Dual Clutch Reliability ?

Roland Butter

Roland Butter

Roland Butter

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Some bad vibes from motoring journos re dual clutch reliability and longevity, the Ford Mondeo [ Fusion in the US ] is subject to particular low mileage burn outs under warranty according to some sources.
Many people [ including me ] thought the Mondeo's Powershift was just a trade name for a normal autobox.

I didn't keep the Ford Vignale long enough to experience problems and it worked great.

Any owners of high mileage dual clutch cars still happily chugging along ?
 
My take on DCTs is that they prioritise shift times, so the transition from non-stressed to stressed is pretty much instant which no material handles well. Purely a suspicion though, engineers have probably solved it.
 
Never had any problems with the three DSG cars I’ve had. And one of those was an old 53 plater with well over 100k on the clock.
 
Had one DSG, one S-tronic and on my second DCT box now...never had any problems. You just have to make sure they get serviced in a timely manner and they should be fine.
 
Had mine for 3.5 years now with no issues whatsoever. The Ford Powershift box is pretty reliable if you service it on time (every 3 years or 37k miles). The one fitted to Mondeos, S-Maxes, Galaxies etc in the UK is different to the less well-thought of dry-clutch variant that is more common in the US.

You do read of more DSG-related problems but then there are gazillions of them in circulation so it's no surprise, as well as being statistically logical, that the internet will contain tales of woe. They have a similar service interval too, I believe, yet many owners probably neglect to realise/bother.
 
When i was after the Mondeo, i was put off the powershift as soon as i saw the servicing schedule and cost. Stuck to manual again. If they ever become maintenance free or much longer intervals that may change in the future.
 
Ive had 2 dsg cars and currently own two. My old Ibiza Cupra had the 7 speed dry clutch which up a set of clutches. It was well known the massing 180bhp it made was near the limits of the box, and the clutches were not cooled so they would over heat. New set of clutches later which VW upgraded it was fine after.

However the 6 speed in my Leon Cupra Mk3 has been flawless and is very smooth. My wife also uses the 7 speed in her Leon and thats been very good but isn't as smooth.

All in all I think the Dsg or other forms have had enough time to mature, but when they go wrong it isn't normally a cheap fix. I find it very hard going back to a manual now.
 
matthab said:
Ive had 2 dsg cars and currently own two. My old Ibiza Cupra had the 7 speed dry clutch which up a set of clutches. It was well known the massing 180bhp it made was near the limits of the box, and the clutches were not cooled so they would over heat. New set of clutches later which VW upgraded it was fine after.

However the 6 speed in my Leon Cupra Mk3 has been flawless and is very smooth. My wife also uses the 7 speed in her Leon and thats been very good but isn't as smooth.

All in all I think the Dsg or other forms have had enough time to mature, but when they go wrong it isn't normally a cheap fix. I find it very hard going back to a manual now.
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Yep, when they go wrong on an older car it's often not financial viable to repair it. You can find used manual boxes in good condition pretty cheap but not DSGs, plus the labour costs. Even individual parts can cost 100s. The oil is mega expensive as well.
 
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robj20 said:
When i was after the Mondeo, i was put off the powershift as soon as i saw the servicing schedule and cost. Stuck to manual again. If they ever become maintenance free or much longer intervals that may change in the future.
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Every 36 months or 3 years and 150quid doesn't seem that bad?
 
robj20 said:
When i was after the Mondeo, i was put off the powershift as soon as i saw the servicing schedule and cost. Stuck to manual again. If they ever become maintenance free or much longer intervals that may change in the future.
Click to expand...

Even your typical auto-box will have a service schedule (although some manufacturers ignore this - a la BMW and ZF).
 
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