Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

It’s the hot weather, stupid

Volkswagen Golf VI

Volkswagen UK has felt the need to clarify a few things after being asked if they would join countries like Australia, China, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and the United States in carrying out a voluntary recall relating to the 7-speed DQ200 DSG transmission.

In short, the answer is: No!

“It is a problem that relates only to temperate countries with a high incidence of stop and start driving,” explained a VW UK spokesperson. “It requires a set of circumstances—humidity, temperature, dust and congested driving conditions—that we simply don’t see in the UK.

“We have robust systems in place to monitor potential problems and, although we have around 48,000 cars on the road equipped with DQ200 gearboxes, we haven’t seen any failures that we can attribute to this problem.”

Mechanically speaking, the specification of DQ200 transmission is the same for UK delivered cars as it is for models sold in Australia. There are country-specific software differences, though.

Volkswagen UK is at pains to point out that they have not received any complaints in line with the issues encountered in Australia. “The DSG mechatronics are programmed differently according to the country in which a vehicle will be sold,” a VW UK statement reads. “The issues recently experienced by some customers in Australia have not been repeated in the UK, nor indeed in other temperate countries.”

Volkswagen UK may very well be correct in their statement regarding the differing climate between the UK and elsewhere; we’re not suggesting it isn’t. However, prior to initiating their own voluntary recall Volkswagen Australia, too, fobbed off local complaints saying there were differences between Australia and other countries that had already issued recalls.

[Source: Autocar]

Categories
Audi Safety Issues Skoda Volkswagen

Audi, Skoda to join Australian DSG recall

Audi A1

The news just keeps getting worse for the Volkswagen Group with word that Audi and Skoda will be joining Volkswagen Australia in the voluntary recall to remedy problems with the 7-speed DSG (DQ200) transmission.

Nothing official has yet to emerge from the PR departments of Audi or Skoda but it is understood over 6200 A1 and A3 vehicles, as well as around 1750 Octavia and Superb models will be included in the recall. As with Volkswagen, the date range for the affected vehicles falls between 2008–2011.

That takes the total number of Australian sold vehicles to be included in the voluntary recall well beyond 30,000. That’s gonna take some time to work through!

[Source: Go Auto]

Categories
Audi Volkswagen

A closer look at Audi’s new 7 speed S-tronic transmission

Audi's 7 speed S-tronic transmission

Audi’s new Q5 and the new Volkswagen Mk6 Golf will be the latest in the Volkswagen Audi Group to provide the option of an all new 7 speed S-tronic transmission. The Q5 is due for release in March, while the new Golf will be in Australian showrooms later this month. The only difference being, the transmission is called DSG on the Volkswagen options list.

Audi’s dual clutch transmission technology can trace its roots back to 1985 when Walter Röhrl was at the top of the world rally charts. Current S-tronic technology offers super smooth gear changes, as well as better acceleration and improved fuel economy over traditional manual transmissions. Its lightning quick gear changes have all but made a mockery of some the more fancied names offering “F1-style” flappy paddle gearboxes.

Australian motorists first got a taste of the previous 6 speed dual clutch transmission through the Volkswagen Mk5 Golf, most notably on the GTI. No matter what car the gearbox is fitted to in the Volkswagen Audi Group model range it nearly always brings wide acclaim. The new 7-speed version is likely to attract similar levels of praise. Although, as noted in our interview with a current Mk6 Golf owner in Germany, the 7-speed does tend to race through the gears quite quickly when left in “automatic” D mode.

Aftermarket tuners will be most pleased to learn that the new 7 speed S-tronic is designed to cope with maximum revs of 9000rpm and is said to be capable of handling up to 550Nm of torque.

Included below is a detailed press statement that touches on the inner workings of the latest S-tronic transmission. Hopefully it will satisfy the inner car geek within. You can also click on the image above to load a 2000px version, just in case you need to get even closer to all those cogs.

Categories
Reviews Tried & Tested Volkswagen

Tried & Tested: Volkswagen Golf VI 1.4 TSI

Golf VI 1.4 TSI with DSG

Welcome to AUSmotive’s second Tried & Tested review. This time, with a bit of a difference. As you can see we’re discussing the new Mk6 Golf, and with the new Golf not making its Australian debut until later this month I have had to follow a few leads via the VWvortex forums to file this report. This has led me right to the heart of Volkswagen, with the owner of this Mk6 Golf, Jimmy, an ex-pat US citizen now residing in Wolfsburg. Jimmy has been kind enough answer a few questions about his new wheels…

Q. Can you please list the full spec of your car, how long you have owned it and kilometres travelled.

A. I have the 1.4 litre TSI 160PS (approx 117kw) engine and the 7-speed DSG transmission, with flappy paddles on the steering wheel. It is only a few months old and I have completed just 1500 kilometyres so far.

It also has heated leather seats with power lumbar, the new generation RNS-510 sat nav system (with the hard disk drive). There is also Park Assist, although no reverse camera, just sensors in the bumpers, and it can also parallel park automagically.

Obviously by the pictures you can see it is a three door version. As of right now new Mk6 Golf is still quite rare, even here in Wolfsburg. I’ve only seen one or two others like it, quite unique for a town that renamed itself “Golfsburg” a few years ago.

My car was made in Mosel (Zwickau) and not in Wolfsburg.

[Ed: This is interesting, as I had previously heard that all Mk6 Golf production was to take place in Wolfsburg, perhaps all Golf production will now be in Germany, rather than Wolfsburg itself.]