What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Problem with VW Polo electronic gear box
I have a Volkswagen Polo and I have had problems with the vehicle not responding to the accelerator following a period after the vehicle slows down.
The vehicle has done less than 10,000 miles and had its 1st service after one year of use. I reported the above fact at the time of the service and was told by the technician that they have had a number of complaints regarding this problem.
However he advised that the problem was with the nature of the 7 speed automatic DSG automatic gearbox and could not be fixed. I have subsequently written to VW and the retailer and although they are very attentive they state that they are unable to do anything as this is a “characteristic” of this particular model.
The garage advise that they have had many complaints from other customers but as VW claim that the problem is not a fault there is nothing that can be done. I am not happy with this response as the problem is potentially dangerous in certain situations. In particular after slowing down and coming to a halt when travelling up to a road junction, the following situation occurs:
When moving off the vehicle takes some seconds for the engine to respond to the depression of the accelerator and the vehicle is almost in a “stall situation”, exposing the vehicle to a collision from oncoming traffic.
Because there is a slow response when initially depressing the accelerator the driver then presses the accelerator a little more and when the response occurs the vehicle then lurches quickly forward. This resulted in the vehicle crashing into the rear of another vehicle which at the time I put down to my driving but which in fact was due to a fault with the vehicle.
Likewise, whilst travelling on a motorway and slowing and waiting to overtake traffic on the inside lane, the accelerator does not respond immediately when being depressed. Also, sometimes when taking the foot off the accelerator when descending a steep hill, the gearbox changes down and the engine races on occasions exceeding 3500 rpm.
As stated above, the garage from whom I bought the vehicle are unable to offer a solution and as both these situations are dangerous and I have asked Volkswagen what remedy they have to offer to rectify this potentially dangerous situation but other than allowing me to drive another vehicle and putting a modification to the electronic programme can offer no solution that fixes the problem
Can you suggest what my next course of action should be?
The vehicle has done less than 10,000 miles and had its 1st service after one year of use. I reported the above fact at the time of the service and was told by the technician that they have had a number of complaints regarding this problem.
However he advised that the problem was with the nature of the 7 speed automatic DSG automatic gearbox and could not be fixed. I have subsequently written to VW and the retailer and although they are very attentive they state that they are unable to do anything as this is a “characteristic” of this particular model.
The garage advise that they have had many complaints from other customers but as VW claim that the problem is not a fault there is nothing that can be done. I am not happy with this response as the problem is potentially dangerous in certain situations. In particular after slowing down and coming to a halt when travelling up to a road junction, the following situation occurs:
When moving off the vehicle takes some seconds for the engine to respond to the depression of the accelerator and the vehicle is almost in a “stall situation”, exposing the vehicle to a collision from oncoming traffic.
Because there is a slow response when initially depressing the accelerator the driver then presses the accelerator a little more and when the response occurs the vehicle then lurches quickly forward. This resulted in the vehicle crashing into the rear of another vehicle which at the time I put down to my driving but which in fact was due to a fault with the vehicle.
Likewise, whilst travelling on a motorway and slowing and waiting to overtake traffic on the inside lane, the accelerator does not respond immediately when being depressed. Also, sometimes when taking the foot off the accelerator when descending a steep hill, the gearbox changes down and the engine races on occasions exceeding 3500 rpm.
As stated above, the garage from whom I bought the vehicle are unable to offer a solution and as both these situations are dangerous and I have asked Volkswagen what remedy they have to offer to rectify this potentially dangerous situation but other than allowing me to drive another vehicle and putting a modification to the electronic programme can offer no solution that fixes the problem
Can you suggest what my next course of action should be?
Asked on 30 December 2011 by M Ballard
Answered by
Honest John
I'm afraid this is a standard problem with DSGs because of the stupid electronics VAG employs to prevent the engine being revved when the brakes are pressed. Yours seems to be worse than others, though, so I would demand that the garage either investigates the electronics that control the relationship between braking and accelerating, or buys the car back from you at a fair price so you can go out and buy an automatic that works properly. I suggest a Honda Jazz CVT-7.
Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.
The Good Garage Guide
From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.
Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....Similar questions
I purchased a 2011 Skoda Fabia TSI with 19,119 miles on in May 2014. Today - with 31,800 miles on the clock - the DSG has died. The car is only driven about 4000 miles per year. How do I go about pursuing...
Bought new car March 2011 - in garage 4 months later with leak from coolant tank. Garage have advised that leak is from coolant into head gasket, now replacing cylinder head and head gasket. Is this...
I have owned a Sept 2010 1.6TDI Skoda Octavia with the dry 7 speed DSG gearbox from new.
Currently it has about 44,000 miles on. I like the car "it does what it says on the tin"
However there is a recurring...
Related models
.jpg?width=115&height=75&rmode=crop)
Neatly styled and easy to drive. Room for five. Most come with full size spare. High quality interior. Double folding rear seats give flat load area. Frugal 1.2 TDI BlueMotion.
.jpg)
