Would like to hear from HAPPY DSG owners with high miles

[peterdaniel]

So tired of the negativity.
Is the DSG for 2014 models a good transmission, capable of driving perfect for 300K miles? Is it durable? Dependable? Strong? Well designed? able to take abuse?

Of course changing the fluid on time is assumed here...

Have driven manual for 34 years.. a little nervous about making the switch

Love the design and how it drives... just need some positive info from the people who I think know best rather than the troll on the internet

Thanks
Peter

 

[pebjr]

I don't have a 2014, but I do have a 2009 Jetta tdi with a DSG. I currently have 240,000 + miles on it and the DSG has been flawless. I change the fluid per recommended intervals (40K).

 

[tsimon325]

I wondered the same thing several years ago, I even asked a couple VW techs I know. The conclusion I walked away with was "it depends". One of my buddies prefaced his answer with "You have to remember, I'm a tech, all I ever see are broken cars...". I was warned to "go drive one first, some people never get used to the way this thing works" meaning it's essentially an electronically operated 6spd manual, without a torque converter. It does feel a little weird at first, for some can feel a little offputting I guess.



It seems the things that break inside are the electronics known as the M unit, the wiring harness to the M unit, and a select few DSG's have a bad pump shaft that breaks at the splines, according to an on-line tech bulletin I recently came across. It doesn't kill the trans, and is an easy fix once the trans is on the bench. Trans oil changes are recommended every 40k miles, and cost about $120 if you do it yourself using the VW fluid and filter, 30min job.



In my mind, every automatic transmission is a liability, particularly fwd, mainly because the newer electronically controlled units cost so much to repair. 6.4 hours to R&R. Then there's the European parts prices; A New M unit from VW is $1200, a remanufactured DSG is about $4k plus installation.



If you crawl in silicon valley traffic, I'd say go with an automatic. I hope that was helpful.

 

[peterdaniel]

Thank you for those honest answers.. I love the way the thing shifts.. Super cool. Love the technology behind it as well.

I have driven several and at first, I kept letting my foot off the gas to manual shift in between gears. That was an issue until i realized that I didnt have to do that and now its just a matter of re training my brain.

I am a stickler for maintenance. Given my german taurus heritage, its already in my blood. I can also do it myself so thats not a big deal. I would change the fluid in ANY automatic trans in ANY car every 40K.

The nice thing is that you can actually CHANGE it. I had a mercedes that was a huge pita and a Toyota Tacoma that you simply could not do it yourself or at least it was a pain. At least this one has a filter as well.

Yes, I live in San Jose Campbell Bay area and the traffic is becoming almost intolerable.

I will keep my MK4 though.. for when I want to blast down 17 to Santa Cruz.. awesome windy hilly road.

 

[tsimon325]

I was doing the same thing, burping the throttle during shifts, which the DSG doesn't like. The M unit is all "WTH does this loose nut behind the wheel want me to do next, upshift, or downshift?". Once you get past that, I like the DSG.



I stumbled across this little gem on youtube this morning.

Be forewarned, this guy is opinionated and carcastic, doesn't like VW's DSG much, (mostly over a lawsuit covered in another video). On the flipside, he understands engineering and physics, is entertaining and objective, always a good thing.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLOwY3w_TNc

 

[Mattyoctavia]

I don’t have a 2014 but i have a 2008 with the 02E dsg transmission and almost on 250,000 now. It’s a fantastic gearbox! Because I get the oil free I change it every 20,000 or so.
Most I saw was 620,000 on a Passat dsg.
Regular maintenance and treat it right ��

 

[peterdaniel]

This is good to know! Thank you!

 

[INSW20]

for what it's worth, my parents have a 2011 TDI DSG with nearing 200k miles, and it functions flawlessly. they have the trans serviced every 40k and so far so good.

 

[Laurence5905]

My wife's 2012 Sportwagen TDI with the DSG transmission has almost 160K miles on it, and no problems with the transmission yet (knock on wood). The fluid and filter have been changed religiously at 40K-mile intervals. My 19-year-old step-daughter has a 2012 Jetta Sedan TDI with the same transmission -- but only about 85K miles on it so far. Same 40K fluid/filter changes. No issues with that one either (knock on wood).

I'm very happy to hear reports of 200K or more miles being had by people using these transmissions. I hope ours will last that long!