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VW Recalling 384,000 Cars Faulty DSG Transmissions


Andy_Bangle
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Interesting, this story is from China nevertheless, how long is the warranty on UK/Euro DSG transmissions?

Volkswagen will recall 384,181 vehicles sold in China to fix a gearbox problem about which the automaker has taken some heat within the last 12 months. The recall was announced by China’s quality watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, with VW confirming it in an email statement.

The recall action will begin on April 2 and will cover 21 models including Passat, Sagitar, Golf, Touran and other models made by VW’s Chinese ventures, as well as imported models like the Audi A3 built between February 2010 and June 2011.

Volkswagen’s decision to recall the cars was made after an annual investigative special on corporate malpractice broadcast last week by China Central Television (CCTV), in which VW’s DSG transmissions were blamed for causing cars to speed up or slow down during driving.

In the statement, Volkswagen admitted that "in isolated cases, an electronic malfunction in the control unit or a lack of oil pressure inside the gearbox mechatronics may result in a power interruption," stressing that steering and braking are not affected. The recall includes vehicles equipped with seven-speed direct-shift gearboxes.

The action may prove to be an expensive one for the German automaker, with LMC Automotive estimating replacements to cost between 3,000 yuan ($483) to 10,000 yuan ($1,610) per vehicle. That would bring the total cost of the recall to $618 million in the best-case scenario.

In May 2012, VW agreed to extend the warranty for its double-clutch gearboxes from 2 to 10 years, following investigations from China’s quality inspector related to faulty gearboxes.

Did/would his happen in the UK?

UPDATE 2-Volkswagen recalls over 384,000 cars in China -watchdog | Reuters

Volkswagen China Recall May Cost More Than $600 Million - Bloomberg

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The warranty extension covers both the DQ200 7-speed and the DQ250 6-speed DSG transmissions.

Done a little more digging as China is not the only market to receive an extended 10-year warranty for DSG transmissions. In December 2009, VW of America issued a similar warranty extension, 10-year/100,000 miles (160,934 km) for all DSG equipped models.

According to a statement by VW of America, the problem is due to premature wear of a bushing inside the DSG's mechatronic control unit, causing the clutches to operate less smoothly than before. Drivers may notice some jerking as the transmissions shifts. VW 02E DSG Gearbox DQ250 , DQ500 , DQ501

I'm pretty sure this has been reported on VW forums, but I don't hangout in those low budget forums.

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Mine has been in to be looked at this week - they've diagnosed a faulty mechatronic unit. (It's a 7 speed dry-clutch DSG).

It's out of warranty by 6 months - but VW have agreed to repair on a 'goodwill' basis - although how much of that is to do with wanting to keep my lease company happy, I don't know - it would be interested to know how they deal with private customers.

Not sure why this isn't making bigger waves on enthusiast sites - when Alfa had issues with early Selespeed actuators (essentially the same bit of kit VW are having issues with), the media and enthusiast sites were slating them.

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Not sure why this isn't making bigger waves on enthusiast sites - when Alfa had issues with early Selespeed actuators (essentially the same bit of kit VW are having issues with), the media and enthusiast sites were slating them.

Because it's VAG, and no one dare suggest that reliability might not be their forte!

It's fashionable to slate a brand like Alfa because, well, they've always been unreliable rusty things that only 'special' people buy, right?

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  • 1 month later...

The reliability record of the VW Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) is taking a hit with a great deal of reports coming in from around the world for not behaving like they should, and dealers refusing to come up with a viable fix.

Apparently, these self-shifters just don’t cope with "hot and wet climate, extreme stop-and-go traffic as well as pollution typical of some Asian cities", says a report from Reuters, citing a company spokesman.

Incidentally, Japan has some of the worst pollution and congestion problems in the world, so the fact that VW has announced the recall of 91,000 vehicles in the country is less surprising. The culprit is yet again the DSG, which was also the cause of a 384,181-strong recall in China, earlier this year in March, as well as another in February of 2012, when some half-a-million were recalled for a gearbox-related software update - the problem is older.

European owners of VW-, SEAT-, Skoda- and Audi-branded cars have also reported problems, characterized by odd noises when shifting through the first gears at lower speeds - VW have told them to go feck themselves (or not).

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  • 1 month later...
I think the truth is more along the lines that VW don't value their UK customers enough to fix the inherent fault, rather than it not affecting UK customers!

Sounds like this: AUSmotive.com » It’s the hot weather, stupid

VW and now Audi and Skoda have caved in here in Oz - but only for the 7 speed DQ200: AUSmotive.com » Audi, Skoda to join Australian DSG recall

More on the Oz beat up here: AUSmotive.com » Volkswagen Australia announces voluntary recall and here: AUSmotive.com » Official recall looms for Volkswagen Australia

triggered by: AUSmotive.com » Has your Volkswagen suddenly lost power?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Been away for a whilei know people............................ but I know all things VAG/DSG related and have rebuilt a fair few and know the ins and outs of the little buggers. THEY ARE a good box if not abused and yes they have had a few teething problems. If a decent VW technician picks up on the minor issues to start with and diagnoses correctly in the first place all will be cool.

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I don't think they're a good box at all. Both kinds, dry and wet clutch, have issues.

No real reason to have a flappy paddle box in a normal car these days, either. The ZF 8 speed torque converter box is amazingly good and negates all the reasons you may have had for buying a flappy paddle car.

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  • 4 months later...

i also thought the 7 speed DSG was dry clutch as one of it's benefits was that it never needed an oil change like the 6 speed wet clutch, which is every 40k miles.

 

i agree with Tipex going from Synthetic to Mineral does seem like a step back unless of course there is a particular property within the mineral oil that is required, which if is the case, is a big oversight by the engineers,

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes they mentioned this on the radio the other day, it's now a worldwide recall of X million vehicles.

I can't see how switching from synthetic to mineral oil will solve the problem? Surely synthetic oil is 'better'?

Sounds like a great way to really feck the box, the majority of problems I have ever encountered over the years with transmissions either manual or auto, was when synthetic was incorrectly replaced with mineral, this goes right back to the 5 speed box in my 280 Capri

 

Sounds like a huge load of "DBS"

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