Tantrum of my VW Vento's DSG after the warranty expired

While driving on a highway, there was a noise from the automatic transmission. I stopped the car to check but couldn't see any physical damage.

BHPian TDIRaghav recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hi guys, I have a 2017 Vento 1.5 TDI AT and I had taken the maximum warranty which ran out this year in June and now the gearbox is throwing tantrums. I had mentioned some jerkiness in the gearbox to the SA back in May but ASC said there are no issues, I have an email proof of mentioning the issue as well.

Now, while driving on a highway there was a noise from the DSG and I stopped the car to check but couldn't see any physical proof of damage anywhere but being skeptical, I got it checked using an OBD scanner and there were a lot of errors thrown. I am attaching the photos for reference. Can you please guide me if this is definitely a DSG failure or something else?

Car is in Delhi and I was planning to keep it for the entire 10 years so if it is indeed a DSG failure, can I take any steps for getting a goodwill warranty replacement as I had previously mentioned about gearbox issues to SA and I have email proof of that as well?

Here's what BHPian Bsilver replied:

It is a worn-out shim clearance which you are facing, it can be other things like the actuators as well, but most probably it is the clearance which is causing the issue. If you have the scan with you post it over here, the clearance for the K1 clutch in a DQ200 is between 0.3mm to 1mm. If the shims wear out, due to whatever reason, this clearance is affected and has come out of this value range. If you can get the values of clearance of K1 and K2, then you can refer to this and do the repairs accordingly.

One of the disadvantages which I would like to bring to the notice of the members is that:

If you have a DQ200 gearbox, then if by any chance someone has opened up your gearbox, and removed the clutch pack, then you will have to reinstall a new clutch pack, along with all the other things like fork, fork seat, thrust bearings. The reason is, one cannot remove the clutch pack without damaging it, and hence it cannot be reused again, if at all reinstalled then it will not meet VW tolerance limits, and eventually throw up errors very quickly and one may need to open it up again for repairs.

If your values are out of range, you need to replace the clutch pack along with the forks, seats, and thrust bearing, it all comes as a set/kit, so no need to buy separately. K1 is 0.3-1mm and K2 is also the same. The replacement is quite a skilled job and special tools are required to do so, which has to be there with your FNG to do a correct install.

Once the FNG has removed the clutch pack, they need to first install the fork seat, forks and bearings. Then mount it on a special tool bearing, then check which shims are going in it with a clearance fit, meaning basically the shims which are fitting snug. Then refer to the clutch pack and according to it, you have to add or subtract the decimals. Suppose it is +0.2, whatever shim you selected, add the value, and select the shim with that value.

Repeat for K2. A vernier caliper is needed for this This process is very important, and if done incorrectly, then once you fit the clutch pack, the clearance values won't be in range and again you will have to remove the clutch which means you are damaging it again, and eventually need a new one.

It is a simple job if executed correctly, then an adaption via ODIS or any other interface can be done. Hope this helps, do post an MVB, of the clutch values and it may help. You may also find a post on how to derive the values. Link here.

Happy Motoring!

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