSG which will breed familiarity at the service level I would think. (bummer, fewer "Stupid Service Trick" stories)

Many a "Dual Clutch" gearbox is headed to a dealership near you ~ . . as example, BMW's (Getrag) MB's, (ZF) Porsche's, (Borg Warner) Ford, etc. A DSG equals the greatest gearbox since sliced bread, IMHO.

Am I confused?? I thought the new common rail would offer a 7 speed DSG, not a 6. Did VW change something?

 

[tdisedanman]

Got 47 K on my DSG now. Had it serviced by VW slightly before the 40 K mark. Seems to be OK. I really enjoy it. I was looking at the mini cooper s and trying to justify purchasing it but, i really do like my Jetta. If VW had just found a way to decrease wind noise and some internal vibrations/rattles, they would have made a perfect car. But hey, I guess I'm not perfect either!

 

[Tim Birney]

Got 47 K on my DSG now. Had it serviced by VW slightly before the 40 K mark. Seems to be OK. I really enjoy it. I was looking at the mini cooper s and trying to justify purchasing it but, i really do like my Jetta. If VW had just found a way to decrease wind noise and some internal vibrations/rattles, they would have made a perfect car. But hey, I guess I'm not perfect either!

Fold your side mirrors all the way into the doors (manually, and carefully), then fold them all the way "out" until they seat with a soft audible "chunk", or "click".
Your wind noise should go away.

 

[Fireblade_rr]

Does anyone feel it would be a good or bag thing to recalibrate the DSG say every 10,000 miles? I’m talking about just the recalibration, not a fluid change and recalibration.

If all the recalibration does is “It runs through an internal diagnostic to recaliberate all the tolerences in the mechetronics unit so that the reference points are reset to account for wear.”

It would be a good thing to keep tolerances tight, right?

 

[JasonM726]

Does anyone feel it would be a good or bag thing to recalibrate the DSG say every 10,000 miles? I’m talking about just the recalibration, not a fluid change and recalibration.

If all the recalibration does is “It runs through an internal diagnostic to recaliberate all the tolerences in the mechetronics unit so that the reference points are reset to account for wear.”

It would be a good thing to keep tolerances tight, right?

I have a 5MT, but i would think that the degredation in transmission performance would be in line with the degredation of the fluid. if you reset this without changing the fluid would this maybe lead to more transmission wear?

Just a thought.

 

[Fireblade_rr]

I have a 5MT, but i would think that the degredation in transmission performance would be in line with the degredation of the fluid. if you reset this without changing the fluid would this maybe lead to more transmission wear?

Just a thought.

Well my line of thinking was that after say 10,000 miles the oil has broken down and parts have worn and the original calibration is no longer appropriate/accurate.
So if you keep up with calibrating on a regular but not obsessive basis, the transmission will not have to work so hard to make up for being out of adjustment.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Most have reported the fluid looks as good when removed as when it was put in. I don't know if anyone has actually had it tested before and after though.