I have a T roc with this engine and have never had a problem with it since buying it 15 months ago.It is quiet powerful and economical. No doubt some have issues but given that this unit is used by literally millions of vag cars I suspect that we would hear a lot more about this if it were still a problem. My car is also a DSG which gets abuse on here as well but cars I have owned with this gearbox have been faultless.Reckon you can get unlucky with any make or model but most people don't.

"You've Got To Ask Yourself One Question: 'Do I Feel Lucky? ' Well, Do Ya, Punk?"

Personally I never feel lucky when it comes to cars. So I would avoid both this engine and DSG. My son has just handed back (company vehicle) a three year old Octavia DSG that never shifted quite right from new despite multiple trips to the dealer. I guess its on a forecourt now as 'Approved Used'.

I don't think 'luck' should be a consideration when spending potentially tens of thousands on a vehicle.

I don't think 'luck' should be a consideration when spending potentially tens of thousands on a vehicle.

No way round it unless buying new, and even then, 'luck' could well be a factor in how your chosen dealer deals with any problems you may have.

Thanks for all the replies, as always much appreciated, however my question remains unanswered.

I was wondering if there was any evidence that if I bought a car with that engine, at say 2 years/20K miles second hand, thoroughly test drove it under the appropriate conditions and established that it wasn't suffering from the hesitation issues, could I relax and consider that I've bought 'a good 'un'. or is it a problem that can develop later on in the life of the car?

It may well be that there's not enough info out there to answer that specific question yet but thanks again.

My own experience with VAG main dealers is that they will go to the ends of the earth to resolve a problem if they are confident that they can claim the warranty costs from VAG.

An insider at Audi told me that they have never failed to sort a problem to the extent they write the car off and refund the money unlike when he worked at a French main dealer where authorisations fro Head Office were not unheard of !

or is it a problem that can develop later on in the life of the car?

With the amount of problems with that car that has been reported and often Not, as some drivers keep it to themselves, with any car any problem can occur at any time in its life regardless of how its looked after, so IMO if you have doubts about a car you really want you either leave it alone or risk it

From the lack of reports from owners (who can stay anonymous via forums like this and others) since the original 'software fix' was applie a couple of years ago, I'd say that the hesitation issue has been resolved. As for DSG issues, they are seemingly as they always have:

• Dependent upon which box is mated to which engine;
• When the car was built (i.e. which box was used);
• How each owner has driven/treated the car - including driving pattern. This factor, rather like the diesel oil diluation and DPF issues from other makes, is often the most important factor, because it determines how much wear or usage type contributes to or exacerbates the inherant problem.

Someone who drives the car in heavy traffic a lot, inching forward essentially riding the clutch, or regularly parks their car up a very steep drive will likely experience far more problems with the DSG box (or subsequent owners will) than someone mainly doing journeys at reasonable speeds with normal gearchanges without hard acceleration.