2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: DSG Won't Hold a Gear

My Tibeca is almost a complete manual. It lets you hold a gear at red line and down shift even if your going to hit the red line. However it doesn't let you get too far ahead of your self (Ex. You can't start from a stop in a gear higher than second).

I'm sure you all know I meant to write Tribeca but please ADD AN EDIT button along with the redesign of Inside Line.

Why is there such a demand for paddle shifters now in cars? Don't they clutter up the steering column? Doesn't the fact that they are not standardized in size, attachment point, and operation make it tough to go from one car to another? Isn't the manu-matic gates on the console good enough? It at least gives you feedback almost like a manual gearbox rather than a tactile-less video game.

Oh, wait....I think I answered my own question.

I agree that it's not the software programming choice that most enthusiasts would choose.

But,

if you're in danger of keeping a diesel banging on the rev limiter and are incapable of timing your shifts or feathering the throttle, your driving flaws may be just as big of an issue.

Unless this diesel has the powerband of a small displacement Honda I-4... which i don't think it does.

Kia's manual shift gate is terrible as well. My step mom's '06 Sportage wont hold a gear and it shifts down as you slow down. Want to grab some gears down a steep hill instead of using the brakes? Nope. Not an option, it'll only let the transmission shift manually if the revs will be below 4,000. Pathetic.

Two things -

1) After reading the comments above - "I should be able to bounce that little Diesel off its redline for 6 months if I wish." - I will never be in the market for a used manual car, where the previous owner was Insideline - and, this should serve as a Buyer Beware for other people looking to buy cars that have done long term service at Edmunds.

2) Am I glad that there is DSG - to prevent abuse of this nature.

Given the character of this car - a diesel with oodles of low end torque, and a Jetta no less - i.e., this is by no means a high revving rice racer - why would you want to bounce it off the red line?

That's your only complaint with the DSG?

I don't know how it works on my GTI, as I've never tried to bounce it off the rev limiter. I'm just too sick of its un-smooth up and downshifting, its being in the wrong gear half the time and clunking the other half of the time.

DSG is good for the track only. I shoulda got the stick...

Theres nothing horribly wrong with hitting the rev limiter. Thats why its there!

My Audi automatically upshifts as well. I think its a VW/Audi thing.

However our 09' Fit Sport 5AT with paddle shifters will bounce off the rev limiter like intended.

BMW slushboxes do the same thing; my X5 4.6is and B7 loaners would upshift before the redline in manual mode. In the case of the B7 I thought that Alpina's Switchlogic system would be a bit more aggressive in that respect.

Get a reflash or something.

"Given the character of this car - a diesel with oodles of low end torque, and a Jetta no less - i.e., this is by no means a high revving rice racer - why would you want to bounce it off the red line?"

^^ This.

Although I question any driver who makes it a habit to redline everything he drives. Maybe it's because I prefer low-revving, torquey rides to spinny motors that sound like hair dryers, and whose peak HP doesn't come 'til 6500 RPM. But even if I WAS into that, I wouldn't assume that EVERY car should be driven that way!

Try holding into your gear shift. You should be able to hold the gear -- this method was used by GTI/A3 DSG owners that dyno'd their cars.

There's practically no need to keep the TDI near its redline whatsoever. If you think so, you're driving the car wrong. Past 4KRPM you're well past its peak torque.

I personally find the “bounce off the rev limiter” behavior more than slightly annoying. This appears to be an artifact of the “let’s try to make the automatic behave as close to a manual as possible” school of thought in implementing a manumatic function.
But: If I have my right foot buried and hit max rpm in a gear, it seems to me that I probably do NOT want to stop accelerating. I have likely just been a fraction of a second slow in whacking the lever. Does holding WOT indicate that I would really want to suddenly hang at that speed on the rev limiter? I think not. The rather abrupt transition from rapid acceleration [ say: second gear at maximum accelerator position ] to NO acceleration can certainly upset the dynamic balance. More so, it seems to me, than an upshift would.

I also happen to disagree with those [ people & manufacturers ] who confidently proclaim that “Push = Downshift, Pull = Upshift” is some how the [ only ] right & proper way that a manumatic function ought to work.

But, much more important, I believe that drivers ought to be offered the choice – in every car, for this and several other dynamic responses.

I have long advocated & I firmly believe that it technically possible (almost trivial) to allow owners / drivers to customize many aspects of the vehicle’s dynamic behavior, in response to driver input - so that it matches what ** WE ** happen to think is intuitive or logical.

I prefer to have the choice.

Meaning: I need an automatic trans. - for several reasons. But I enjoy the manumatic trans. that I have now. It allows me to make shift / no shift decisions when I want to – and allow the automatic to make decisions at other times, based on the shift lever position, road speed, throttle position, etc. Meaning: I have a choice in how the trans. is controlled.

( My last several cars have also have an Automatic Temp. Control mode on the HVAC system, but typically I run it in ‘manual’ mode. )

I think it is critical that all auto manufacturers address the issue of choice. Never more so than now.

With electronic systems now so pervasive – there is the option / choice to offer amazing flexibility to tailor the car behavior to the individual.

For the transmission response to shift lever movement, for example: [for Driver 1, ID by remote / key] Car asks initially:

Mr. \ Ms. Driver 1, do you want the trans. to allow the engine to bump off the rev limiter and not upshift – if so, press “Unlock” key once.

If you want the trans. to upshift at redline instead – press twice.

Want the trans. to upshift when shift lever is moved forward [default behavior] - press once.

Prefer the trans. to upshift when the shift lever if moved to the rear (I believe BMW and others have also selected this) – press twice.

(We are really only talking about interpretation of various electronic signals here – why not allow us choice?)

Driver 1: Always start in second (or even third gear) for Winter driving – press twice.

Next Spring: resume default / always start in first gear – press once.

Want the headlights to come on with the wipers – press once.
No – press twice.

Etc.
Etc.

Let us select. Let us make the choice and tailor the vehicle behavior to us – not the reverse . . .

Just my 0.2 gallons worth . . .

- Ray
Preferring to have the car adjust to me (where it makes sense) rather than me adjust to the car . . .

Why do you need to hold revs on this type of car at the redline anyway? My car will not upshift at the redline but I never "bounce it off" the limiter because I want the car to last and not have to replace the tranmission prematurely. Besides, the car sounds like it's in pain and it jerks. If I had a Porsche or Ferrari, that'd be different. But, I see no need for this type of practice in regular street driving. Teh Jetta is an efficient family vehicle, not an M3. Perhaps you need to realize the point of this car and adjust your expectations.

Okay, so it's a fact that the automatic shifts when the revs reach the red line in manual mode, which by definition it shouldn't do. I just don't understand why it sucks. When you drive a manual and you reach the red line and it bounces off the red line, it's not something you want. It happens only if you are too slow to shift or you miss the shift point. In other words, it will bounce off the red line if the driver is incapable of shifting properly. The DSG fixes that in manual mode. I'd consider that a good thing.

"Then again, if you want manual transmission control buy a car with three pedals."

It seems you have forgotten the Evo MR's TC-SST. In "S-Sport" mode, it can live bouncing off of the rev limiter at 7500rpm.

But as a lot of others have said, "Why does a diesel Jetta need to hold the shift?"