MK5 Golf GTI
All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: Flashpilot on November 27, 2011, 11:33:00 pm
-
Hey folks,
Well, a deal is done on an 06 DSG and it looks like we could complete next weekend.
The thing is, I have had the "horrors" instilled in me by a mate who says the DSG can be troublesome and that the MK5 GTi can be troublesome?? This has come as a surprise to me.....i mean, its a Golf!
What I don't want to do, is sell my beloved, trustworthy (albeit shabby) Beemer Diesel and replace it with an 06 GTi that's going to give me a headache.....I just want a reliable car! :sad1:
Reassurance needed!!!! :ashamed:
-
Is only the mechatronics that can be troublesome on them dude, i';ve heard of people buying a warranty and then if it does go pear shaped its covered under that.
If you look after them and service them correctly you should be ok, i don't know if it was later ones that were more common to failing too?
I've just got a DSG equipped car and its unreal, dont know why i didnt get one before!
-
I've got DSG and I'll never drive a manual again. One of the few ocassions in a car where you can have your cake and eat it too
-
I've got DSG and I'll never drive a manual again. One of the few ocassions in a car where you can have your cake and eat it too
Im sure 99.9% of ALL DSG owners would agree too :laugh:
:notworthy: DSG = MUCH AWESOMENESS :notworthy:
Im on the forum quite often, and there are hundreds of members. I don't know how many are DSG owners, but I for one don't know anyone thats had DSG problems :confused:
-
i have a dsg edition 30, its got 69 k on the clock, when i bought it i had it serviced (majora) and had the dsg oil change, its been fine and works great, all the options of manual and when you cannot be bothered stick it in D.
S is good ( blips of the downshift!) and launch control is great at the lights.... :happy2:
happy days!
-
drove both dsg and manual, when i was looking for a edition 30, for me the manual was more involving and felt more of a drivers car, and bought the manual :smiley:
-
Some interesting comments peeps....thanks :happy2:
My mates R32 was a great car, with the DSG and another guy I know had a manual GTi and he loved that!! So now I'm confused.... :rolleye:
I've had a lt of cars, never an SMG or DSG, always the normal manual or auto. I actually get a kick out of driving a manual well and fom what I can gather, there are times when the DSG can change gear when you don't want it to (High revs, or mid corner, but I'm guessing second could be down to technique?).
Now, I'm not a thrash merchant and nor will I likely attend any track days in it.....but I do like to be in control f the car (my Discovery 3 auto can do what it likes, but the second car can't!! :driver: ). Double de clutching, heel toe, left foot braking are all methods I use when "making progress", so maybe I should just go for whatever car comes up at the right price?
What are people's thoughts on mileage? Is 90k+ okay with good history etc, or should I be thinking the lower, the better?? I've seen a car I'm keen on at a good price....with loads of history apparently....and it looks fab. I was always told to buy on condition and not on miles......
-
When I bought my car, the 'GTI specialist' salesman recommended the manual over the DSG, and said that very few people my age went for DSG versions :-/ possibly worried about me coming back with gearbox issues!
Anyway, the manual is smooth as you like and has a much better 'box than my previous 8th gen Civic. I've been in an R32 with DSG and was very impressed, but having driven a works automatic pool car, I find my foot gets bored and even after a long journey, was still searching for the clutch pedal when stopping at junctions :grin:
-
I've just had this same dilemma recently, DSG or manual. So I test drove both, one ED30 manual and the other a standard gti with DSG. What I found, especially being mechanically minded is that you have more control over the car with a manual.
Ill explain, when entering a corner or a roundabout I usually downchange and apply the brakes slightly, when down-changing i release the clutch slowly and scrub some speed with the engine braking. I didnt find this as effective with the DSG, when changing gear you knock the leaver and its changed gear instantly.
But thats just my opinion. If possible try both :smiley:
p.s ED30 is an awesome car, I would highly recommend one!!
-
my missus has dsg and myself gti manual, both are great and very different cars, at low speeds start/stop dsg seems to be slightly jerky, but once you get going it's as smooth as silk and the speed of shifts is unreal, also it gives you great manual option as well.... in summary depending on what you're looking for, dsg will always be quicker no matter how good a driver is, manual for me is much more involving learing toe/hill action etc, in traffic dsg is much better and for trashing if you want to just concentrate on your line, entering into corners and quick exit just stick it in S
try both and make up your mind!
-
What are people's thoughts on mileage? Is 90k+ okay with good history etc, or should I be thinking the lower, the better?? I've seen a car I'm keen on at a good price....with loads of history apparently....and it looks fab. I was always told to buy on condition and not on miles......
Me personally I'd always be put off by a high mileage car, but the general consensus on here (and rightly so) is that a car with 90k which has been looked after is better than a car with 30k that's been thrashed to within an inch of its life, not serviced on time etc.
Just make sure for that age it's had at least one cambelt/water pump change (preferably recently) and get someone to vagcom scan it if you can
-
As I said in a recent similar thread, make sure you buy/negotiate a warranty that covers the gearbox. I know 3 people with DSG, including my wife's 11 reg Polo GTI and all of us have had very expensive problems (all covered under warranty, thankfully).
-
Hate dsg :signLOL: I hate the noise the exhaust makes with it and no matter what you say it's an old man auto :signLOL: if it goes wrong then is mega ££££ to sort out but with a normal box anyone could sort it. I owned a car with dsg and after a few months it had to go I just felt so detached from driving it but as they say ETTO
-
Thanks for all the opinions and views re DSG. I am a driver that likes to feel involved and think that possibly the slight jerkiness and "remote" feeling a few people have mentioned, may ultimately spoil my driving pleasure a little bit. I do pride myself on being smooth when driving anything......
One car I'm looking at has 93k miles on it and was owned by one of the good peeps on here prior to the current owner...and it looks completely mint..but there is another, with a slightly lower spec, but it has but 45k! The higher spec' , higher miles one is about 1500 squids cheaper.....what a dilemma! :rolleye:
Will keep all posted......
-
My Ed30 is DSG and had it for about a month now and done 500 miles thus far, love that you can stick in auto when stuck in traffic and use the paddles when driving "Enthusiastically".
DSG= DAMN SWEET GEARCHANGE :happy2:
As others have said as long as you service correctly it should pose no problems, I heard that the majority of DSG issues seemto be on 56 and 07 plate plate golfs, but I guess thats just statistics and its a lottery, my own 08 plate Ed30 DSG mechatronics failed at 37K and were replaced by VW under warranty and then issued a new 3 year warranty on the box so i am safe until October 14th 2014 :happy2:
-
I've got a Gti DSG.. I've not driven a manual.
However when I get an Ed30 next year sometime... I think I'll go manual.
DSG is great dont get me wrong but its definitely less involving. I had a E46 M3 with the SMG gear box and I'd hoped it would be a bit more like that but its so smooth its pretty un rewarding to drive fast. That said. 80% of the time round town I just leave it in auto 'D' and its great.. so depends what you want to use the car for. If it daily driving then DSG is great... if you just want a weekend toy I'd go manual now.
Then there is the bit where if you want to remap the car the DSG is still fast but the lag from the turbo once its changed takes away the whole point of having DSG seemless shift in the first place.
-
Jedi Knight.....that's the way I'm leaning, the manual way I mean, as I can be lazy in the other Auto I own....and I'm a bit of a self proclaimed purist when it comes to "driving experience". I almost went for an E46 M3 myself about 6 months ago....they any good? Anyway....I digress?!!
I'm now very interested to hear about remap and turbo lag on the DSG as a Bluefin will be my first of many mod's!
-
Has anyone tried a Shark DSG map? Just seen they're advertising them on they're website now for £250 all in! Not a bad price considering Revo charge about £400-£450 don't they? Anyone know what the map actually does? Remove torque limiters? Fully manual?
-
Jedi Knight.....that's the way I'm leaning, the manual way I mean, as I can be lazy in the other Auto I own....and I'm a bit of a self proclaimed purist when it comes to "driving experience". I almost went for an E46 M3 myself about 6 months ago....they any good? Anyway....I digress?!!
I'm now very interested to hear about remap and turbo lag on the DSG as a Bluefin will be my first of many mod's!
The E46 M3 was awesome. Mine was a late 53 plate with all the toys and SMG... but the SMG is much more involving and direct and you can feel it thumping in a gear when you change.... just make sure you have deep pockets to run the thing!
IMO the GTi is 80-90% as fast and fun on the uk roads and much cheaper to run and I'm much happier being back in a little VAG turbo..
... and dont get me wrong.. the DSG is very capable and fast A-B but having owner it for a few months now I just wish it wasn't as smooth.
Regarding the turbo lag.... im not 100% sure what the issue is yet, I've got to go back to Motech again.... But when your at 3/4 or full throttle and change gear .. the change is instant but then you can feel a hesitation for half a second like its gone off boost or where its building it up again after the gear change. Some people say its normal but then I've seen youtube clips of dsg cars that have been mapped that can accelerate hard and dont exhibit the same pause that I seem to get...
-
If you go for manual, a £400 remap zoo becomes £1400 when your clutch starts to slip
-
Interesting what you say (Jedi) re the Golf being 80-90% as quick as the M3 in normal use. You're not the first that has said that to me actually.
Not heard anything about remaps and clutch slip on a manual.....maybe if you're chucking on another 100bhp you'd see an issue....but not for another 40.
-
i'd agree on m3... it's non turbo engine hence you really need to rev it high to get both torgue and power whereas in turbo charge engines the torgue is available most of the time starting at low revs
i tested e9 series m3 and wasn't really impressed.... The noise is amazing once you rev it high but I wouldn't say it's that much quicker if at all that ed30 with 320 bhp....
-
If the car is coming from a VW dealership then get them to give you a copy of it's service records so you can validate that it's had the DSG oil changed at the right intervals and that any recalls have been attended to (think an 06 car will be a likely candidate for the coil pack recall IIRC). Even if the car isn't being sold by VW then you might find that a friendly dealer service department will oblige if you pop in with the VIN - my local dealer has always been good like this but some are less accomodating.
Mechatronic issues are normally easy to spot (typically a clunky 1st and/or Reverse selection when the car has warmed up - a little clunkiness whilst the car is cold is quite normal)
Golfs have a reputation for a reason - but buying any car that's a few years old carries a degree of risk, so if you have any doubts then an independent inspection etc is well worth the money.
PS. Fell in love with the DSG as soon as I drove one, and despite having Mechatronic issues (which were all dealt with under warranty) I would gladly have another - preferably wrapped up in something Edition 35-shaped :signLOL:
-
There's a reason why 'manual' has the word 'man' in it! :P
Read Autocar's MK5 buying guide, published earlier in the year. They clearly try and steer people away from the DSG, but they positively encouraged looking at manual cars with 100k on them, saying it's not a problem, as the Mark5 is generally very reliable.
-
Hey all..... :P
Well, by a stoke of luck (albeit BAD for other reasons), I ended up in a DSG rental last night. I'm sorry everyone, but I definitely would prefer the manual!
I can see the appeal for sure. Great in "auto" mode and "S"...when driven normally....but it isn't (IMO) great in manual, or in some conditions in either auto mode. Really good, but not great.
In one example, I approached a junction and decelerated as usual (we're on a country lane here), nice and smooth and then as I turned up the lane, I floored it. This took the box by surprise and so it hesitated, reselected a lower gear and then off we went, so I think it's fairly easy to lull into a false sense of security.... :P
In manual, when you are at the top of the rev range, it makes the gear change, regardless of whether you want it to or not. This makes sense, but I COULD (say, on a track day or trying hard on the road somewhere) approach a corner, hit the top of the revs in one gear and find myself exiting the corner in the wrong gear, or worse, having an up shift mid corner. Also, it means that I may have wanted the additional engine braking as i slwed slightly, but lost it as it changed up a gear.
On the whole....I thought it was excellent and all I'm saying is, that it's not for me as a permanent feature, but I do see the appeal, especially for those that have to drive in traffic a lot. 90% of the time, it will work fine for me, but there are times when it wouldn't.....I'd rather mess up my own gear selection! Lol
I'm sure that you die hard DSG fans will have something to say, but in my limited experience.....this is what I found and if I had one for a week, I think I could find other things that didn't suit my style. I liked it a lot.....but didn't love it.....the car still needs the anticipation that it can only get from the soft squishy stuff between the pedals and the seat!
In summary....the best "paddle shift" out there? Quite possibly. Better than a manual? Not yet......
-
Did you push the gear selector across to full manual mode? or just pull a paddle while you were in 'D' mode?
-
Just got off the phone with Shark Performance about a DSG remap...
They up the torque limiters, raise the rev limiter and it make it fully manuel in manuel. (They actually said it still does kick down but only if you REALLY labour the engine, its fine at like 1500rpm!)
Apparently faster changes too. All for £250 all in, also if you get it done in December they are offering free dyno runs too, sweet!
-
I have a DSG which was the first one I drove and, if I'm honest, I'm only just starting to get used to the way it works best one month later!
IMO a single test drive (which admittedly is all you're likely to get when you look to buy a car) is not going to give a comprehensive assessment of which is best. Its a bit easier if you're used to a manual like me, as broadly speaking you know what to expect as the basic gear changing technique is the same due to muscle memory and experience.
In my mind the jury is still out, but I find that day by day I'm getting better and as much out of it as I would with the manual, and if I want to be lazy in the city, I can. With regards to the real driver thing, yes I do miss some elements of driving a manual, but they have been replaced by different methods to go quickly, where permitted, which are just as fun on the b-roads. The great feeling of driving a GTI is well and truly there! Manual mode with the stick is my current fav.
Price wise, I was getting annoyed as I couldn't find the spec/mileage/colour etc. for the budget I had which was frustrating (esp. having to use the train!). I'm glad I waited though rather than plumping for the higher miles/larger spec option as the ideal one suddenly came along which had it all (and happened to be DSG!). Looking at some trying to upgrade their lower spec cars does look expensive and complicated sometimes - but then again thats part of the fun I guess!
-
I have a DSG which was the first one I drove and, if I'm honest, I'm only just starting to get used to the way it works best one month later!
IMO a single test drive (which admittedly is all you're likely to get when you look to buy a car) is not going to give a comprehensive assessment of which is best. Its a bit easier if you're used to a manual like me, as broadly speaking you know what to expect as the basic gear changing technique is the same due to muscle memory and experience.
In my mind the jury is still out, but I find that day by day I'm getting better and as much out of it as I would with the manual, and if I want to be lazy in the city, I can. With regards to the real driver thing, yes I do miss some elements of driving a manual, but they have been replaced by different methods to go quickly, where permitted, which are just as fun on the b-roads. The great feeling of driving a GTI is well and truly there! Manual mode with the stick is my current fav.
Price wise, I was getting annoyed as I couldn't find the spec/mileage/colour etc. for the budget I had which was frustrating (esp. having to use the train!). I'm glad I waited though rather than plumping for the higher miles/larger spec option as the ideal one suddenly came along which had it all (and happened to be DSG!). Looking at some trying to upgrade their lower spec cars does look expensive and complicated sometimes - but then again thats part of the fun I guess!
^^^^
He has some very valid points.
I'll add to this for the OP and the above posts.
I Owned an MK5 TDI DSG (140HP) we can't get manual TDI's in New Zealand. Had nothing but problems with the Mechatronics unit. VW replaced the unit 5 times in the space of 4 months. I eventually gave the car back.
while my TDI was back and forth, I got given a mk5 GTI DSG as a loan car for about a month. (even got to trial an APR tune too, lol)
It does really take a week or more of constant driving a DSG to truely appreciate what DSG can or can't do for you. It's a damn impressive gearbox setup and drive (as an auto).
I did however end up getting a MK5 GTI 6spd Manual (as it gave me the same fuel usage as the TDI, so could not see the point of the TDI). I have now owned it for over 18 months. Thanks to MK5golfGTI (improved it a lot (wasting money, lol)
I have however decided I'm selling my manual GTI and will be looking at getting a DSG GTI or possibly DSG TDI.
Again DSG option was confirmed when I finally got to drive a Edition 30 for the very first time yesterday.
As for the Fart/popping noise between gear changes. I think it's great, it only does this due to flat shifting gear changes. So I'm not really sure how JEDI has been or is experiencing the lag issue thou. As every DSG GTI I have ever driven Stock or Remapped. Is always buttery smooth, lightning fast gear changes. Including the MK6.
But the MK6 DSG is light years ahead of the MK5 DSG thou.
-
drove both dsg and manual, when i was looking for a edition 30, for me the manual was more involving and felt more of a drivers car, and bought the manual :smiley:
..........same here.Manual all the way. :happy2:
-
So Glidn....why change from manual to DSG now....because the Mk6 IS that much better? The renter I had was a Mk6 incidentally......
-
I've got DSG and I'll never drive a manual again. One of the few ocassions in a car where you can have your cake and eat it too
Im sure 99.9% of ALL DSG owners would agree too :laugh:
:notworthy: DSG = MUCH AWESOMENESS :notworthy:
Im on the forum quite often, and there are hundreds of members. I don't know how many are DSG owners, but I for one don't know anyone thats had DSG problems :confused:
x 1
-
So Glidn....why change from manual to DSG now....because the Mk6 IS that much better? The renter I had was a Mk6 incidentally......
If I could afford a mk6 then I would (still not sold on the looks thou, but mechanically is great)
But I would really like to get a DSG gti,
I somehow know it will end up with some sort of trouble. However I will hopefully be able to do the servicing myself.
I'm not really sure how to put it, I drove my Stage 1 manual GTI before and after a stock DSG GTI.
I just really enjoyed the DSG more.