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Clutches slipping?

noluck289

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
2017 Mk7 gti
Look up false neutrals, often a sign of a failing mechatronics unit
Is there a way to test if that’s really the issue? could i take it to a dealer and they would be able to tell cause as far as I know the cars not throwing any codes
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
I had a 2015 GTI with a 6 speed DSG tuned by EQT (ECU and TCU tunes) and when in reverse 9/10 times it would try to start moving then a hard thud/slam would occur and the clutches would be disengaged. It happened a few times in first taking off from a stop but most of the time it was when I was reversing, especially up an incline. This as well as some other issues (knocking, extra unexplained vibrations) caused me to just forget tuning and flash everything back to stock. Never had an issue again. Of course when I asked EQT and the forums about it I was told im crazy their tune doesnt cause any of these issues, and yet I had logs and videos to prove it. Sold the accessport and leave my cars stock powertrain wise from now on.

Is there a way to test if that’s really the issue? could i take it to a dealer and they would be able to tell cause as far as I know the cars not throwing any codes

If you do this make sure to flash everything to stock first.
 

noluck289

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
2017 Mk7 gti
I had a 2015 GTI with a 6 speed DSG tuned by EQT (ECU and TCU tunes) and when in reverse 9/10 times it would try to start moving then a hard thud/slam would occur and the clutches would be disengaged. It happened a few times in first taking off from a stop but most of the time it was when I was reversing, especially up an incline. This as well as some other issues (knocking, extra unexplained vibrations) caused me to just forget tuning and flash everything back to stock. Never had an issue again. Of course when I asked EQT and the forums about it I was told im crazy their tune doesnt cause any of these issues, and yet I had logs and videos to prove it. Sold the accessport and leave my cars stock powertrain wise from now on.



If you do this make sure to flash everything to stock first.
Pretty much the exact issues i’m experiencing except the knock part. Driving my car hard it seems to not have any problems but normal driving the vibrations are very rough and the transmission has the same problem described. I’m glad i’m not the only one with the issue described but i’m gonna try and find a solution other then flashing back to stock. Thank you
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Tuning can be scary territory.

Gotta pay to play, and also deal with a bunch of BS. I've had plenty of tuned cars. Issues with every single one of them, that and supporting mods that need to be done. It's a money pit.

Now your flash counter is also off, so whatever warranty you had left is more than likely gone. Not trying to scare you, but just another unfortunate piece of the equation.
 

noluck289

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
2017 Mk7 gti
Tuning can be scary territory.

Gotta pay to play, and also deal with a bunch of BS. I've had plenty of tuned cars. Issues with every single one of them, that and supporting mods that need to be done. It's a money pit.

Now your flash counter is also off, so whatever warranty you had left is more than likely gone. Not trying to scare you, but just another unfortunate piece of the equation.
My dealer does not seem to care about tuned cars because it’s not a volkswagon warranty. They have fixed things in the past and should be willing to fix this as well just hoping to go to the dealer with proof of what’s wrong.
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
My dealer does not seem to care about tuned cars because it’s not a volkswagon warranty. They have fixed things in the past and should be willing to fix this as well just hoping to go to the dealer with proof of what’s wrong.

If you unflash and the problem is gone, it’ll be hard to get there with the problem happening. Lol
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
Pretty much the exact issues i’m experiencing except the knock part. Driving my car hard it seems to not have any problems but normal driving the vibrations are very rough and the transmission has the same problem described. I’m glad i’m not the only one with the issue described but i’m gonna try and find a solution other then flashing back to stock. Thank you
I can pretty much promise you are not going to find any solution other than flashing back to stock. A tuned car will always have its quirks and annoyances that you just have to live with. In my case these annoyances were added vibrations, transmission behaving weird (sometimes it would even disengage the clutches as I was pulling up my driveway), knocking unless I added 2.5 gallons E85 per tank, requirement for a larger intercooler and better engine mounts as the stock ones turn to butter after having the added power. For me it was not worth the power increase on a daily driver front wheel drive hatchback, and going back to stock made the car so much more enjoyable. You cant take this to the dealership for help because the problem is most likely caused by EQT's tuning parameters. The only people who could theoretically fix it is EQT, and they insist their tune doesn't cause these issues (even though I have loads of proof showing otherwise).

So essentially your two options are to live with the annoyances or flash back to stock. If you really had money to burn you could try other companies' TCU tunes and see if any work better for you, but IMO the most I would do on this car is a stage 1 ECU tune leaving the transmission alone.
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
I can pretty much promise you are not going to find any solution other than flashing back to stock. A tuned car will always have its quirks and annoyances that you just have to live with. In my case these annoyances were added vibrations, transmission behaving weird (sometimes it would even disengage the clutches as I was pulling up my driveway), knocking unless I added 2.5 gallons E85 per tank, requirement for a larger intercooler and better engine mounts as the stock ones turn to butter after having the added power. For me it was not worth the power increase on a daily driver front wheel drive hatchback, and going back to stock made the car so much more enjoyable. You cant take this to the dealership for help because the problem is most likely caused by EQT's tuning parameters. The only people who could theoretically fix it is EQT, and they insist their tune doesn't cause these issues (even though I have loads of proof showing otherwise).

So essentially your two options are to live with the annoyances or flash back to stock. If you really had money to burn you could try other companies' TCU tunes and see if any work better for you, but IMO the most I would do on this car is a stage 1 ECU tune leaving the transmission alone.

Not to get too far off topic, but it sounds like your tune was just too aggressive / was a canned tune with flash revisions. This will almost always be the case with these types of tunes. Most tuners are trying to squeeze every last HP possible out of these engines at the risk of something bad happening or otherwise.

What exactly is "knocking" in your case? Were you monitoring ignition corrections? Anything less than a -3 is perfectly acceptable. Obviously you want to be as close to 0 as possible, but there are lots of things that will make an Accessport show negative corrections, including the vibration issues you are referring to. EQT is known to have pretty good tunes, so I'm surprised that your experience was this poor, but like you said, there are always quirks.

If you were experiencing excessive engine vibration, that was likely contributing to your engine knock that the AP was detecting. Putting 2-3 gallons of E was allowing timing to advance far enough that even the vibration wasn't causing the AP to detect it as a knock event, meaning that the AP was showing less overall timing being pulled. Also, be aware that the overall min / max figures on the AP shouldn't be a reference point. You should be looking at a complete data log to understand if your car is having a significant knock event. I've chased many vibrations showing false knock. It's a a PITA to chase down, and almost always causes more issues than it's worth. The stock tune is VERY reactive. It's perfectly normal for the car to pull 6 degrees of timing on the factory map, but these thresholds are much smaller when tuned. Think of it as simply narrowing the margin for error. The stock tune can make this kind of power at its peak if conditions are perfect, and if you have the fuel to withstand the conditions.

Even extended warranties can become void for tuning. I've seen these companies call the manufacturers to check on the case if they suspect that aftermarket mods contributed to the failure. Also, if you want a real tune, go get a legit dyno tune. You would be amazed how much of a difference it makes. UM does dyno tunes at select locations. Remote tunes with street pulls for data logging on Cobb APs just aren't that great. There is so much margin for error (bumpy roads, grade, fuel, etc.) that the tuner just can't see. If you want something reliable, go get a dyno tune from a reputable shop.
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
Not to get too far off topic, but it sounds like your tune was just too aggressive / was a canned tune with flash revisions. This will almost always be the case with these types of tunes. Most tuners are trying to squeeze every last HP possible out of these engines at the risk of something bad happening or otherwise.

What exactly is "knocking" in your case? Were you monitoring ignition corrections? Anything less than a -3 is perfectly acceptable. Obviously you want to be as close to 0 as possible, but there are lots of things that will make an Accessport show negative corrections, including the vibration issues you are referring to. EQT is known to have pretty good tunes, so I'm surprised that your experience was this poor, but like you said, there are always quirks.

If you were experiencing excessive engine vibration, that was likely contributing to your engine knock that the AP was detecting. Putting 2-3 gallons of E was allowing timing to advance far enough that even the vibration wasn't causing the AP to detect it as a knock event, meaning that the AP was showing less overall timing being pulled. Also, be aware that the overall min / max figures on the AP shouldn't be a reference point. You should be looking at a complete data log to understand if your car is having a significant knock event. I've chased many vibrations showing false knock. It's a a PITA to chase down, and almost always causes more issues than it's worth. The stock tune is VERY reactive. It's perfectly normal for the car to pull 6 degrees of timing on the factory map, but these thresholds are much smaller when tuned. Think of it as simply narrowing the margin for error. The stock tune can make this kind of power at its peak if conditions are perfect, and if you have the fuel to withstand the conditions.

Even extended warranties can become void for tuning. I've seen these companies call the manufacturers to check on the case if they suspect that aftermarket mods contributed to the failure. Also, if you want a real tune, go get a legit dyno tune. You would be amazed how much of a difference it makes. UM does dyno tunes at select locations. Remote tunes with street pulls for data logging on Cobb APs just aren't that great. There is so much margin for error (bumpy roads, grade, fuel, etc.) that the tuner just can't see. If you want something reliable, go get a dyno tune from a reputable shop.
Fair enough, all good points. Overall I have just decided that adding HP to this car just doesn't make it any more enjoyable for me but I am in the minority. Regarding the knock, I was monitoring every time I drove using the AP and would see -5.5 or more constantly when driving like a grandma. Same situation when doing power pulls and the car didn't feel as strong as it should for stage 2. After showing my logs to the forums and EQT they told me to stop doing pulls until the knock/timing retardation was gone as its not great for the engine or power production. After messing with it for months I just went back to stock and sold the AP. However I also understand what you are saying about the stock map pulling 6+ degrees of timing, I was not aware of that. Outside of the knock/timing retard issue, the added vibrations, requirement for upgraded mounts/IC, and the issues with the TCU tune were enough to just have me go back to stock and forget about tuning.

However back then no one told me the stock tune can pull 6 degrees or more, making the AP tune pulling 4-5 better in retrospect. At the time I was told to go back to stock until I figure it out :ROFLMAO: so perhaps one day I will go stage 1 and leave it there. I also appreciate the way you deliver counterpoints and information. Very direct and informative, no condescension like many others throw into their posts 💯
 

noluck289

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
2017 Mk7 gti
I can pretty much promise you are not going to find any solution other than flashing back to stock. A tuned car will always have its quirks and annoyances that you just have to live with. In my case these annoyances were added vibrations, transmission behaving weird (sometimes it would even disengage the clutches as I was pulling up my driveway), knocking unless I added 2.5 gallons E85 per tank, requirement for a larger intercooler and better engine mounts as the stock ones turn to butter after having the added power. For me it was not worth the power increase on a daily driver front wheel drive hatchback, and going back to stock made the car so much more enjoyable. You cant take this to the dealership for help because the problem is most likely caused by EQT's tuning parameters. The only people who could theoretically fix it is EQT, and they insist their tune doesn't cause these issues (even though I have loads of proof showing otherwise).

So essentially your two options are to live with the annoyances or flash back to stock. If you really had money to burn you could try other companies' TCU tunes and see if any work better for you, but IMO the most I would do on this car is a stage 1 ECU tune leaving the transmission alone.
I’ve tried the stratified dsg tune and the issue is still there. I don’t really have a issue with my ecu tune it’s mostly just my dsg i’m concerned about but thank you for sharing your solution. I guess i’m just gonna have to live with it until it gets so bad I can’t.
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Fair enough, all good points. Overall I have just decided that adding HP to this car just doesn't make it any more enjoyable for me but I am in the minority. Regarding the knock, I was monitoring every time I drove using the AP and would see -5.5 or more constantly when driving like a grandma. Same situation when doing power pulls and the car didn't feel as strong as it should for stage 2. After showing my logs to the forums and EQT they told me to stop doing pulls until the knock/timing retardation was gone as its not great for the engine or power production. After messing with it for months I just went back to stock and sold the AP. However I also understand what you are saying about the stock map pulling 6+ degrees of timing, I was not aware of that. Outside of the knock/timing retard issue, the added vibrations, requirement for upgraded mounts/IC, and the issues with the TCU tune were enough to just have me go back to stock and forget about tuning.

However back then no one told me the stock tune can pull 6 degrees or more, making the AP tune pulling 4-5 better in retrospect. At the time I was told to go back to stock until I figure it out :ROFLMAO: so perhaps one day I will go stage 1 and leave it there. I also appreciate the way you deliver counterpoints and information. Very direct and informative, no condescension like many others throw into their posts 💯
I honestly think you have something vibrating in the engine somewhere causing false knock readings. That would explain why it was happening while just putting around town.
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
I’ve tried the stratified dsg tune and the issue is still there. I don’t really have a issue with my ecu tune it’s mostly just my dsg i’m concerned about but thank you for sharing your solution. I guess i’m just gonna have to live with it until it gets so bad I can’t.
You can always run the ECU tune with the stock DSG tune. Stock the DSG can handle 400ftlbs of torque just fine, it's not going to hurt anything. In my experience I didn't notice a positive difference after tuning the DSG.

I honestly think you have something vibrating in the engine somewhere causing false knock readings. That would explain why it was happening while just putting around town.
I since sold that 2015 and got a 2019 Autobahn that I don't plan to mod powertrain wise, however back when I had the 2015 I even had a specialist shop check it all out for exactly that reason and they found nothing. Plus when I ran an e85 blend the knock counter would stop increasing and the knock retard would sit right at zero. A few people in my Facebook group have the same issues and we have discussed it ad nauseam to no avail. Perhaps it's a regional thing due to the gas we have here in SoCal... No idea.
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
You can always run the ECU tune with the stock DSG tune. Stock the DSG can handle 400ftlbs of torque just fine, it's not going to hurt anything. In my experience I didn't notice a positive difference after tuning the DSG.


I since sold that 2015 and got a 2019 Autobahn that I don't plan to mod powertrain wise, however back when I had the 2015 I even had a specialist shop check it all out for exactly that reason and they found nothing. Plus when I ran an e85 blend the knock counter would stop increasing and the knock retard would sit right at zero. A few people in my Facebook group have the same issues and we have discussed it ad nauseam to no avail. Perhaps it's a regional thing due to the gas we have here in SoCal... No idea.

Ahhh, yep. You hit the nail right on the head. I was going to ask where you lived next, then saw your location. Your gas comes from the same place ours does here in AZ. Shit, and I'm talking absolute shit gas. I've had tuners flat out tell me it's the worst fuel they've ever seen. Basically no point in tuning the car. And I'm not scrambling to find E every time I have to pump gas. No thank you. Had the same issues with my Focus ST.
 
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