Volkswagen GTI Transmission Problems

renruz

I'm the proud owner of a Red GLI (GTI clone) with the DSG transmission. I love everything about this car including the power, the looks, the turbo, the color, the seats, the suspension, the steering wheel, the leather, the satelite radio, the 17" wheels and of course the DSG with paddles. But since new it felt "funny" while changing gears, the shifiting RPMs would be different at different days. One day it was stuck on 2nd for a few minutes while the numbers in the dashboard flashed, and I always felt it would fail at any given moment. Eventualy it did and about 8 months ago at only 6 thou miles it would not go into reverse, and make terrible sounds while jumping from 2nd to 4th and then back to 3rd. with a terrible thomping noise and judder at start up.
The dealer replaced the DSG (after 3 weeks) and it has been mostly O.K. but still hunts for gears in a funny manner every now and then. The dealer says it is O.K. but i'm really scared if it fails again out of guarrantee and I will be stuck with a repair bill in excess of $6,000. I love the car more and more but I do not like living with this bad gutt feeling everytime I drive it, BUT I would hate to sell the car and find out it lived many years without problems. Besides I do not know what to replace it with. It now has 15K miles and It will be out of the guarrantee in three months. Any suggestions or similar problems?

mapssi

I will recomend to get the extended warranty from VW. If the already replace the bad one the chances you get another bad one are prity slim. However, have your dealer flash and update your ECU software with the latest from VW. This should fix the jerking. :shades:

kathy97

Hi, I, too,am having some transmission problems with my 1996 GTI, automatic transmission. Could someone advise me? The garage is telling me that after 1000 miles my car will "reset" itself and correct the thumping I am getting between first and second. I just had this transmission replaced and I am worried that the garage is simply trying to pass the buck. I am afraid I now have another bad transmission and should perhaps request another one instead of messing around with this new "replaced" one. I was also told by VW that the 1996 GTI's cannot be "flashed". Is this true? I was hoping to get it reset at the dealership. It just seems like I am getting the run around. What is your advise, please?

kathy97

Hi, I am having some real problems with my recently purchased 1996 GTI. I just had my transmission replaced with a used transmission; now I have a serious thump between first and second. I am being told that after 1000 miles of driving that my car will "reset" itself and this will be eliminated. Is this true? I was also told that a 1996 GTI cannot be "flashed". I took my car to the VW dealer and was told that this year car cannot be flashed. Is this accurate? Should I get another transmission? Is someone trying to snowball me? What do you suggest....anyone? How much is a new transmission?

eldaino

vw vortex and post away. you'll def get some help there.

kathy97

Thanks so much; I will see what they have to say! I sure hope I can get some solid advice soon.

eldaino

good i hope it goes well! sometimes you get some rude peeps on there, but for the most part, there are some pretty educated vee dubbers. Best wishes!

harryo

When i put mt 1997 gti automatic in drive it will not take off in first gear,it will only take off in first when i put it in first and the indacater lights that are in the dash that show what gear you are in, all of them light up.And i just replaced the trans,help me before i blow it up.lol

nemo

Does anyone have any experience in the extra cost in maintenance and repair for the DSG transmission?
Is it significantly higher than a standard automatic?

calleart

Renruz,
I own a 2008 GTI with DSG and have very rough shifting between gears 1, 2, and 3 frequently.
Was the advice you were given about flashing the ECU fix the problem?

exit123

I guess we are seeing the answer to that. How much is the extended warranty from VW? How long does it go (miles and years)? Does it cover the DSG? If the clutches go out, is that considered "normal wear and tear" and so is not covered?

levi6

calleart...

i too have an '08 GTI w/ DSG... the shifting is kinda "jerky" between 1, 2 and 3... i find that when my wife drives it, it never happens and when i drive it slow or really fast it doesn't happen, but there seems to be this band of acceleration that i fall right inside most of the time and it jerks when changing gears... i'd be interested to know if flashing the ECU would fix the issue...

calleart

levi6,
I got the transmission checked with diagnostic eqiup a month ago from the dealer and the settings came back normal.
I have yet to have the dealer flash the ECU but my next oil change I'll "turn up the heat" at the dealership and figure out how to stop the abrupt shifts - it's really bad at times.
They need to give me some kind of answer/solution.

micro_chip_man

I am looking in to a VW GTI MkV with the DSG Trans. Does anyone have any possitive/negitive feedback?


The one that I am looking at is for sale here. It is the red one.www.DAngeloAutoSales.com


Is one with the DSG going to be a ton less reliable than a manual?

shipo

A ton less reliable? No, probably not. Most of the reports that I've read indicate few problems, however, when there are problems, they are usually pretty expensive to fix (although they are mostly covered under warranty at this point).

Another thing to keep in mind is that the DSG requires a service event every 40,000 miles whereas the conventional manual transmission does not.

Regarding how the two different GTIs drive, the DSG is a fast and slick shifting automatic transmission, and if that's what you're looking for, then this is probably the best transmission available in any mass marketed car available in the States. That said, I found the DSG A3 and DSG GTI I drove immensly boring once the novelty of the computer controlled transmission wore off (that took all of about five minutes).

Best regards,
Shipo

upstatedoc

Drove a DSG R32 last fall.

Have an '08 GTI 6MT

IMO the manual is more fun.

If you are going to be commuting in heavy traffic in this car I would recommend the DSG.
Don't know anything about reliability but the DSG transmission is much more complicated than the manual tranny, therefore more problems?

goose

I bought a 2008 GTI with the DSG. If you drive it like a sports car the DSG is fun. Plus when want to drive an auto its there. If your all about the driving and expect to be connected to the car then the DSG can be just another auto with a little caffeine.

goose

I bought a Red 2008 GTI in May. Although I noticed a very small amount of jerkiness I thought it was less than I have noticed on a clutch/manual transmission. My opinion is the DSG is a replacement to a manual while delivering amazing response. If you compare a regular style auto transmission with the DSG, well there is no comparison. In short the jerkiness I noticed was well within the performance factor of the DSG. Remember the DSG has a clutch that is more like a manual and shifting a manual very quickly results in some jerkiness.

gti2

I own a 2007 GTI, 121 CID engine, 6 speed manual transmission, with 17" alloy high performance wheels. I have about 20,000 miles on my car. I have had to replace the air conditioning system under warranty, replace brakes, replace all 4 tires, problems with the power windows closing. Recently, I smelled what I thought was trasmission fluid leaking. The dealer addressed the issue and I drove the car for a couple of days. I notived that the transmission smell continued and I returned to the dealer. I was informed that I need the entire clutch replace. This I was told was not under warranty.
Are there other GTI owners who have experienced this sort of repair work?

upstatedoc

About 7k miles on my '08 and not a problem (knock on wood). So your clutch is burned out, your transmission doesn't need to be replaced??

furley

Oh my yes! My 40k service on my Jetta TDI was 500.00!!!!!! I hate VW because of the outrageous service costs. :mad:

misturini

They just quoted me $640.00 for the 40K service on my GTI's DSG......I asked what "What The Hell" they do to it for $640...

They said the fluid is expensive???? and the Labor is also?????

They are not replacing any parts so this is pure bull.

goose

In my area there is at least one garage that specializes in VW/European cars. They have better service and pricing than dealer.

hoz

I checked with a dealer and an indie VW garage and they both quoted $350.

rwmcdime

i have a 08 GTI/DSG and i had the mechatronic unit replaced its the computer that controls the shifting and when it goes bad u get hard shifting and lagging and a jerking under power most dealers wont test it because they haft to call the tech line and run a lot of test and only tech line can approve the repair of the mechatronic unit and the reason the DSG service is so much is the oil required for the DGS is $24 a quart and it hold 9 quarts and most labor rates around me are $107 a hour

glass81

Okay I bin there. I have a 07 GTI. I have my clutch go (32200miles) it was not covered it fell under the ware and tare. but after the clutch was fixed the master cylinder was also bad. also part of the clutch but that was covered. there has bin a lot more go wrong with the car from the start of the clutch problem.

hjk236

So, 2012 vw golf 2.5 came out recently. I am planning to buy 2011 model, hoping for some good discount deals. Should I buy them now while they are in stock or should I wait for the price to drop more?

mike8813

I just locked up a 2012 VW Golf 2.5 4 door. The big update to the 2012 model that I wanted was an adjustable center armrest (With the "convenience package"). Got a great deal at more than $1,000 less than MSRP on a 2012, which was fantastic.

The 2012 was hard to come by though, and the dealer I went through basically had to negotiate with another dealership to get one off the boat before it even reached the U.S. Anyway, if you can get a deal similar to mine I don't see a reason to get the '11 over the '12. Look up the Zag car buying service, it really helped get me a great price. I had access to it through my USAA membership.

kitty12345

2007 Volkswagen GTI w/less than 50,000 road miles. Transmission has failed -mechanic said a part in the transmission failed and 2 of wheels were bent inside. My husband loves this car and takes excellent care of all of our cars, my 1998 Toyota has 250,000 miles with no problems. The Volkswagen was a salesmen car and we feel we were sold a damage vehicle. They have had our car for over 2 weeks and still isn't fixed. What would you recommed as we have never abused our cars and are on a fixed income and it has become quite expensive.?

complicated44

Hey bro honestly i have a 2008 GTI Coupe 23 psi boost exhaust and chipped thats all and I have the same exact problems as you but i had it at 38,000 miles. Now I went to the mechanic since my warranty expired he said i was running on no transmission fluid. He also claimed that i need a new clutch. now as if for shifting when i go slow my car is fine when im speeding at like 60 or 70 my car tends to go from 6th gear to neutral by itself it pops back all on its own. If i were you I'd much more rather you go to a Foreign Transmission Specialist because these cars run amazing once they are all fixed up.

complicated44

My car was bought from a dealer and my transmission has failed also. So i highly down you have been sold a damaged vehicle i have a 2008 GTI Coupe and now I need a new clutch and Transmission. My mechanic said I was running on no transmission fluid therefore i think maybe you should get that checked out to see if its leaking or something.

ks55

640 is a rip off. period. If you want to keep your prior insurance you can do so. Period. .....if you want to keep your prior Doctor you can do so .period.........D]oh ooh sorry I am OD ing on Obama care bull sht.