Polo GTI confused gearbox

[PoloGTInoob]

I have a 2020 Polo GTI DSG and when you drive normally the gearbox is pretty smooth and slick. However, when I drive it hard I notice major shortcomings.

1) if I accelerate hard eg. 0 to 40mph and then come off the throttle as I need to stop accelerating, the gearbox gets confused and will just sit in the current gear eg 2nd gear seemingly indefinitely, revving hard, until I manually change it or change speed significantly, which sort of brings it back its senses.

2) sometimes the gear changes when accelerating hard aren't smooth and it sort of pauses and lurches between gears.

Wondering if this is just typical for this model or if my gearbox needs a service or reset, or something. Only 20k miles and has been like this since I got the car at 10k miles.

[SRGTD]

How many miles has your car done? Service intervals for the 6 speed wet clutch DQ250 are 40k miles.

With the DSG in my 2020 Polo GTI+ I don’t recognise the behaviour that you describe, but then I rarely accelerate very hard in my car.

[PoloGTInoob]

Wow, you have a GTI and don't accelerate hard

It's only 20k miles but was like this since I got it with 10k on clock

[SRGTD]

Wow, you have a GTI and don't accelerate hard

No, the usual routes I drive are so congested and the roads are single carriageway, so most of the time it’s only possible to go with the flow of the traffic. IMHO there are limited opportunities to use a GTI to its full potential, so I won’t be replacing it with another hot hatch when I decide to change it; it’ll be a ’normal’ car for me and after nearly 22 years of VW’s, the replacement probably won’t be a VW.

[TrebleTA]

I have not noticed that exactly, but have the 7 speed auto, but if you are in sports mode it will hold the rev as it will think your takening a bend and wants to give you max torque on exit, if you get what I mean.
I would just put in sports, soon as traffic etc back normal. Gears change should be faster in sports to normal, slower still in eco I believe

[PoloGTInoob]

Wow, you have a GTI and don't accelerate hard

No, the usual routes I drive are so congested and the roads are single carriageway, so most of the time it’s only possible to go with the flow of the traffic. IMHO there are limited opportunities to use a GTI to its full potential, so I won’t be replacing it with another hot hatch when I decide to change it; it’ll be a ’normal’ car for me and after nearly 22 years of VW’s, the replacement probably won’t be a VW.

Agreed, although I live on the outskirts of London and regularly drive out to a lovely stretch of A road which has a nice mix of occasional traffic lights and roundabouts which gives me a chance to drive the car hard. Without that I'd probably feel the same as you.

[PoloGTInoob]

if you are in sports mode it will hold the rev as it will think your takening a bend

Yes, it could be this, but its still just a weird experience driving down a straight road at 30mph with the gearbox stuck in 2nd at 4000rpm.

[TrebleTA]

Yes still seems strange, I would get it checked

[PO10ASH]

As someone that's tested to see if my engine still works.. multiple times, I've yet to experience what you've described.

Where did you buy the car from, could the DSG box be software tuned /modified?

[lancslad1985]

Every automatic I’ve had or driven holds onto the gear and revs for a time if you floor it to a certain speed. My polo gtis did it and my current car also does it. Seems to be a function of an automatic, it holds it there in case you decide to continue pushing on. It does eventually click back into shifting up and lowering the revs after a minute or so.

I’ve seen the same with lurching. Sometimes you switch them on and the car only moves slowly but a little push on the pedal and it lurches. Never had that when accelerating hard though, just when you first turn it on.

[redgti]

Auto gearboxes in my experience are often in the 'wrong' gear. DSG is really cool but doesn't know what's about to happen so the same thing happens.
We have the same car as you and I'm not sure it would be in 2nd at 40MPH in any situation except accelerating hard- I'll test it if you want!
Pauses and lurches - what are you doing? just flooring the throttle?
I tend to drive it in manual now unless stuck behind people (most of the time).
(this is not my car but my mother's).

[redgti]

Wow, you have a GTI and don't accelerate hard

No, the usual routes I drive are so congested and the roads are single carriageway, so most of the time it’s only possible to go with the flow of the traffic. IMHO there are limited opportunities to use a GTI to its full potential, so I won’t be replacing it with another hot hatch when I decide to change it; it’ll be a ’normal’ car for me and after nearly 22 years of VW’s, the replacement probably won’t be a VW.

Where are you headed out of interest? (and why?)
I was thinking of moving *to* VW!
Basically I hate modern cars because of the complexity and the weight and the numb steering and I am capable of driving myself without stupid nannies...
But I do love adaptive cruise when stuck behind the slows.
Previous cars 205gti / fiat uno 45 / 205gti / 106 diesel / 205gti / 205 DTurbo / 106 1.1 carb / 106gti / Clio 182 / BMW 330i / Citroen DS3 (current). Weird list I know!

[SRGTD]

Wow, you have a GTI and don't accelerate hard

No, the usual routes I drive are so congested and the roads are single carriageway, so most of the time it’s only possible to go with the flow of the traffic. IMHO there are limited opportunities to use a GTI to its full potential, so I won’t be replacing it with another hot hatch when I decide to change it; it’ll be a ’normal’ car for me and after nearly 22 years of VW’s, the replacement probably won’t be a VW.

Where are you headed out of interest? (and why?)
I was thinking of moving *to* VW!
Basically I hate modern cars because of the complexity and the weight and the numb steering and I am capable of driving myself without stupid nannies...
But I do love adaptive cruise when stuck behind the slows.
Previous cars 205gti / fiat uno 45 / 205gti / 106 diesel / 205gti / 205 DTurbo / 106 1.1 carb / 106gti / Clio 182 / BMW 330i / Citroen DS3 (current). Weird list I know!

No idea at present what’ll replace my GTI+. I always start my research well in advance of actually changing my car so it might be 12 months (or more) before I make the change.

[SRGTD]

Wow, you have a GTI and don't accelerate hard

No, the usual routes I drive are so congested and the roads are single carriageway, so most of the time it’s only possible to go with the flow of the traffic. IMHO there are limited opportunities to use a GTI to its full potential, so I won’t be replacing it with another hot hatch when I decide to change it; it’ll be a ’normal’ car for me and after nearly 22 years of VW’s, the replacement probably won’t be a VW.

This is the result of driving on one of my usual congested routes today in my GTI+; at one point during the journey, the mpg was up at 59.1. I very rarely got that sort of mpg from the VW diesels I’ve owned in the past!

IMG_1534.jpeg (77.42 KiB) Viewed 145 times

[PoloGTInoob]

Wow that's very good MPG, I'm jealous. The most I've had on a drive is just over 50MPG while driving thru Cornwall at ~50 to 60mph. Didn't think 58mpg was possible!