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Gear Indicator in manual drive

Mrleica

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Morocco
Hello,

Sometimes when i'm coasting in neutral before a red light for example, the gear indicator on the top right of the mfd shows "3" or "4" or "6" depending on the speed I'm in ! I don't think it's normal as it confuses the s**t out of me !

What do you think ?
 

MeltedSolid

Autocross Newbie
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
'15 Golf, e36 328i
You do have a manual gearbox, right? It's normal because the only way the computer knows which gear the car is in is by comparing the RPM with the car's speed.
 

Mrleica

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Morocco
Yes you re right I drive a manual. However, I think that the car should display nothing when you coast in neutral.
 

adam1991

Banned
Location
USA
Hello,

Sometimes when i'm coasting in neutral before a red light for example, the gear indicator on the top right of the mfd shows "3" or "4" or "6" depending on the speed I'm in ! I don't think it's normal as it confuses the s**t out of me !

What do you think ?

I think you have too much time on your hands.

What did you do before owning a car that told you what gear you were in? Wait a minute--you have a manual gearbox. YOU'RE in charge of what gear it's in. How are you confused?
 

zero10

Ready to race!
I've noticed this too, sometimes I like to play games with it. The comment above seems to be right - it doesn't use switches on the shifter and relies only on the rpm vs speed to calculate the gear. When I'm bored I'll rev the engine a bit and try to make it say the same number for an extended period of time as I coast to a stop. I'm getting pretty good at pretending to be in 3rd gear.
 

adam1991

Banned
Location
USA
I've noticed this too, sometimes I like to play games with it. The comment above seems to be right - it doesn't use switches on the shifter and relies only on the rpm vs speed to calculate the gear. When I'm bored I'll rev the engine a bit and try to make it say the same number for an extended period of time as I coast to a stop. I'm getting pretty good at pretending to be in 3rd gear.

that dashboard video game sounds not unlike what Prius drivers do as they drive.
 

Shane_Anigans

Drag Race Newbie
Location
SE MI
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport DSG
that dashboard video game sounds not unlike what Prius drivers do as they drive.

Would that be the same dashboard video game that makes them all into terrible drivers who can't maintain speed, stay in their lane, or accelerate faster than a prehistoric glacier?
 

adam1991

Banned
Location
USA
Would that be the same dashboard video game that makes them all into terrible drivers who can't maintain speed, stay in their lane, or accelerate faster than a prehistoric glacier?

Very analogous, yes.

But you forgot the biggest issue: playing a dashboard video game instead of, you know, driving and playing nice in traffic and being aware of what's around you.

Those Prius people invented the attitude of, "I will do what I want with my dashboard video game, regardless of its impact on you and everyone else in traffic. Because I want to."

Not every Prius driver behaves that way, but you can spot one a mile off when he is behaving that way.
 

Shane_Anigans

Drag Race Newbie
Location
SE MI
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport DSG
Not every Prius driver behaves that way, but you can spot one a mile off when he is behaving that way.

I live in a college town with a higher-than-average number of hybrid cars, so I can confirm that they are all terrible drivers.
 

monkey4

New member
Location
az
I've noticed on my 19 that when the gear position indicated on the dash is not showing what gear i'm actually in the car will lack power and fuel mileage. Some times lets say i'm in 3rd and let off the gas it will jump to 4 then 5 then 6 and then start going back down the scale. step on the gas again it will go blank sputter or surge until the correct gear is indicated and then will smooth out.
it can't be all ecu controlled. there has to be some kind of sensor some place
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
I've noticed on my 19 that when the gear position indicated on the dash is not showing what gear i'm actually in the car will lack power and fuel mileage. Some times lets say i'm in 3rd and let off the gas it will jump to 4 then 5 then 6 and then start going back down the scale. step on the gas again it will go blank sputter or surge until the correct gear is indicated and then will smooth out.
it can't be all ecu controlled. there has to be some kind of sensor some place

That's whack. If you are correct get it checked out.
 

Sparky589

Drag Racing Champion
I've noticed on my 19 that when the gear position indicated on the dash is not showing what gear i'm actually in the car will lack power and fuel mileage. Some times lets say i'm in 3rd and let off the gas it will jump to 4 then 5 then 6 and then start going back down the scale. step on the gas again it will go blank sputter or surge until the correct gear is indicated and then will smooth out.
it can't be all ecu controlled. there has to be some kind of sensor some place
This would very much match with Melted's experience with swapping to the six speed transmission. His car would get temperamental whenever it wasn't sure what gear it was supposed to be in.
 

MeltedSolid

Autocross Newbie
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
'15 Golf, e36 328i
I don't think I wass ever sputtering, but yea, I experienced that. It was on the 2015 APR stage 1 software, and I didn't have any context for what it was like on any other or the stock tune. Switching to the APR IS20 software has fixed it for me.
 
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