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I do have the DSG 1.2. Bought it new. Am obviously very much aware of the substantial coverage that DSG's have had.
Disregarding the problems that may or may not afflict users for a moment I would say that I, personally, absolutely love the car and it's transmission. I consider the transmission to be a dream to use with changes virtually imperceptible and with sufficient manual override to suit my purposes. I subscribe to the Skoda specific forum (Avant will perhaps advise if it may be named) but it won't take much finding. On there is a veritable encyclopaedia of information about every conceivable aspect of Skoda (and Yeti) ownership. The DSG issue is covered in minute detail.
I can only speak with any authority about my own car (which is now three and a half years old) and can tell you that it did develop slight clutch judder and the clutch pack was renewed under warranty with no problems since. In addition I received notification that the worldwide recall affecting 7 speed DSG boxes is to applied to mine and it went in and to the best of my knowledge had it's transmission fluid changed to mineral oil. (That's what it said on the sheet when it was returned). I believe the 6 speed DSG is less associated with recalls and may be a more robust box as it's used on diesels...but I'm not claiming great knowledge about that...it's discussed on the forums in vast detail.
My car is now out of manufaturers warranty and as a precaution I have taken out extended warranty which I am told will cover the transmission (as well as most major components). It costs less than £150 a year from a reputable source and gives me peace of mind. If I was buying another new Skoda DSG I'd take out the extended warranty mentioned above. In fact I'd regard it as a haggling tool when buying.
I would buy another Skoda if it fitted the bill and would get one with DSG as I like an automatic car and like the way DSG operates.
Others dislike the DSG box and indeed there are some characteristics which need to learned and familiarity gained...primarily I suppose might be the way it will prevent you from "riding the clutch" (bearing in mind it does actually have a clutch....two in fact....) and if you sit on a hill with the car slipping it's clutch it will disengage drive after a predetermined time. It has 'hill hold'which needs to got used to if you use it....but it's not a problem in any way, shape or form. I believe a fellow contributor had to drive cars on and off car transporters and found it tricky to negotiate the operation ....and certainly a torque converter auto. box would be more straight forward. I have a torque converter box on my other car and it's smooth and easy to use - but I prefer to drive my Skoda.
I cannot say for sure that all new DSG boxes are free from the issues which have occurred in the past - because I simply don't know - but I'd certainly buy another at the drop of a hat.
But I'd also buy a CVT equipped car (ie. Qashqai or Jazz) whilst others don't like them either.
I'd probably get another torque converter auto, (as in Hyundai and Kia) but they definitely use a lot more fuel in my experience.
I almost certainly wouldn't get a single clutch automatic (as per the Citigo/Up/Mii - or Peugeot/Citroens) as I don't think they would be as smooth as the DSG. Ford's version of DSG (Powershift) MIGHT be OK but I remain to be convinced. I hated the box in the Citigo/Up/Mii and hated the box in the Jazz during the period that they went away from CVT and favoured the i-shift automated manual system. It was hugely unpopular.
I think that's enough...sorry for information overload.
Edited by KB. on 29/11/2014 at 13:58
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Depends on how long you are going to keep it.
Replaced when warranty expires, up to a point it doesn't matter if it explodes every other month so long as you can put up with the hassle.
If you are going to keep the vehicle for an extended period then i wouldn't advise buying something likely to be troublesome and expensive to fix.
Agree with the warranty sentiment expressed above, if a maker has such little faith in their product that they will only warrant it 3 years from new, and shall we say being rather coy about accepting there might be any common faults (not alone in this) or standing by their product (definately not alone in this), then i wouldn't give them my business anyway.
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Dear all,
thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I have had similar thoughts!
I kept my last car for 8 years so longevity is a factor. If I go for the Yeti, I will not feel as confident in keeping it a long time.
I have been through the Skoda forums too. The challenge is it seems to be a function of mileage. Most people have had the Yeti for a shorter time/distance. If only a moderate percentage of UK Yeti owners have had the problem, and only a fraction of them have reported it online, the true reliability is unknown.
I don't trust VAG to 'do the right thing'. Perhaps that is the true conclusion. I like the idea of getting the 2 year extra warranty as a bargaining chip. With a 3 month wait, however, the dealers haven't been throwing offers around.
If I don't go Yeti, any thoughts on an alternative auto? Toyota?
Many thanks,
Henchard
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The need of an informed Yeti owner to extend his warranty because he cannot trust a major mechanical part should be enough reason to cross the Yeti off the list.
I can confirm the Citroen/Peugeot latest autos are to be avoided like the plague. While they seem to have more longevity thanks to component enhancements compared with the early automated manuals Peugeot introduced (one of the Citroen owners forum contributors is a mechanic), they are not nice to drive.
Do Suzuki do a auto version of the new S cross?
Have Ford improved the longevity of the power shift?
What are Vauxhall Autos like?
Edited by daveyK_UK on 29/11/2014 at 19:17
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Suzuki do have a auto s cross it's a 1.6 petrol CVT with 7 programed ratios.
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Is the S Cross CVT unit something Suzuki have borrowed from Toyota?
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"If I don't go Yeti, any thoughts on an alternative auto? Toyota?"
Wait for the Honda HRV next year, it'll have an auto. option. Not too much detail yet available but plenty of images and outlines of the dimensions etc. Based on the forthcoming Jazz body/chassis/floorpan - whatever it's called.
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Thanks again everyone. I hadn't looked at Suzuki but the HJ review looks pretty good.
The Ford auto also seems unreliable.
I had test driven a Prius and Auris with no great joy. Very sluggish to get going.
I haven't tried Citroen and Peugeot due to perceived reliabilty problems, backed up by forum members here.
Honda won't have the HRV until next year although it does look very interesting. I need something before then unfortunately as they are very reliable. The Civic is too cramped and the CRV is expensive and not fuel efficient enough in the petrol.
I have looked at the Quashqai but found it expensive for what it is.
I tried a Lexus IS300h too. With a very good deal, it might work but it's above my usual price range!
Thanks again for all the advice, I really appreciate it.
Hench
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If there is a local dealer near to you, I would consider Ssangyong. I am not sure if they sell auto versions of their vehicles in the UK, but they do seem to be a brand on the up.
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Henchard, you say you have driven the Auris and Prius, but found them 'sluggish'. Unfortunately, that's deliberate by Toyota, to mentally condition people - let me explain.
Basically, the throttle mapping is incredibly light for the first 70-80% of 'push' on the accelerator. So when you've got the accelerator 25% pressed, you'regetting 25% of the power. If you go to 60%, you get about 40% of the power. Only when you plant your foot do you get the systems giving you good acceleration.
This isn't a Toyota-bash. Other manufacturers do it to - BMW, for example, with their 'ECO-PRO' mode. Putting my 325d into eco-pro is like putting a sail on it. Horribly gutless.
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Just a quick comment about the older 1.2tsi engines fitted to the Yeti and other models. Prior to mid 2011, they were fitted with underspecced and poor quality cam chains, that stretched quickly over time and due to a hydraulic tensioner design which appears to have a habit of releasing when the engine is stood for a while and lack of any captive device, they had a habit of wearing and jumping cogs on the timing sprockets, resulting in instant engine destruction. This usually happened on cold engine starts, or immediately after an oil change on first restart.
In 2011, VAG changed the chain construction, changed the top timing cover to include a plastic guard to restrict chain lifting on the sprocket, but from first hand experience I'm not convinced the solution is all that good.
Not sure how many engines failed or had their chains changed under warranty, but regular oil changes are vital to slow this problem, if you dont have full service history or hear any chain rattle on start up, probably not a good idea to buy the car, my experience is that dealers and VAG dont want to know.
Its not the only VAG engine design that has had camchain related problems, it maybe a major reason why they went back to cambelts in their recent designs, including the 1.2tsi fitted to some new models.
In the past I sang the praises of chains vs cambelts against the opinion of some of the experienced members here, but now I have firmly changed my view.
Edited by brum on 29/11/2014 at 23:23
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My friends 63 plate Toledo 1.2 TSI is a belt.
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I'm still amazed that supposedly VAG appear to be scrimping on engineering quality on components (chain cam engines) that are specified, because they are supposed to be designed to be 'sealed for life', as they are in Japanese (at least) cars, so they do not require replacement if kept well oiled. VAG may as well go back to belts if that is the case.
Every time I begin to get enthused by a European (non-Japanese/Korean) car (e.g. the Seat Leon SC), problems like those described here pop up yet again. Speaking from an entirely personal POV, I just would put up with having to 'pop in' to my local delership for repairs due to poorly engineed parts a dozen or so time over the car's ownership, never mind the car breaking down when I most need it.
In my view, too many car manufacturers have got into the metality of computer software firms who release new products with unproven, barely tested (especially with other kit) technology just to be 'the first' to offer some new 'whizz-bang gizmo' or suchlike. A shame that so many of us fall into that sort of marketing trap...maybe I'm just getting old(er) and set in my ways.
Bah humbug! :-)
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maybe I'm just getting old(er) and set in my ways.
Bah humbug! :-)
You're in good company.
Some of us actively avoid image branding and overhyped trends until they've been proved over at least ten years minimum, when the in crowd have moved on and they become unfashionable and drop to giveaway prices we buy the better stuff, win win.
And they call us luddites, i call us shrewd tight mean miserly and very sensible and got our heads screwed on the right way as we were taught, its rather refreshing being old fashioned..:-)
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Henchard, you say you have driven the Auris and Prius, but found them 'sluggish'. Unfortunately, that's deliberate by Toyota, to mentally condition people - let me explain.
Basically, the throttle mapping is incredibly light for the first 70-80% of 'push' on the accelerator. So when you've got the accelerator 25% pressed, you'regetting 25% of the power. If you go to 60%, you get about 40% of the power. Only when you plant your foot do you get the systems giving you good acceleration.
This isn't a Toyota-bash. Other manufacturers do it to - BMW, for example, with their 'ECO-PRO' mode. Putting my 325d into eco-pro is like putting a sail on it. Horribly gutless.
....and Vauxhall. I hired an estate towards the end of last year and ended up with some incarnation of diesel Insignia last year. I wondered why it felt so sluggish, until I discovered it was only the last bit of thottle pedal that did anything worth talking about. I can understand the environmental reasons why it's done, but it makes for a rubbish drive!
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What happens if the "power" option is used on the Auris, in terms of mapping? I tried an Auris hybrid recently, and whilst "eco" was a bit slow, it's not bad in congested traffic. Selecting "power" made responses quite lively. Not exciting, but then I didn't expect it to be with the claimed power.
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Thanks for the interesting post KB.
As a matter of interest, the latest Peugeot 308, perhaps the 508, has a torque convertor auto. And I notice that the Audi multitronic, which I believe is a type of CVT but notorious for problems, has been dropped for the FWD A6 in 2015 in favour of a DSG.
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Interesting that Peugeot are going back to torque convertors, hopefully they will do likewise with other new models and get rid of the EGS, EGC and ETG.
I take it the new 308 and 508 auto torque convertor is the EAT6?
I presume this is the unit they have been working on with Aisin?
Edited by daveyK_UK on 30/11/2014 at 08:56
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Thanks everyone, I think I will need to do a bit more research before making a decision. I will check in regularly.
Many thanks,
H.
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Thanks for the interesting post KB.
As a matter of interest, the latest Peugeot 308, perhaps the 508, has a torque convertor auto.
2.0s have TC auto. 1.6s have EGC automated manuals. HDi engines, that is.
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