2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32 Complaints

BOUGHT MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32 ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND I'VE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION EVER SINCE NEW. MANY TIMES WHEN 1. THE MOMENT BEFORE I COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, OR 2. TAKE OFF FROM A COMPLETE STOP OR, 3. SWITCHED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, THE CAR WOULD JERK/BUCK WITH A CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THE RPM WOULD ALSO SPIKE UP W/O THE CAR MOVING AND THEN COME BACK DOWN BEFORE THE CAR WILL START MOVING. TOOK IT IN TO THE VW DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED A BASIC DSG SETTING RE-SET, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. MANY OTHER VW OWNERS ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM IN MANY ONLINE FORUMS IF YOU DO A SEARCH ONLINE. *TR

2008 VOLKSWAGEN DSG TRANSMISSION ISSUES: HARSH SHIFTING IN LOW SPEED MANEUVERS, ROUGH SHIFTING SOMETIMES, SLOW ENGAGEMENT TO REVERSE, SLOW SHIFTING WHEN COMING TO A STOP CAUSING "LURCHING". *TR

MY 2008 VW R32 WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION SURGES FORWARD AS SOON AS I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKES IN TRAFFIC OR STOP LIGHTS. IT WILL SURGE FORWARD AND THEN ROCK LIKE SOMEONE DUMPED THE CLUTCH EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO MANUAL CLUTCH. THE CAR ALSO IS VERY CLUNKY IN REVERSE, AND ROCKS ALOT. THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR ABOUT EVERY OTHER DAY. I HAVE BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND ALL THEY DO IS SAY THAT THEY CANT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND THEY "RESET" THE DSG SETTINGS. THIS WILL FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A DAY BEFORE IT STARTS AGAIN. I HAVE TOLD THEM THAT I THINK IT IS THE MECHATRONICS UNIT AND THEY JUST SAY THAT THEY DON'T THINK IT IS AND NEVER REALLY EXPLORE THE PROBLEM. *TR

PURCHASED A 2008 VW R32 IN OCTOBER OF 08 EQUIPPED WITH THE 6 SPEED DSG TRANSMISSION. I WAS SATISFIED WITH THE CAR AS A WHOLE HOWEVER RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SOME FAIRLY SCARY ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE THAT I RELATE TO THE TRANSMISSION. OFTEN TIMES, WHEN MANUALLY DOWNSHIFTING FROM 3RD TO 1ST WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE ENGINE WILL COMPLETELY LOSE POWER AND THERE IS A APPROXIMATELY 1-2 SECOND DELAY FROM HITTING THE GAS TO ANY TYPE OF FORWARD MOTION. THIS ALSO OCCURS FROM 5TH TO 3RD OR 4TH TO SECOND. IT IS QUITE ALARMING WHEN YOU DOWNSHIFT TO SCOOT INTO TRAFFIC OR OFF AN ON RAMP AND THE CAR RESPONDS WITH NO POWER. MORE THAN ONE OCCASION I HAVE NEARLY BEEN REAR ENDED AS THE CAR SIMPLY BEGAN TO COAST DURING A LANE CHANGE INTO TRAFFIC. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET ANY INFORMATION FROM VW AND AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALER AND NOT BEING ABLE TO REPLICATE IT, WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A "QUIRK" OF THE TRANSMISSION. I FEEL THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY PROBLEM AND AS MY CAR IS LEASED, I HAVE NO RECOURSE IN GETTING OUT OF THE VEHICLE AS I WILL ACCRUE EARLY TERMINATION FEES AND SUCH. I FEEL SOMETHING SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO ON THIS TRANSMISSION SO THAT NOBODY IS HURT DRIVING A DSG EQUIPPED VEHICLE. *TR

THE DSG TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD AND HAS A JERKY FEELING AT SLOW SPEEDS AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP. JERKS WHILE PULLING AWAY. SOMETIMES SLAMS IN REVERSE. *TR

RPM PULSES OR SURGES AT LOW RPM, WHEN CREEPING ALONG IN D AS IN A PARKING LOT OR IN TRAFFIC. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE OPERATING SAFELY AT NEAR STOP, THE CAR SURGES AHEAD PULSING THE RPM BY ABOUT 100 RPM. THE SYMPTOM HAS BEEN VERY REPEATABLE THROUGH OUT THE 21K+ MILES I HAVE ON THE CAR. THE DEALER HAS LOOKED AT IT TWICE AND SAYS THIS IS NORMAL DSG TRANSMISSION BEHAVIOR. IF I PUT THE CAR IN S MODE, IT WILL NOT DO IT. THEY NEED TO REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE SO IT WILL NOT HAPPEN IN D. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT CAN AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY VW. I HAVE TALKED WITH SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS OF THIS TRANSMISSION/CAR AND THEY EXPERIENCE THE SAME. *TR

VW 2008 R32 WITH DSG TRANSMISSION. MANUAL DOWNSHIFTS FROM 5>4, 4>3, AND 3>2 CAUSE A DANGEROUS POWER OR THROTTLE LAG FROM THE MOTOR. SINCE DOWNSHIFTS ARE OFTEN DONE IN PREPARATION FOR A SAFETY MANEUVER WHILE DRIVING, THIS LAG CAUSES THE MANEUVER TO FAIL LEAVING THE CAR AND DRIVER VULNERABLE AND WITHOUT POWER WHILE MID-MANEUVER. I CAN REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. VW SERVICE CENTERS HAVE NOT SEEN TCU FAULT CODES, NOR HAVE THEY DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH I HAVE INSTRUCTED THEM HOW TO DO SO. APPARENTLY THEY ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE PROPER INSTRUCTIONS TO REPLICATE IT. NO SERVICE HAS BEEN PERFORMED ASIDE FROM RESETTING THE TCU WITH FACTORY SETTINGS A NUMBER OF TIMES. *TR

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT MY 2008 VW R32 IT WAS A DECENTLY SMOOTH RIDING CAR. AFTER A FEW MONTHS IT GOT REALLY ROUGH. WHEN I START MOVING FROM A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR JERKS BACK AND FOURTH 1 OR 2 TIMES ROUGHLY. THIS HAPPENS 100% OF THE TIME. ALSO, THE CAR SLAMS INTO FIRST GEAR REALLY HARD WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP MAKING ALL PASSENGER'S BODIES SHIFT FORWARD FROM MOMENTUM. IT FEELS LIKE I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE. ALSO SOMETIMES FROM A STOP WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS, THE CAR HESITATES BEFORE SLAMMING INTO GEAR AFTER 2 OR 3 SECONDS OF NOT RESPONDING TO MY THROTTLE INPUT. THIS HAS SCARED ME IN A COUPLE INSTANCES BECAUSE I ALMOST GOT INTO A REAR END COLLISION FROM SOMEONE BEHIND ME NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND ALMOST SLAMMING INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR. LUCKILY I KNEW THAT MY CAR HAD THIS CHARACTERISTIC SO I REACTED QUICK ENOUGH TO ACCELERATE IN TIME TO GET OUT OF THEIR WAY. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE MECHATRONICS UNIT. AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD SUCCESS FIXING THE PROBLEM BY GETTING A REPLACEMENT MECHATRONICS UNIT INSTALLED. ALMOST EVERYONE I HAVE MET WITH THE SAME CAR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM I DO. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FIX THIS OR PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL FOR WHIPLASH FROM REAR END COLLISIONS OR WORSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING AND HE SMELLED GASOLINE. HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER ALLOWING IT TO COOL DOWN FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. THE VEHICLE OPERATES NORMALLY FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE FAILURE RECURS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE STALLED ONCE AGAIN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V093000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW IF THE VEHICLE WILL BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,000.

THE CAR LOSES POWER (I.E. HICCUPS OR HESITATES) AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, MOST NOTICEABLE ON EVEN THE SLIGHTEST ACCELERATION - EVEN WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON. AT TIMES IT WILL IDLE IN A SIMILAR STAGGERED WAY. WHEN CITY DRIVING THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURS ON ACCELERATION. IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY BUT ONCE IT STARTS, IT PERSISTS UNTIL THE CAR HAS BEEN SHUT OFF AND COOLS DOWN. *TR