[androdev]

Originally Posted by tristis2008

I have habituated myself to putting the box to Neutral in stop go traffic. But then as I read more, there is no real need of it. Thanks for the detailed write up here.

I may have oversimplified when I said there is no need to put DSG in neutral at standstill. All I wanted to say was that the engineers have certainly programmed these DSGs to avoid slipping in the most mundane everyday situations like waiting at the signal.

There are few cases where manually putting in Neutral will be slightly beneficial but it is not a practice that will significantly impact the longevity of the gearbox. If you don't mind the hassle, feel free to continue shifting to N. It certainly won't do any harm and might give some type of "I am doing the right thing" feeling of psychological comfort.

In sporty/aggressive drive modes, the computer program won't disengage the clutch at standstill in order to give you launch-like take off as you as you step on the gas. It will hold the clutches at bite-point so you can take off without any delay. The transmission can handle this much 'stress', and there is no need to shift to N. In fact, some DCTs are built to handle "launch control" as many times as you please till the transmission disables it when operating parameters are no longer safe. Don't put DSG in sports mode if you have traffic signals coming up after every few meters.

When you come to a stop by gently stepping on the brake instead of firmly pressing it, the computer won't disengage the clutch assuming that you want to creep and not stop at the signal, etc. Press the brake firmly or use auto-hold feature to let your intention to stop be known to the computer. Conversely, if you want to creep forward, don't apply brakes firmly to avoid jerks. As with a manual transmission, minimise the "creeping/slipping" with better anticipation.

If you are a keen observer, you can see the RPM changes and those subtle jerks of connect/disconnect cycles to understand when the transmission is getting engaged vs disengaged.

[rAijin_]

Voted : Yes.

My Reasons:

• I have not owned any DCT/DSG yet. But have taken Test Drives of few vehicles.
• I don't plan on buying MT in future.
• I still plan on buying VAG C-SUV ( Kushaq or Taigun ) 1.5 TSI + DSG. Although I have delayed the plan for now due to the EPC breakdown issues and interior fit and finish.
• The driving pleasure of DCT/DSG just trumps the shortcomings for me.
• I would get the extended warranty for sure.
• I've also read ( on this forum and a lot other places ) that we should change the gear to N if the car is coming to halt for more than 5-10 seconds. This reduces the heating on a DCT/DSG gearbox and at least delays the possible breakdown. I already follow this on my Honda City CVT.
• May be, I'll regret it after I own it. But I would still want to experience the DSG and then conclude if the "juices are worth the squeeze".

[Exhuberance]

I can't vote on this poll yet but here's my 2 cents. I have been driving a Skoda Rapid Diesel DSG for 6.5 years now with no issues and 50K kms clocked. Obviously, that's not a guarantee that it will not happen !

But till now the gearbox and the car has been a joy to drive. What I also read somewhere that 2014-15 models onwards there have been lesser/ not many complaints. I generally keep it in neutral while at traffic lights or anywhere above 20 seconds of stoppage time (not sure if it helps but just an OCD habit).

There is one time I remember though in the 2nd or 3rd year of ownership that I was trying to push my way through a maddening jam, honking, braking, accelerating and repeat for 15 mins maybe - and the gear behaved as it got stuck in neutral (while at D) as soon as we were out of traffic. I had to let the car cruise on the side of the road, switched off the ignition for a bit and restarted and all was perfectly fine. Since then for the last 4 years, haven't had a squeak from the DSG unit and I am quite pleased with it.

[NiInJa]

Few years back, would have voted Yes, but now voted as a BIG NO.

Reasons: There was a time when we had two cars in our house so I could afford to have one with issues, but now I have one, and that has to be ultra-reliable especially because I drive a lot in rural areas with my family (including a small kid) or at nights with my friends to some offbeat locations of coastal Maharashtra. The last thing I want is the car stalling and ruining all the fun. I wouldn't mind if the car has smaller niggles like the horn going meek or a window not rolling up or some irritating rattles as long as it brings me back home in time.

[nd26]

Most definitely not.

For me the perfect automatic transmission has always been the CVT. This is because the CVT is not only smooth, pretty reliable as well as efficient, the CVT's working concept is simply brilliant according to me, not to mention it isn't ridiculously complicated like in case of the dual clutch AT.

[ptaneja]

Guys , bumping up this thread.
Planning for Carens 1.4 DCT and horrified to see so many horror stories.
But these seem to be a bit old. Any feedback on what it the situation now ? Any Seltos with DCT gone kaput ?
Or should I go for manual ?

[hagarthenormal]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Planning for Carens 1.4 DCT and horrified to see so many horror stories.
Or should I go for manual ?

I had booked Carens 1.4DCT a couple of days back after a reasonably long test drive with various road types and inclines. It felt good enough to make the booking. However, I am in the same predicament as you are, @ptaneja. After watching hours and hours of engineering and user videos on DCT, it does not inspire confidence at all. In a congested, bumper to bumper traffic city such as Bangalore with narrow roads, "pulling over for a few minutes" to let overheated clutch plates cool down is impractical if not impossible.

I had briefly test driven the Carens diesel AT too, but will take a longer drive again and decide on changing the booking to it. During a short 5 minute drive in the city, I felt it has good enough low end torque. Highway performance should not be a problem for the average, non-floor-the-pedal driver like me. DPF management in the diesel is a concern but beyond the short daily city commutes, I think I can easily do a ~200km drive at least once a month to let the DPF cleanup by itself.

In summary, I am ready to sacrifice those lightning quick gear shifts of the DCT, for the peace of mind due to the expected long term reliability of TC AT.

[ColAjayDrives]

I vote NO.
I have extensively driven Skoda Rapid DSG (maybe about 7 to 8000 km) on good highways and in dense traffic (Chennai to Nellore).
I've had one major failure in 2021, where the car got stuck in 2nd gear. I inched to a workshop and they charged me 16k.
I have always been switching to neutral almost whenever the car comes to a standstill.
I have driven other cars with CVT and with torque converters (two of which are listed in my signature below) and I never had any reliability issues with torque converters.

I'll go a step further to state that I have also driven an earthmover called "BEML motor grader" in 1990-91; it had a torque convertor and used to be called an "oil impeller clutch" . Our team and I also tore apart its gearbox twice, (out of curiosity). In those days itself, it was quite fascinating to see how liquid oil was used as a clutch. There was no external clutch.

In so many years of research thereafter, I feel the torque convertor has come a long way and is more or less currently the best method of converting engine power to the wheels.

[paras211]

3lakh + kms on 2012 Jetta with dq250 wet clutch . No issues . One clutch pack changed.

[rajshenoy]

I am a person who drives the car according to its merits/capabilities. Dual clutch definitely is a choice if I need to drive a performance car however I also equally enjoy driving my humble Alto k10 AMT.

I guess the answer to this poll can’t be generalised and depends upon the engine/transmission combo.

[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by hagarthenormal

I had booked Carens 1.4DCT a couple of days back after a reasonably long test drive with various road types and inclines. It felt good enough to make the booking. However, I am in the same predicament as you are, @ptaneja. After watching hours and hours of engineering and user videos on DCT, it does not inspire confidence at all.

I got mine delivered on 12th of this month - 1.4T Petrol Manual.

Diesel not viable staying in NCR and stupid NGT/Diesel Rule.
DCT is not my cup of tea. I can't keep that risk at the back of my mind during family highway trips.

[yashg]

I drive a 2015 Ford Aspire petrol DCT and I have had no issues with the transmission so far. I would not mind another DCT car. i would prefer a torque converter but if DCT or CVT was the only option i would not hesitate. Only deal breaker for me is MT, AMT and iMT.

[achyutaghosh]

Voted NO. Have owned 3 automatics till date. The Compass petrol DCT was good in flat roads but heated up a couple of times when driving in the hills in traffic. Had to stop over to let it cool down and then resumed my journey but left a bad taste overall, and led to worries given i do long trips to offbeat locations with my family.

Have had no issues with the Endeavour diesel and Fortuner petrol torque converters, so torque converters it is for me henceforth!

[hagarthenormal]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

I got mine delivered on 12th of this month - 1.4T Petrol Manual.

Diesel not viable staying in NCR and stupid NGT/Diesel Rule.
DCT is not my cup of tea. I can't keep that risk at the back of my mind during family highway trips.

Good choice @ptaneja. If you're fine with the manual, the additional 25BHP from the petrol engine (as compared to the diesel) would make your drives fun. Wish you happy times with your new car!

Going with the broad consensus here, I too gave up on DCT and switched my booking to Carens Luxury Plus Diesel AT, giving up those extra 25BHP / fast gear shifts, in favour of peace of mind.

Even if other major cities follow Delhi's lead in not letting diesels over 10yrs to ply on the roads, I still think I can live with my decision.

[lamborghini]

In the minority but voted 'Yes', but of course with some riders

First and foremost, the car & it's competitors with different gearboxes need to qualify to make it to the shortlist.

1. Case to case basis - if it's going to be primarily driver driven - CVT or TC is preferred, then comes DCT / DSG.
For mixed-driving, I would consider DCT / DSG depending on the mix : Our Tiguan has the DSG but also sees a healthy amount of sedate expressway driving where the gearbox is not really being over-worked, etc.

2. In any case - be it mix-use or self-driven, I would avoid a dry clutch DSG / DCT : while I know many users who are happy with it, I would prefer looking at other options / power trains : I'd buy a Kushaq 1.0 AT or a 1.5MT but not the 1.5DSG just for peace of mind

3. Pricing is key! If I were buying a car for my parents and it was between say a DSG Superb or a Camry petrol priced close to each other; I'd pick the Camry. But like GTO said - with a 10L difference, the Superb makes sense.
Similarly, when picking up the Tiguan in 2018 - the overall value quotient of the car post discounts made sense compared to competitors such as the Tucson (model with old interiors, no features) & X1 (lesser space, higher price, FWD).

4. Good extended warranty is a must! We tend to keep our cars for 5+ years, so we like to get the maximum warranty especially for the Germans (though there are a few exceptions). Our Tiguan has the EW package ticked for 5 years and I want to see if this can be extended further for 2 more years.