Looking for advice and understanding of a Golf GTI DSG gearbox fault | ExpatWoman.com
 

Looking for advice and understanding of a Golf GTI DSG gearbox fault

13
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 February 2014 - 17:13

Hi there ladies,

I am trying to find out some information and have someone give me a bit of honest advice on my car's recent gearbox failure.
I drive a 2007 Golf GTI, which has a DSG gearbox.
Recently it started jerking in first gear and upon taking it to my regular service centre (not VW) they told me it was a mechatronic fault. They can order the parts for me, but to actually fix the thing, it has to be done by VW because of some special coding that needs to be put in.
So, off I went to VW only to be told that yes, it is the mechatronic fault, and that it's going to cost me around AED20000 to fix!!!!

I have trawled forums on VW faults and it does seem like an expensive thing to have gone wrong with the car, but before I go forking out almost half the value of my car, I would like to look at all my options, and not just take VW's word for it....

If anyone has a reputable mechanic that I can speak to then I would be supremely grateful for their details.

Thanks :)

13
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 May 2014 - 17:08
Hi ladies, I wanted to let you know that I posted my car on Dubizzle today with a pretty honest account of the car not working currently and I am happy to say that I have sold it "as is" for a decent amount. Unfortunately finding 20k and then selling the car was not looking like a possibility for me. Thanks again for all your comments and posts!
841
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2014 - 00:29
hazyhardie - just an idle thought, but if you're serious about scrapping it, post any offers you get from scrapyards here before you do anything. If the scrapyards have you over a barrel with ultra-lowball offers (which is a distinct possibility), you might attract a buyer who will offer you more than a scrapyard will, on the basis that even after paying 20k to replace the gearbox they've still got a bargain, and a bargain with a brand-new gearbox to boot.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 20:02
There is another VW service centre called Deutsche Technik who might be able to help. i would try them at least. Having investigated this issue further, there would be no point. You can't fix this problem without going via the VW dealership, there is no other way to source the parts needed. The gearboxes are more-or-less built and programmed to order.
391
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 19:49
Golfs with DSG have a known gearbox fault - it has been the reason for recalls all over the world. My Dh's new R had the fault - and it stopped twice on SZR when he was going over 100km an hour. Regardless to say we sold the thing really fast! But the 2007 models are pre the fault. We had a 2008 model and it is still going strong back in Australia. There is another VW service centre called Deutsche Technik who might be able to help. i would try them at least. We have a VW Tiguan here in Dubai and it is serviced under contract with Al Nabooda. They are hopeless and if they weren't free for me I would take it somewhere else.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 19:04
What's your plan after scrapping, out of interest? Buying a brand-new car, or something used? Because I'd have to say, while 20k sounds like a lot (heck, it *is* a lot), it's still an awful lot cheaper than buying a replacement car. Just had a quick look on Dubizzle, and a Golf GTI that's just one year younger than yours will cost you nearly 40k. A three-year-old model will be nearer 70-80k. If you're happy to go to the expense of buying brand-new then fair enough, but if you're considering the used market, bear in mind that whatever you're planning to buy could come with its own expensive problems. If minimising cost is a concern, then paying to repair your car will be by far the cheapest solution. If you've already made the mental commitment to replace the car, though, it can obviously be difficult to change your mind back again - we all like the idea of a new car :) <em>edited by Madge_Gustard on 25/03/2014</em>
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 16:15
Hazyhardie, very sorry to hear about your car situation. Having been through something similar with my old Audi, I feel your pain. In my case, I always serviced the car at the Audi dealership so they were willing to help me scrap it. Perhaps WV will help you with this too. Good luck!
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 14:11
Durrr saw it is a GTI and cant edit post
8965
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 14:09
I know it's been a long time since I updated on my car situation, sorry - it's really got me down in the dumps :( Anyway, I took my car to Dexxol over the weekend and the manager there managed to explain things to me in girl talk.... basically saying that my car is stuffed! There is some special coding or something that only VW can do (apparently) however Dexxol can help me out by taking the car in and handling it all themselves - taking it to VW and dealing with them directly etc. It's still going to cost me between AED15-20k to fix. Anyone know of a scrapyard that gives good prices??? Oh no :-( Cant help with the scrap yard. Which model do you have. Is it worth trying to sell it and take off the cost of the repair and then at least you may make some money back
13
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 14:05
I know it's been a long time since I updated on my car situation, sorry - it's really got me down in the dumps :( Anyway, I took my car to Dexxol over the weekend and the manager there managed to explain things to me in girl talk.... basically saying that my car is stuffed! There is some special coding or something that only VW can do (apparently) however Dexxol can help me out by taking the car in and handling it all themselves - taking it to VW and dealing with them directly etc. It's still going to cost me between AED15-20k to fix. Anyone know of a scrapyard that gives good prices???
13
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2014 - 09:16
I've called Dexol and am taking my car into them on Saturday for their opinion... will update you after that. Thanks again for the help so far.
8965
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 13 February 2014 - 11:50
Thank you sooo much for all your comments and advice! I have done some research online and what I've found is that this mechatronic fault issue is not cheap :( I will definitely call Dexol and ask them what they say! Tazmin, the jerking happens only in first gear and then it's perfect. It was this jerking that made me take the car in and was told by my VW "certified" mechanic (where the previous owner and I have been taking the car for services) that it was the mechatronic unit. They then said that they can replace the parts, but it will need special coding which only VW can fix... so off to VW I went, only to be told it'll cost AED20k. I didn't get a quote from the first guys because they said they couldn't do the whole job so I thought it wasn't worth my while. Thanks again all - will be calling Dexol and hopefully have a better outcome from all of this! Good Luck, let us know how you get on as it would be handy to know incase anything happens to mine in the future
13
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2014 - 11:47
Thank you sooo much for all your comments and advice! I have done some research online and what I've found is that this mechatronic fault issue is not cheap :( I will definitely call Dexol and ask them what they say! Tazmin, the jerking happens only in first gear and then it's perfect. It was this jerking that made me take the car in and was told by my VW "certified" mechanic (where the previous owner and I have been taking the car for services) that it was the mechatronic unit. They then said that they can replace the parts, but it will need special coding which only VW can fix... so off to VW I went, only to be told it'll cost AED20k. I didn't get a quote from the first guys because they said they couldn't do the whole job so I thought it wasn't worth my while. Thanks again all - will be calling Dexol and hopefully have a better outcome from all of this!
313
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 13 February 2014 - 09:43
Hi Hazyhazard - just want to say that I recently took my ford explorer to Dexol (thanks to advice from Madge Gustard and other ladies on the forum). I ended up paying about 5500. I just got the car back yesterday so its early days but I was impressed with Dexol. They seemed very professional and were very helpful and also fixing lots of cars. When I was at Dexol I met one mechanic/garage owner who sends all his cars with transmission/gear box problems to Dexol to be fixed. The dealer quoted me over 2k just to replace wire on top of transmission plus at least 3K just to open up transmission and said that job could cost up to 20K. Dexol was able to fix wire without replacing. As an aside, according to Dexol transmission problems are common in Dubai because of high temperature; very important to make sure transmission oil changed every 25K. Hi Hope15 ...... Hazyhazard sounds good:) instead of [color=#3333FF'>[i'>[b'>hazyhardie[/b'>[/i'>[/color'> no offense hazyhardie
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2014 - 07:31
Hi Hazyhazard - just want to say that I recently took my ford explorer to Dexol (thanks to advice from Madge Gustard and other ladies on the forum). I ended up paying about 5500. I just got the car back yesterday so its early days but I was impressed with Dexol. They seemed very professional and were very helpful and also fixing lots of cars. When I was at Dexol I met one mechanic/garage owner who sends all his cars with transmission/gear box problems to Dexol to be fixed. The dealer quoted me over 2k just to replace wire on top of transmission plus at least 3K just to open up transmission and said that job could cost up to 20K. Dexol was able to fix wire without replacing. As an aside, according to Dexol transmission problems are common in Dubai because of high temperature; very important to make sure transmission oil changed every 25K.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 23:40
Like I said, get an opinion from Dexol before you do anything. They have a long and proud history of fixing automatic transmission problems for a fraction of the cost of the local stealerships, all of whom charge eye-watering markups on parts and labour. It's even rumoured that some stealerships charge their customers their full insane price for gearbox repair, and then subcontract the actual work to Dexol, and pocket the difference as pure profit. But that's just a rumour.
57
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 23:18
If it's a mechatronic issue he says 3,000 Gbp is about right, it's not a cheap issue. Are there any independent VW specialist in Dubai? The jerking could be down to the clutch pack, as it has 2, depending on when the jerking happens. A new transmission would you well over 20k! He said have you priced up ordering the price from the uk and getting it shipped over then fitted, it would take then minimum coding at a agent
57
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 22:06
My DH is a VW master technician, I will ask him when he gets home
841
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 21:51
Get an opinion from Dexol. They are the top independent automatic transmission specialists in Dubai and their reputation is excellent. They will typically do a full rebuild on a transmission (giving you an effectively brand-new gearbox) for 5000 to 6000 AED, although some boxes will inevitably cost more. Most main dealers here will insist on replacing the box for anything from 15,000 AED to 40,000 AED. Dexol's number is 04 297 2770. Give them a call, explain the issue and see what they say. If anyone can fix your gearbox at a more realistic price, it's them. And if you don't have a free service contract, never ever go to a main dealership for service, unless you're happy to pay 3x-4x what you actually need to pay. They're called stealerships for a reason. It's almost guaranteed that you don't need to spend anything close to 20k to fix your problem; you could get a nearly-new transmission installed in your car for a fraction of that. <em>edited by Madge_Gustard on 12/02/2014</em>
8965
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 15:07
Thanks for your response Sarahlou. My car is sitting on almost 140k km's... I bought it when it was at 100k so I am uncertain if it had the 70k fluid change. I do know that it hasn't been serviced at VW for a loooooong time - when I bought it the guy gave me the workshops details where he had been taking it; they are supposed to be VW certified, but are not VW. It's not looking very positive right now for me - am going to have to get it fixed and then hope that nothing else goes wrong at huge costs. The fluid had to be done at 70k and if it is wasn't and as I said not many people can do it here it can have serious ramifications on the gearbox. I feel for you as parts are so expensive here
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 15:01
Thanks for your response Sarahlou. My car is sitting on almost 140k km's... I bought it when it was at 100k so I am uncertain if it had the 70k fluid change. I do know that it hasn't been serviced at VW for a loooooong time - when I bought it the guy gave me the workshops details where he had been taking it; they are supposed to be VW certified, but are not VW. It's not looking very positive right now for me - am going to have to get it fixed and then hope that nothing else goes wrong at huge costs.
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 09 February 2014 - 17:18
Hi there ladies, I am trying to find out some information and have someone give me a bit of honest advice on my car's recent gearbox failure. I drive a 2007 Golf GTI, which has a DSG gearbox. Recently it started jerking in first gear and upon taking it to my regular service centre (not VW) they told me it was a mechatronic fault. They can order the parts for me, but to actually fix the thing, it has to be done by VW because of some special coding that needs to be put in. So, off I went to VW only to be told that yes, it is the mechatronic fault, and that it's going to cost me around AED20000 to fix!!!! I have trawled forums on VW faults and it does seem like an expensive thing to have gone wrong with the car, but before I go forking out almost half the value of my car, I would like to look at all my options, and not just take VW's word for it.... If anyone has a reputable mechanic that I can speak to then I would be supremely grateful for their details. Thanks :) I have an R32 and one of the major services was to change the transmission fluid on the DSG gearbox. Alot of places don't do it as it has to be drained in a certain way therefore only certain technicians are qualified to do this. I rang around all the garages and spoke to several guys who knew their stuff and in the end I had to go to VW as no-one else could help What is the mileage on your car? Did you have your last service at VW? I ask this because at the 70k service the fluid has to be changed and if it wasn't perhaps this is the problem Good Luck
 
 

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