2017 DSG 6th gear issue

[kevinkar]

Yes engaging button, car almost acts as if it's in S but in D. Like I said when it does it I can switch to manual mode and upshift to 6, as soon as I put it back to auto mode it will down shift back to fifth all while in D. While it's doing it if I go to S it will downshift to 4th and hold there. A few miles later it goes back to normal.

Which is what the owner's manual documents is the designed behavior.

It's operating as designed.

And?

You are actually saying that a modern automobile will accept WOT, downshift and, once you are at your intended speed and let off WOT, it will stay in that lower gear for SEVERAL MILES (i.e. several minutes) before it decides to up shift to a higher gear at the new cruising speed? Several miles? You can't actually believe that is as-designed?

That blurb from the owner's manual is talking about the difference between D and S modes and not describing your incorrect interpretation. S will keep the transmission in any particular gear *longer* but only insofar as RPMs are concerned and it will up shift normally based on those new higher RPM points. Instead of up shifting at 2500 it waits until 3400, for example. Not several minutes later. What car does that?

And for the record, I read your reply and took my car out to test the OP's issue and your interpretation of it and my car (2018 7-spd DSG) does not do what the OP says and does not do what you say. It downshifts, I get up to 80MPH in the blink of an eye and, as I let off the throttle, it upshifts to 6 and then 7 as if nothing ever happened. THAT's as designed.

 

[adam1991]

That blurb from the owner's manual is talking about the difference between D and S modes and not describing your incorrect interpretation.

Wrong. Allow me to quote the owner's manual AGAIN, word for word:

Kick-down acceleration
The kick-down feature permits maximum acceleration when the selector lever is in the Drive or Sport Drive (D/S) position or in Tiptronic mode.

If you push the accelerator all the way down, the vehicle will automatically downshift, depending on vehicle speed and engine speed (rpm). This feature lets you take advantage of the full acceleration capacity of the vehicle ⇒ .

With kick-down activated, the transmission will stay in the current gear longer and not upshift until the engine reaches maximum rpm.

The kickdown feature happens no matter where the gear selector is--per the owner's manual.

I thought it was quite clear, myself. What about "kickdown permits max acceleration when the selector is in the Drive position" did I misunderstand?

 

[NeedSleep]

Which is what the owner's manual documents is the designed behavior.

It's operating as designed.

And?

I've used the kickdown feature several times before, and the transmission shifts back up to 6th gear a few seconds after I back off and the pedal is held at a cruising state.

If the OP kept the kickdown switch depressed, then sure, the transmission will hold the lower gear, per the manual. However, the OP said it shifts back down even when the pedal is back at a cruising state, and it takes miles (more than a few seconds) to have the transmission go back to 6th gear. That doesn't sound right to me.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[edrex]

Stupid question: where is the kick down switch? My car didn’t come with a manual and the online one is a pain to wade through

 

[adam1991]

Stupid question: where is the kick down switch?

Do you feel it when you push your foot all the way down, hard, on the gas pedal?

It should provide some resistance, then click as you push through.

 

[edrex]

Do you feel it when you push your foot all the way down, hard, on the gas pedal?

It should provide some resistance, then click as you push through.

Never noticed it before but I’ll check it out next time I go for a drive. Cheers

 

[kevinkar]

Wrong. Allow me to quote the owner's manual AGAIN, word for word:

The kickdown feature happens no matter where the gear selector is--per the owner's manual.

I thought it was quite clear, myself. What about "kickdown permits max acceleration when the selector is in the Drive position" did I misunderstand?

The OP is not referring to what happens when the kickdown feature is activated. He's referring to what happens AFTER that. When he lets off the throttle. The only way it's not going to kick back up to 6th is if he keeps his foot all the way to the floor. After which he'd be at 150MPH at some point but that's not what he's doing and not what he's describing. He's using kickdown, accelerating and then, at the speed he wants to be, lets off the throttle. At that point, the car is at a new cruising speed and the car should shift into 6th but is not. THAT is what you are misunderstanding.

 

[kevinkar]

Stupid question: where is the kick down switch? My car didn’t come with a manual and the online one is a pain to wade through

I think you can feel it if you just get in the car and step on the pedal. Just put your foot on it and press down to the floor. It should produce a click feel some point before the end of travel and you might be able to hear it in a quiet car.

I pretty much never hit that switch as the only time I hit WOT and get to the switch is when I'm "playing" which is rare. Usually I'm driving to and from work, running errands or with the wife in the car. Plus I'm a responsible adult and have no need for a speeding ticket or one that states "exhibition of speed" to add points to my license. So I rarely go nuts. But I have done it and the switch is clearly noticeable even when you're sitting in your garage.

 

[adam1991]

That blurb from the owner's manual is talking about the difference between D and S modes

No, it's not. Did you read it either time I posted it?

 

[kevinkar]

No, it's not. Did you read it either time I posted it?

No, I don't read what you post. I just make up crap off the top of my head on the fly.

Maybe I misspoke bringing in D and S into the discussion. But that is really besides the point and does not indicate you are not still wrong in your interpretation.

OP said (disregarding D or S modes):

"The car will downshift several gears but when I resume normal cruising it won't go into 6th."
​

Your response:

Kick-down acceleration
The kick-down feature permits maximum acceleration when the selector lever is in the Drive or Sport Drive (D/S) position or in Tiptronic mode.

If you push the accelerator all the way down, the vehicle will automatically downshift, depending on vehicle speed and engine speed (rpm). This feature lets you take advantage of the full acceleration capacity of the vehicle.

With kick-down activated, the transmission will stay in the current gear longer and not upshift until the engine reaches maximum rpm.
​

I fail to see what describing the kick-down feature has to do with the price of tea in China or the OP's original question of reaching a higher speed, leveling off the accelerator and maintaining a new higher speed with the transmission remaining in a lower and non-optimal gear.

The manual is not saying, at all, the transmission will stay in 5th for some indeterminate amount of time after which it lazily might decide to up shift after the driver has been cruising at some set speed for several minutes. It's saying when calling for maximum acceleration, the transmission will indeed stay in gear a bit longer to use maximum HP and torque to get to that higher speed quicker than it would by short-shifting. But it does not say the car will just stay in a lower gear for no reason.

And I just told you I went out and did this very maneuver with my own car and it did not do this. So either my car is broken, the manual is wrong or you are conflating kick-down with failure to up shift once a new constant speed is reached.

I vote for you quoting something completely unrelated to the issue at hand to "prove" your position against the OP which, in this case, appears to be wrong.

Tell you what, take your own car out, do what the OP did and let us know if your car up shifts or not. Then we can continue the conversation.

 

[racerx20]

I've used the kickdown feature several times before, and the transmission shifts back up to 6th gear a few seconds after I back off and the pedal is held at a cruising state.

If the OP kept the kickdown switch depressed, then sure, the transmission will hold the lower gear, per the manual. However, the OP said it shifts back down even when the pedal is back at a cruising state, and it takes miles (more than a few seconds) to have the transmission go back to 6th gear. That doesn't sound right to me.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Yes agreed it doesn't feel right. Car just started doing this within the last month or so, used to up shift as soon as I returned to normal throttle input.

 

[racerx20]

Wanted to say that the idea that the car is acting normally as described in the owners manual is officially incorrect.

Today on my freeway commute home after 15 miles the car downshifted into 5th on its own while cruising 70-80 mph. It wouldn't shift into 6th at all until I exited 15 miles later.




I could get 6th by putting the DSG into manual mode but as soon as I returned to auto it would go back into 5th and not upshift. There was zero acceleration involved just steady cruising.

Putting the DSG into S resulted in the car being stuck in 4th and not going into 5th. Dealership trip is coming I am just concerned the car won't do it for the tech and I'll get stuck with the "unable to replicate" line