# To DSG or not to DSG.



## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

So we've been looking at new family wagons for a few weeks and are pretty much decided on a VW Caddy Maxi Life - The 1.6 derv (100bhp) version.

The one thing we can't decide on is whether or not to go for the DSG box. Mrs Millns isn't the best with gear changes and I'd just like the ease of an auto. We'd probably go for it but the price is holding us back a bit, is it worth it in a family wagon?


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## ikon66 (Jul 23, 2008)

I love mine, if you do mainly town driving with lots of starts n stops it'd be better than manual


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## realist (May 11, 2011)

Do it you won't regret it:thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Not, unless you spend lots of time in traffic and don't give a stuff about driving in which case the 1.6 tdi and dsg will be fine.


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

You need to test drive it and decide for yourself, i wouldn't be without it and I like driving ;-). That said i am used to it on the faster VW's.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Aren't the DSG boxes picky about their oil?, I seem to recall reading about VW recalling millions of vehicles to have a different oil put in them.

Yarp http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ars-worldwide-faulty-gearbox-light-fuses.html


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

From your very link


> This follows evidence that gearboxes in hot and humid areas such as in China and South-East Asia are susceptible to electrical faults in stop-start traffic.


And



> Volkswagen said it was not aware of cases of drivers losing power in Britain.


Plus that was 10 months ago so if it was affected it will have been recalled, so he will be OK


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

I've had both DSG and manual VW's of late and like both gearboxes equally for their different characteristics, I'd say test drive both variants and see which is preferred.

I was in the same situation a few months back when deciding on a used manual or DSG Golf, but after driving both I went for the manual in the end as I'll probably keep this vehicle for quite a while and I know the DSG mechatroinc unit can be troublesome as they get older and are expensive to fix. 

That said, if buying new or as a company car lease, and are just intending to keep the car within the warranty period, then I'd personally opt for the DSG as it offers the best of both worlds - plus its great fun changing up and down gears with the paddles 

Still essential to try before you buy. I was really surprised at how nice the Golf manual was to push around the gate, clickerty tight precise and a pleasure to use. :thumb:


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Shaun said:


> You need to test drive it and decide for yourself, i wouldn't be without it and I like driving ;-). That said i am used to it on the faster VW's.


That's the thing Shaun, I'd jump at it in a GTI etc but just not sure if it's worth the £££ for chugging around town in a small derv and the occasional trip to the seaside.

I don't mind a manual at all, but I can see it being worthwhile just out of laziness/convenience in a family wagon. Also, Mrs Millns's gear changes have got to be seen to be believed :lol:


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

millns84 said:


> That's the thing Shaun, I'd jump at it in a GTI etc but just not sure if it's worth the £££ for chugging around town in a small derv and the occasional trip to the seaside.
> 
> I don't mind a manual at all, but I can see it being worthwhile just out of laziness/convenience in a family wagon. Also, Mrs Millns's gear changes have got to be seen to be believed :lol:


DSG is perfect for town driving IMO, give one a try and decide, its not cheap but in the grand scheme of things....


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

PugIain said:


> Aren't the DSG boxes picky about their oil?, I seem to recall reading about VW recalling millions of vehicles to have a different oil put in them.
> 
> Yarp http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ars-worldwide-faulty-gearbox-light-fuses.html


AFAIK they've all been recalled in the last few months to have mineral oil put in them instead of fully synthetic. I saw a thread on seatcupra.net just the other day.


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## Thebill (Mar 20, 2011)

Get the DSG, I love the dual clutches.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Shaun said:


> From your very link
> 
> And
> 
> Plus that was 10 months ago so if it was affected it will have been recalled, so he will be OK


Did I intimate there would be any issue?
I was merely bringing it to the guys attention as something to be aware of.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

The last 1.6 tdi I drove ....










Did everything you want except mpg on a manual is much better. The last fast dsg I drove was a cupra 280 around mallory park and for the track it was great, on the road I'd go for manual. If they caddy is going to spend lots of time in start stop traffic then get the dsg.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

SteveTDCi said:


> The last 1.6 tdi I drove ....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


**** me I didn't realise you were that ancient yet


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

SteveTDCi said:


> Not, unless you spend lots of time in traffic *and don't give a stuff about driving* in which case the 1.6 tdi and dsg will be fine.


Does that include F1 drivers! 

What about the inclusion of DSG type gearboxes on many performance cars and especially modern supercars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Porsche etc. to name but a few. 

Each to their own though and a test drive will confirm if it's for the OP or not. :thumb:

Alan W


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

PugIain said:


> Did I intimate there would be any issue?
> I was merely bringing it to the guys attention as something to be aware of.


I just assumed you thought it was relevant as you posted it ? I was merely bringing my points to his attention too as some people might have just read what your post said without fully reading the link which you provided :thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

F1 drivers only use it as it's quicker and less chance if missing a gear, I owned a a3 dsg and hated it.


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

millns84 said:


> The one thing we can't decide on is whether or not to go for the DSG box. Mrs Millns isn't the best with gear changes and I'd just like the ease of an auto. We'd probably go for it but the price is holding us back a bit, is it worth it in a family wagon?


You must also factor in the service costs. The DSG box requires additional servicing (oil and filter), and the clutches are quite expensive to replace. The bill on the Passat was something like £1200 at 70000 miles and oil changes were about £200 or something silly.

It is nice on a diesel as 1st gear is typically very short, making pulling out of junctions a lot easier. I actually prefer a traditional auto though and they're a lot more reliable.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

I hadn't thought about the extra costs of servicing. How often does the oil need changing? We'll keep it up to five years and will be unlikely to do over 30k in that time.


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

millns84 said:


> I hadn't thought about the extra costs of servicing. How often does the oil need changing? We'll keep it up to five years and will be unlikely to do over 30k in that time.


Its at the 4th year and my dealer charges £160, its not the end of the world :lol:


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## Johnsy (Oct 20, 2013)

DSG is awesome, iv never tried it in a diesel but mighty impressive getting my passat cc to 60mph in under 6seconds,
I can't remember the last time I lost the traffic light Grand Prix lol

if you were buying a weekend/track car type and wanted the involvement of manually swapping cogs and heel toe type precision driving then DSG is never gonna fit the bill, but in reality dsg makes for a more comfortable stress free drive day to day


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## goRt (Aug 26, 2013)

I've had 2 r32s, one gti and an mk6 r all with dsg.
I'm on my 2ng gtr which only come in dsg.
Love them (and I think I could take the CC at the lights!)


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

millns84 said:


> I hadn't thought about the extra costs of servicing. How often does the oil need changing? We'll keep it up to five years and will be unlikely to do over 30k in that time.


Between 30k and 40k as with most dual clutch autos. If the gear changes feel jerky before then you should do it sooner though. Mine was quite poor in cold weather and never really that smooth though.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I think my A3 S-tronic needed the gearbox oil at 40k service which was an extra £170. 

I loved my S-tronic box. Far quicker shifting than the Speedtronic box on my SLK280 which always annoyed me and one of the reasons I got rid of it.


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## RMM (Jan 9, 2014)

My wife has a DSG7 already for some years now (because she has a problem in her left leg): she really enjoys it and won't be going back to a normal clutch ever again.

I have found a glitch in it: on a really steep street, the gearbox "doesn't want" to shift from 1st to 2nd - it has to "be told" to do so manually...

*Note:* a lot of guys like to point out that auto gearboxes are not "sporty" - if you don't know how to properly heel-and-toe, you will never make the most of a manual car.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

I own a Mk5 GTI DSG and a 2.0 CR170 Scirocco which is a manual. The GTI is running about 265bhp and has Stage 2 Revo software and their DSG software, it is great fun. especially with the proper sized paddles you can get.. Changes are very quick and smooth. But occasionally, can be very annoying, eg if you are approaching a roundabout in 3rd and you dip just slow enough to make it change to 2nd, you have a momentary lack of power or a bit of a kick up the bum where it shifts funny.

Your left leg does get bored and I miss having the granular control especially reversing up hills at slow speed... 

Unfortunately you can't have both and both offer some great benefits. When I drove the GTI exclusively I would love driving my friends manual cars but now I have the manual Scirocco I want the parpy tooty noises that the DSG gives.


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

xJay1337 said:


> it is great fun. especially with the proper sized paddles you can get..


Am I the only one who thinks paddles are a bit of a gimmick? I've used manual mode a handful of times and felt very disconnected from the car.


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## Johnsy (Oct 20, 2013)

goRt said:


> I've had 2 r32s, one gti and an mk6 r all with dsg.
> I'm on my 2ng gtr which only come in dsg.
> Love them (and I think I could take the CC at the lights!)


The gearbox in the GTR is pretty impressive,

What I meant was its so easy to get moving briskly with minimal fuss, by the time you'd normally be looking for 2nd gear manually the DSG is upto to speed and in top gear


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

SteveyG said:


> Am I the only one who thinks paddles are a bit of a gimmick? I've used manual mode a handful of times and felt very disconnected from the car.


You're probably not the only one but there will be many who diagree.

I used the paddles occasionally for engine braking on my S-tronic A3 and occasionally when pretending I was schumi. I wouldn't pay much just to get paddles but if they come with the car that's fine by me. They don't get in the way.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

SteveyG said:


> Am I the only one who thinks paddles are a bit of a gimmick? I've used manual mode a handful of times and felt very disconnected from the car.


Nope I find myself sticking it in manual mode immediately when I set off and changing gears myself.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Just a quick update to say we've test driven the DSG and loved it. Found it very smooth and it'll be great for lazy driving around town.

Went for Raven Blue, delivery January :thumb:


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

Whoop whoop!! See - told ya so lol... Congrats chum. 

I'll be going auto for my next one and I cant wait. 

Cooks


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I can't see you regretting that decision.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Well, an unexpected update but we got a phone call the other day and were told that our car (or van??) is being delivered next Friday!

Apparently it's come in much sooner than they expected but I'm not going to complain. :thumb:


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