Hi Akash,
This is another example of unreliable cars and biased attitude from Skoda. A friend of mine owned a Rapid TDI DSG and covered 68000 in 1 year and 364 days as of yesterday. Yesterday, the dashboard warning light with spanner symbol came on indicating some error code identified to failure in engine electronics or transmission electronics. The car was taken to nearest S.A.S.S. in Salem and after careful diagnosis, it was reported that the Mechatronics unit had failed and would report to Skoda for replacement of Mechtronics unit under warranty as he also had an extended warranty availed.
Today, a few hours back, S.A.S.S. informed that the after careful inspection, the acid from the battery which was replaced by my friend outside of Skoda after 15 months of ownership, has spilled on to the mechatronics unit causing failure. SASS, to utter dismay and shock to my friend, has informed that the warranty is excluded for that very reason and he would have to pay charges to replace the Mechatronics unit at a cost of Rs.2.5 lakh rupees. As per my friend, there was no noticeable fuming of battery terminals or trace of spillage from battery onto Mechtronics unit. Neither I nor him are aware of anything that may cause the battery spills to enter Mechatronics unit causing failure. Also, they have not provided any proof for their claim.
The car was driven to SASS at low speeds as per instruction and now they claim that the Mechatronics failed completely. I guess, this is another case of Skoda washing their hands off their responsibility and passing the buck to a potential unsuspecting customer who finally is to be blamed for trusting brands like SKODA.
With ever reoccurring incidents like these, Indian customers will continue to see VW Group cars with dark glasses and possibly stay away from them while appreciating all the engineering marvels they make from borrowed drives.
Guys,
I am a Great Fan of Skoda(VWG) , been driving these cars since 2002.
When I was in Saudi Arabia, we encountered similar problems with DSG Gear Box on Skoda Octavia TSI.
The DQ200, which is a dry clutch gearbox, is the one, which has been plagued by DSG failures. The chief reason for this is that the gearbox uses synthetic oil. So what exactly happens ?
Synthetic oil contains Sulphur. Now, when the car is driven in stop-go traffic, and if you add hot and humid conditions to that (India, for example), electrolysis happens, and the Sulphur is deposited in the form of conductive particles along the oil.
The computer now detects this as a short circuit, and cuts off the clutch, which is why you do not get the “Drive” mode when your DSG fails.
These problems have largely vanished once VW switched the oil to mineral oil. It is, otherwise, a fantastic gearbox.
Did a quick research on that topic and found reports about a worldwide recall of the DQ 200 gearbox, some 2,6 million cars were affected. They thought that the solution for the problems would be an exchange of the synthetic ATF against a mineral product. Allegedly, there were additives containing Sulphur in the synthetic ATF, which would interfere with the electronic control unit of the gearbox.
Besides that, VW reported problems with that gearbox in hot and humid conditions and heavy stop & go traffic. It seems that the gearbox does not get enough cooling due to the lack of fresh air when the car is in traffic jams.
I have found reports on problems with the DQ200 after that date, but to me it seems that these reports are not a sign of a general problem. So it seems that the recall has solved (or at least vastly improved) the problem.
The 7 speed DSG is used in the following combinations.
NAME SPEED TORQUE CLUTCH TYPE
DQ 200 7 250 Nm DRY
DQ 250 6 400 Nm WET
DQ 380 7 380 Nm WET
DQ 500 7 550 Nm WET
DQ 511 10 550 Nm WET
DL 501 7 600 Nm WET
Now. The problematic gearbox was the DQ200 one. Which does duty in the VW Polo GT TSI, VW Vento TSI & TDI, Skoda Octavia TSI & TDI, Skoda Rapid TSI & TDI as of now.
There are two issues with them.
1. Mechatronic Failure:-
In this, a vehicle will not move even when in D mode.
2. Multi Clutch Assembly:-
This is like when any manual car needs a clutch replacement. You can still use your car and it will take a long time for it to stop working. Anyways, one should get it repaired ASAP.
Now. The issues with these cars is such that because of our humid conditions and stop start traffic. The gearbox gets hot and causes too much stress for itself.
Solutions to it:-
Whenever you are at a signal or a toll or somewhere you have to stop for more than 10 - 15 seconds, instead of stopping and pressing the brakes in D. Shift the gear knob to N and engage the handbrake. So that there's 0 stress on the box. Some may suggest you **** to P but that is not advisable, as in case someone rear-ends you, it will cause damage to the Park pin. So follow this practice.
VWG claim that a gearbox oil change recommended around 60,000 kms or so. However, in the manual it also states that if you are driving conditions are humid and have stop start traffic one must get it done earlier. I suggest get it done every 20,000 kms. I used to do the same.
Lastly, the gearbox may seem like a weak link in the car to you. However, believe me it is maddening. It shifts gears in 8 milliseconds. It gives mileage as good as a manual if not more.
These VWG engines coupled with a dual clutch transmission are pure gems.
Also, do not forget that the gearbox issue are known to VW too. So in case anything goes wrong most of them replace it for free even if your car is not in warranty. As it is expensive. They know the issue and replace it if needed. Also, go for extended warranty if you do not plan to modify your vehicle. I wanted to modify it so extended warranty was useless for me.
Hope it helps.