Good morning from the UK!
Apologies for the long post, but i’m hoping this will help someone and think more detail is better than less.
Thought i’d share this experience with you all as it’s been a rocky road and this forum has helped considerably in diagnosis. Time to give back, this is also an AMA about the issues I had.
Viewed this beautiful 2009 GTI Mk6 with a full service history and 48,000 miles on the clock. I’d checked the body work with a lak-test magnetic gauge bodywork pen (Ebay; £12), checked the engine dipstick for PCV issues, startup acoustics etc. then took the car on a test drive from a slightly warm engine but low oil temperature (75-80C). Car drove really nice, took off well from a stop and I ragged it around to get the car through mid rev ranges all the way up to 5th and check up/down shifts. No problems.
Next day I call the dealer in the morning, which happens to be a Saturday. I want the car and i’ve got a long drive on Sunday so I wanted a comfortable DSG to do the trip in. Fast forward a few hours, i’m sitting in his office flicking through the service history and it is immaculate - VW/Audi stamps every 7-10k miles, not one missed and not a single indie. Nice. We go forward with the sale. tax it in my name and register the V5 to my address. After a bit of chit-chat i’m on my way home, which is approximately a 45 minute drive if driving modestly (a few more average speed cameras have popped up on the way..). City driving is typically 20-30mph zones after the initial A road (40-50mph) and a lot of stop-start action with traffic lights. After about 30 minutes, something was wrong. Every time I came to a stop, the car would hold 2nd as long as possible and then i’d feel a moderate clunk into 1st which would judder the whole car. Lights go green, try to move forward idling at around 800rpm then the needle drops to 600, up to 900, drops again to 800, then 1,100 and after that it’s smooth - this kangaroo’d the car a lot and happened within about 3 seconds. Confident i’m just readjusting to a DSG, I don’t give it any thought and move on. But every time I came to a stop, it would clunk down to 1st (almost felt as if it would stall) and the same kangaroo jumping when setting off. A lot of reviews on this forum have likened it to a manual driver who doesn’t have much experience getting it into gear to set-off. Strange!
So I arrive at home. My street is all parallel parking bays, which I like to think of myself a seasoned professional. Line up the car to slot it in reverse, full lock in and then the reverse gear is finding different speeds with a consistent hold on the throttle. Trying to inch back was difficult - I thought I would smash into the parked car behind me. I go inside to reflect and mostly peg it down to adjusting back to a DSG. Few hours later, the car has cooled down and i’m really thinking about the jerking. I hop back in to take it for a long drive through some roads with lots of traffic lights. All good for 20 mins, then the same things started happening once the oil temperature reached 97-101C. At first, I was happy I could replicate the issue but quickly realised that this was probably quite a large and expensive problem. I took a video of the tachometer experiencing this issue and went home.
I had done some prior research on this car and heard a lot about the mechatronics unit being pretty rubbish on some models, but the judder only happened coming to a stop, engaging 1st gear and Reverse gear. So I was confident it wasn’t the mecha or the entire gearbox and settled on the most likely culprit; the clutch packs. Armed with my wealth of knowledge, I called the dealer on Monday and told him there is a problem with the gearbox, explained the issues I was having and he said he would look around for a good transmission specialist that is near to me and fix whatever the issue is as quickly as possible. Thankfully, he was a stand-up guy and not someone to simply switch his phone off.
We found that a large company well known for DSG gearbox fixes had just lost their master technician and had decided to set up his own shop, they gave us his number and we booked it in. Few days later it’s in the shop, i’ve told him what I think it is but I also want him to give the car a thorough looking over for anything else that will be an issue and that I may be wrong but its a point in the right direction. Couple days later I give him a call, he confirms that it’s the clutch packs and some solenoids, then tells me that this is one of the best Mk6 GTI examples he’s ever had in through his shop - new clutch packs will render this car practically brand new. Amazing, and seeing as I had bought the car only a few days ago, the dealer was covering all the costs associated. I don’t know what the rules are in recommendation, but this guy is the most honest person i’ve ever met. He sorted me out straight away and swallowed that large and expensive pill like a champ.
I got the car back last night (7 days work including weekend) and wow - as others have said, it feels like a different car. The exhaust note is slightly raspier (not sure why), the car pulls away cleanly, reverse is smooth and even gearshifts throughout were creamy - slapped a huge smile on my face.
I’m so chuffed that this has all been worked out. For anyone interested in how much it was for a new clutch pack, K1 & K2 solenoids, DSG oil change, filter & labour the invoice read out at £950. There was also a small oil leak somewhere coming from, or around, the turbo and he replaced a seal somewhere to fix that. That work isn’t guaranteed however as he doesn’t usually do work on turbo’s or seals, but he said he is confident that issue is resolved too.
AMA - I’m here to help if you’re experiencing similar issues.
Thanks to all the posts about gearbox problems on this site and a few others, the issue was dealt with quickly and efficiently.
DETAIL - I'm new here and not too sure on the rules of posting company name recommendations. If anyone wants the details for the dealer or where I got the car repaired, please send me a PM and i'll respond as soon as I can.
