Cupra 300 DSG Gearbox failure just over 1000 miles!

[Moonsoutgoonsout]

Writing this while parked up and being told the gearbox on my 300 st 4drive has piled in. This after only light spirited driving well within what the cupra should be capable of, and after properly bedding it in for 1000 miles (this occurred at 1032 on a warmed up engine).

Pissed off doesn't come close. The AA and Seat Assist have been helpful so far, but this car crapping out already is shocking. Code clearing, reconnect of the gearbox/ECU cable, fuse testing, battery off/on all done to no avail. Granted these things are mechanical and can therefore fail, but are VAG this prone now?

Waiting out to hear on loan car, what work needs to be done and when it'll get back to me. This car was supposed to be fun yet reliable, but has massively let me down. I've enough on before this as it is.

 

[hallsy67]

Sorry to hear about the problem. You have the 6 speed dsg on the st I think so will be interesting to see what seat say was at fault for it failing. I know it doesn't help but you've been unlucky as that gearbox is normally a strong box. Hopefully be fixed quickly and no problems from there.

 

[Oldbutswift]

Six or seven speed box?

Rotten luck,but better now than when the car is three and a half years old.

Please keep us informed about the fault and how they treat you...really well I hope.

 

[Moonsoutgoonsout]

Appreciate the responses guys. It's the 7 speed DSG equipped to all new copras with that as drive train.

So update: not long after posting the above, did a restart to get some heating going - and the red gearbox failure warning that was preventing the car from engaging gear... Was gone. Selected drive, slight move, then reverse slight move, all was well. Called SEAT assist who advised limping home gently across a short distance over town, which I did. Since then it's had 3 drives today with no problems to report, only in comfort and sport and light driving. Initially had a check engine management light on this morning, though that disappeared too after the first drive today. As it stands, upset last night aside it's driving normally (no noticeable issues with gearbox, no issues with driving), errors clear.

So the gearbox and car are behaving, which suggests the gearbox isn't perhaps knackered as thought. I can only assess the mechatronic may have been thrown off by different driving styles (and that I was using manual mode a fair bit). DSG also may have become too hot on the drive. Looks like an error code which wouldn't clear (but prevented the car from starting for just over an hour).

Being a Sunday, service dept was closed today. I might look to have it in to check for any gremlins tomorrow.

The plot thickens. New owners of 7-DSG, I'd advise caution just after run-in, you do not want this torpedo-ing you as it has us. It might otherwise be a 'wait and see' if you can afford to (let the engine/gearbox cool over a long period).

 

[LouG]

It's controlled by ones and zeros, anything's possible. We haven't had any glitches with either of our DSG's. Touch wood.

 

[Tara]

Nightmare and good luck.
Just to add the 6 speed are well proven now with plenty running increased bhp in the golf and Leon range but it's still early on in the 7 speed and glitches can happen.

 

[Moonsoutgoonsout]

Update: Didn't manage to get around to getting it seen to today, but otherwise still behaving. Hopefully a one-off glitch.

 

[AndrewJB]

I got one of the press cars to do this once, did continuous launches for about 15 minutes, around 30 launches then it come up with the red warning, left it to cool down for 15 mins and it was fine.

 

[alper]

So if that was just over-heating of some sort without permanent errors/issues remaining I would imagine it doesn't classify as a failure?

About to pick up a new car with the DQ381 7-speed to which I planned on throwing a JB4 soon after the first 1000miles, might want to prolong that probabtion period a bit more.

Still, spirited driving and changing between modes shouldn't result in DSG overheating at all. I've driven the previous DSG6 with around 100Nm of extra torque thrown to it at b-roads, track days etc. without ever skipping a beat. What Andrew writes above, repeated launches sure makes sense but not just fast driving. We'll need to wait and see I guess.

 

[Tara]

I got one of the press cars to do this once, did continuous launches for about 15 minutes, around 30 launches then it come up with the red warning, left it to cool down for 15 mins and it was fine.

Makes sense as they are a clutch at the end of the day and can over heat.