thebigarniedog
Master of the Obvious
This subject seems to come up frequently with a staunch group of supporters and detractors on both sides. In the interest of "fairness" I think most of these issues center on the comparative advantages/cost of DSG ownership versus the available Manual Transmissions offered by VW. I understand that most people don't know how to drive a manual transmission.
You can call it whatever you want (DSG, Tripotonic etc.) getting a new or newer car should not be an exercise in settling for something that you would regret over the ownership life of the vehicle. So an automatic transmission on an otherwise pristine vehicle is a deal breaker for some like myself, but thats just me and my opinion. Now if my wife or her girlfriends were buying the car for their use, they would opt for an automatic transmission (i.e. DSG). The consensus from them would be that a proper ladies car has an automatic transmission. I don't know if that is the general consensus of women or if you share the same opinion.
That said, the point of this thread is to avoid the typical hyperbole and too have a rational discussion on the topic. Here are some points that I think need to be addressed:
1. Most people prefer a manual transmission over a DSG. I had a thread poll on this forum on this subject that had several dozen respondents representing a significant majority that agreed that they would not buy a car with a DSG. A certain member rightly criticized the sample size of the Poll as being less than 50 respondents. That said, here is a vortex Poll with a sampling of 2500 persons: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2463257 The responding individuals had a sample return rate similar to my offered poll. Would a fair reading of these results indicate that buying a VW with a DSG cost you on resale? Seems like a fair conclusion. What do you think?
2. The initial selection cost of the DSG should be a deal breaker. Look, VW's homepage list the DSG as an "upgrade" option to a standard transmission. I think this is a oxymoron as the DSG is arguably detracting value from a VW and is an inferior transmission. The "upgrade price" is $1,100 for the DSG. http://www.vw.com/vwfeatures/jetta/en/us/ . I hope the link is valid. It is from VW's homepage. Why are people paying $1,100 to select an arguably inferior transmission?
3. Service cost of the DSG is ridiculous. Service cost for the DSG (every 40(k) miles seems to be between $300-$500 depending on the place of service. Assuming that the person is buying the tdi for it's intended use (i.e. 200(k) miles or more) that adds up to $1500-$2000 compared to a few hundred dollars for typical service on a manual tranny. It is unclear what the life expectancy for a DSG will be therefore it would be unfair to compare it to the known quantity of a manual tranny. Obviously, if the DSG fails the replacement cost would be extreme. Are buyer's being advised of this extra cost?
4. DSG failures. Their out there and there seems to be a lot of confusion over what is and is not covered under the VW warranty. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=235168 . Are people considering these "failures" in their purchasing decision?
You can call it whatever you want (DSG, Tripotonic etc.) getting a new or newer car should not be an exercise in settling for something that you would regret over the ownership life of the vehicle. So an automatic transmission on an otherwise pristine vehicle is a deal breaker for some like myself, but thats just me and my opinion. Now if my wife or her girlfriends were buying the car for their use, they would opt for an automatic transmission (i.e. DSG). The consensus from them would be that a proper ladies car has an automatic transmission. I don't know if that is the general consensus of women or if you share the same opinion.
That said, the point of this thread is to avoid the typical hyperbole and too have a rational discussion on the topic. Here are some points that I think need to be addressed:
1. Most people prefer a manual transmission over a DSG. I had a thread poll on this forum on this subject that had several dozen respondents representing a significant majority that agreed that they would not buy a car with a DSG. A certain member rightly criticized the sample size of the Poll as being less than 50 respondents. That said, here is a vortex Poll with a sampling of 2500 persons: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2463257 The responding individuals had a sample return rate similar to my offered poll. Would a fair reading of these results indicate that buying a VW with a DSG cost you on resale? Seems like a fair conclusion. What do you think?
2. The initial selection cost of the DSG should be a deal breaker. Look, VW's homepage list the DSG as an "upgrade" option to a standard transmission. I think this is a oxymoron as the DSG is arguably detracting value from a VW and is an inferior transmission. The "upgrade price" is $1,100 for the DSG. http://www.vw.com/vwfeatures/jetta/en/us/ . I hope the link is valid. It is from VW's homepage. Why are people paying $1,100 to select an arguably inferior transmission?
3. Service cost of the DSG is ridiculous. Service cost for the DSG (every 40(k) miles seems to be between $300-$500 depending on the place of service. Assuming that the person is buying the tdi for it's intended use (i.e. 200(k) miles or more) that adds up to $1500-$2000 compared to a few hundred dollars for typical service on a manual tranny. It is unclear what the life expectancy for a DSG will be therefore it would be unfair to compare it to the known quantity of a manual tranny. Obviously, if the DSG fails the replacement cost would be extreme. Are buyer's being advised of this extra cost?
4. DSG failures. Their out there and there seems to be a lot of confusion over what is and is not covered under the VW warranty. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=235168 . Are people considering these "failures" in their purchasing decision?
