Golf R manual vs DSG long term reliabilty?

[DelavR:.]

I went with a 6MT due to the known long-term maintenance requirements and performance needs as I tend to keep my cars for a long time. At the same time, I also really like rowing gears and after driving a few DSG Rs I decided that this would be more enjoyable long-term as well. Hell, a 6M may not exist in a few years...

 

[2018gti]

This isn’t about reliability so a little off-topic but.. If your R is going to be a daily driver and you think you’d appreciate the advanced driving assistance features (adaptive cruise control, etc), then I’d get a DSG.

I have an autobahn GTI so I have those features as well, but I have a manual. I always wanted a manual so I got one, but the way it compromises the cruise control and makes me stall when it emergency brakes shows that the manual isn’t totally suited for these new technologies. Like, radar cruise control, it’s a beautiful technology. But not when I have to shift it myself back and forth between 5th and 6th.

 

[Keehs360]

This isn’t about reliability so a little off-topic but.. If your R is going to be a daily driver and you think you’d appreciate the advanced driving assistance features (adaptive cruise control, etc), then I’d get a DSG.

I have an autobahn GTI so I have those features as well, but I have a manual. I always wanted a manual so I got one, but the way it compromises the cruise control and makes me stall when it emergency brakes shows that the manual isn’t totally suited for these new technologies. Like, radar cruise control, it’s a beautiful technology. But not when I have to shift it myself back and forth between 5th and 6th.

I have an autobahn gti as well. Mines a dsg and to be fair the acc is kinda rough here too. Though it seems like u have it worse man. I think all the good stuff hasn’t been passed down by Audi yet

 

[2018gti]

I have an autobahn gti as well. Mines a dsg and to be fair the acc is kinda rough here too. Though it seems like u have it worse man. I think all the good stuff hasn’t been passed down by Audi yet

Yup :/ That’s interesting though, the ACC isn’t that great on the DSG either? I feel better now I guess

I still love the car, I’m glad I got the autobahn. I just get disappointed inside when I’m driving up a hill on the highway with the ACC and the engine goes grrrrr and bogs down because it wants to accelerate but it can’t downshift by itself.

 

[j255c]

To quote from VWVortex "A shop called Foreign Automotive in Canada has been able to retrofit a lower thrust washer without pulling the engine." It may be worth finding out if shops in the USA can replicate this process. @A2bmotorsport is this something you have looked into?

 

[Charlotte.:R]

This isn’t about reliability so a little off-topic but.. If your R is going to be a daily driver and you think you’d appreciate the advanced driving assistance features (adaptive cruise control, etc), then I’d get a DSG.

I have an autobahn GTI so I have those features as well, but I have a manual. I always wanted a manual so I got one, but the way it compromises the cruise control and makes me stall when it emergency brakes shows that the manual isn’t totally suited for these new technologies. Like, radar cruise control, it’s a beautiful technology. But not when I have to shift it myself back and forth between 5th and 6th.

I've never had a problem with cruise control and stalling. I'd think you'd have to be not paying much attention to have ACC drop your the speed down that much that you stall

 

[2018gti]

I've never had a problem with cruise control and stalling. I'd think you'd have to be not paying much attention to have ACC drop your the speed down that much that you stall

Haha no lol, I don’t mean it stalls like on the highway or anything. I meant like the Maneuver Braking and the Rear Traffic Alert where it’ll slam the brakes if you’re about to hit something.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather stall than hit something. But with the DSG you wouldn’t potentially stall out.

 

[Charlotte.:R]

Haha no lol, I don’t mean it stalls like on the highway or anything. I meant like the Maneuver Braking and the Rear Traffic Alert where it’ll slam the brakes if you’re about to hit something.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather stall than hit something. But with the DSG you wouldn’t potentially stall out.

You can turn down the sensitivity, which helps. I only ever have a problem with the rear traffic alert when backing into the garage. Fortunately I'm pretty quick with the clutch and haven't stalled.

I like that you can shift gears without cruise disengaging--this is my first manual car that didn't cancel out the cruise when you press the clutch.

 

[sterkrazzy]

I like that you can shift gears without cruise disengaging--this is my first manual car that didn't cancel out the cruise when you press the clutch.

That shit trips me out.

 

[2018gti]

You can turn down the sensitivity, which helps. I only ever have a problem with the rear traffic alert when backing into the garage. Fortunately I'm pretty quick with the clutch and haven't stalled.

I like that you can shift gears without cruise disengaging--this is my first manual car that didn't cancel out the cruise when you press the clutch.

I just have a slow foot I guess haha. It happens pretty rarely which is good.

They definitely did the best they could to tie together the human-operated manual with the automatic functions, I agree. In my humble opinion, the DSG is just better suited for these driver assistance technologies.

 

[Golfs everyday]

My Golf-R is MT and would not have it any other way. I don't know about longevity as my car is only 7K miles young, I don't abuse the car, and only running Stage1. I expect to keep the car another 7-8yrs.

My only concern (if there is one) is more with the thermostat housing or whatever that leaks coolant on a lot of the Golf's more so than the drivetrain.

 

[Keehs360]

You can turn down the sensitivity, which helps. I only ever have a problem with the rear traffic alert when backing into the garage. Fortunately I'm pretty quick with the clutch and haven't stalled.

I like that you can shift gears without cruise disengaging--this is my first manual car that didn't cancel out the cruise when you press the clutch.

Yeah I haven’t tried that on a manual gti but I’ve heard. That’s crazy

 

[ecsta]

I think really the thing to do is just pick whichever transmission you prefer to drive. Both have their pros and cons, but you should enjoy what you drive. Every year less and less cars are being sold with MT so if that's your thing definitely buy one while you can.

My Golf-R is MT and would not have it any other way. I don't know about longevity as my car is only 7K miles young, I don't abuse the car, and only running Stage1. I expect to keep the car another 7-8yrs.

My only concern (if there is one) is more with the thermostat housing or whatever that leaks coolant on a lot of the Golf's more so than the drivetrain.

It's really annoying that there isn't an updated part that completely fixes the issue, or an aftermarket one. My car had this repair under warranty in January 2018, and now 2 years later (Dec 2020) its slowly leaking again. I'm still under warranty but its a pain in the ass A) convincing the dealership that its actually leaking and B) leaving my car there for a day or two while they fix the problem. This is going to be a PITA if it happens every 2 years.

 

[Charlotte.:R]

It's really annoying that there isn't an updated part that completely fixes the issue, or an aftermarket one. My car had this repair under warranty in January 2018, and now 2 years later (Dec 2020) its slowly leaking again. I'm still under warranty but its a pain in the ass A) convincing the dealership that its actually leaking and B) leaving my car there for a day or two while they fix the problem. This is going to be a PITA if it happens every 2 years.

Off topic, but how difficult is the thermostat housing to replace?

 

[Golfs everyday]

its a pain in the ass A) convincing the dealership that its actually leaking and B) leaving my car there for a day or two while they fix the problem. This is going to be a PITA if it happens every 2 years.

I agree. If this happened on my Golf-R and no known aftermarket replacement (or a full dealer fix), I would consider selling the car and get something else (Cayman?) as I bought the car entirely for fun.