Auto Hold/Parking Brake

[Bill_the_Bear]

Can you leave a DSG in gear?

Regarding it failing, I wonder what the fail safe is?  Does it fail and stay on, or fail and stay off?  As we've discussed if it fails to off then that could cause some big problems so I'm inclined to think they set it up to fail on.  If they do then I guess if it fails you'll go to pull away from those lights and... oh.... not going anywhere.

[Gryzor]

Can you leave a DSG in gear?

Regarding it failing, I wonder what the fail safe is?  Does it fail and stay on, or fail and stay off?  As we've discussed if it fails to off then that could cause some big problems so I'm inclined to think they set it up to fail on.  If they do then I guess if it fails you'll go to pull away from those lights and... oh.... not going anywhere.

Search on Google for EPB failures and you'll find the answer you probably didn't want (along with some interesting stories!)

[Bill_the_Bear]

Search on Google for EPB failures and you'll find the answer you probably didn't want (along with some interesting stories!)

I don't think that will help.  I was asking how the Golf mk7 parking brake works (rather how it fails), not just the worst case for a parking brake failure for any car ever.  I'm just wondering if when it fails it is designed to apply the brake, or release it.  Unless a new mk7 has already suffered a failure and posted the story on Google.

Anyone with a DSG able to confirm if you can leave it in gear?

[Gryzor]

I don't think that will help.  I was asking how the Golf mk7 parking brake works (rather how it fails), not just the worst case for a parking brake failure for any car ever.  I'm just wondering if when it fails it is designed to apply the brake, or release it.  Unless a new mk7 has already suffered a failure and posted the story on Google.

Anyone with a DSG able to confirm if you can leave it in gear?

OK, I did imply a search on VW cars, and for that there are stories of failure where it fails "off", i.e. does not apply the brake.  Not sure about DSG, but I'll be leaving mine in gear anyway!

[peterdoherty]

Anyone with a DSG able to confirm if you can leave it in gear?

Putting an auto in P is effectively leaving it in gear

[JoeGTI]

Thanks Joe!  Top description!

My only concern is that my driveway is on a hill, and its steep so I'd take out a few houses if it rolled back and gained speed!  But I'm guessing that when I pull up, foot on brake then turn the ignition off, the parking brake goes on straight away.  I always leave my car in gear anyway so that'll be the failsafe.

I'm guessing it will take me at least a month before I stop reaching for the handbrake 

Haha! I was the same but you'd be surprised how quickly you'll get used to it.
I have keyless too and for the first few days I was reaching for the non existent ignition! I'm used to it now though, so much so, I get into the GF's car and I'm reaching for the start button 

[Chief1337]

How does this work in the DSG?

For example, you are in 'drive', stop at some lights. When/how does the auto-hold and start-stop kick in? To move again, do you just tap the accelerator? Not sure how you'd "creep" with this?

Sorry - the demo car was a manual, but I went for DSG. But really not sure how this technology works with that gearbox.

[Bill_the_Bear]

How does this work in the DSG?

For example, you are in 'drive', stop at some lights. When/how does the auto-hold and start-stop kick in? To move again, do you just tap the accelerator? Not sure how you'd "creep" with this?

Sorry - the demo car was a manual, but I went for DSG. But really not sure how this technology works with that gearbox.

I understand that in the DSG when you bring the car to a stop it will go to neutral and the parking brake will engage.  When you touch the accelerator it will disengage the brake.

Potentially more delay than in a manual, but I think you'd want to disengage it manually in both cars if you were aiming for a fast start, just as you would do with a regular hand brake.

[Bill_the_Bear]

Seems that if you have DSG then hill starts and stops are not an issue all works as you expect.  What isn't clear is how you could park on a hill.

If you are close to other cars you don't want to lurch forward or backward into them, with a manual I would be rolling the car back and controlling with the foot brake, then going forward and controlling with the clutch in order to edge in/out of a tight space.

With the auto hold it seems like best case you've got to be really careful.  Stopping the car with the foot brake is fine, then you put the DSG in 1 or R... now the tricky bit, you need to accelerate to disengage the brake, but then immediately stop accelerating.  I think reverse would be worse because you have to control using the foot brake against the DSG yet not bring the car to a full stop or the parking brake will engage and you'll need to accelerate again (only now the space is smaller!).  In a manual I would be edging the car forward or back a few inches at a time, but with auto hold I don't see how this is really possible.  It expects you to be smoothly drawing away at speed...

Perhaps I should have ordered park assist.

[Gryzor]

Sounds like a whole lot of faf for an extra 1,400 smackers!