# DSG Hesitation? Likely Hill Assist.



## Rottgrub (Dec 5, 2016)

So, maybe some of you know this, but it was news to me. I've been having problems with rough starts on my Beetle since I received it. Every time I try to accelerate from a stop, and nothing happens, I lose my sanity, just a little. Lots of reading initially pointed to the DSG, and speaking with two different dealer service centers assured me that this was just how the DSG worked. 

Luckily, I stumbled onto a thread where they figured out that this is actually an issue with the Hill Stop/Assist feature usually designed for manual trans cars. Apparently, they've been quietly activating this in DSG models for a few years now, and it can cause exactly what I'd been fighting with.

There are 4 settings for this in VCDS. You can turn it off completely, or there are "light/normal/hard" settings of some sort. I'm headed to the local VCDS shop tomorrow to get this modified on my car. I'll report back on what I find.

Cheers!


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## DCFAB.US (Jan 17, 2015)

Subscribed... if played around with this feature in VCDS nothing changed. If they do change get the sequence/changes they make please. I'm thinking as clutches wear out there is more hesitation, I also did adaptation but it didn't change much either.


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## Rottgrub (Dec 5, 2016)

Alrighty, I finally got in to have the Hill Assist disabled on my DSG Beetle, my findings are below.

*The Good:* It's a night and day difference. All the hesitation and feeling like I was fighting with the car to accelerate is gone. Completely. We have a lot of hills in Pittsburgh, and I'm guessing that the Hill Assist was coming on 50% of the time I came to a stop. Now there is no delay when coming off the brake pedal and accelerating, regardless of incline. Launching was so much easier, and me still used to the delay, I'm honestly surprised I didn't get a speeding ticket.

*The Bad:* Just like on a manual, the DSG can drift backwards until you get on the gas. If someone is right on your ass, there is a chance you could roll into them. This only seemed to happen on VERY steep hills, but still something to be aware of.

*Conclusion:* Now that I've verified that the problem is caused by Hill Assist, and not some problem with the DSG, I will probably reactivate Hill Assist. In VCDS there are three strength settings for this: Early (Low RPM Start), Normal, and Late (High RPM). From the little I have read, the "Early" setting could be okay. Hold until the engine hits a much lower RPM, and then lets go of brakes.

If anyone has tested out the Hill Assist settings, and has a suggestion, I'm all ears. =)


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## buickman_86 (Nov 28, 2016)

Rottgrub said:


> Alrighty, I finally got in to have the Hill Assist disabled on my DSG Beetle, my findings are below.
> 
> *The Good:* It's a night and day difference. All the hesitation and feeling like I was fighting with the car to accelerate is gone. Completely. We have a lot of hills in Pittsburgh, and I'm guessing that the Hill Assist was coming on 50% of the time I came to a stop. Now there is no delay when coming off the brake pedal and accelerating, regardless of incline. Launching was so much easier, and me still used to the delay, I'm honestly surprised I didn't get a speeding ticket.
> 
> ...


After seeing this I have changed mine from "normal" to "light" I like it a lot better thanks for the info!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

Rottgrub said:


> Alrighty, I finally got in to have the Hill Assist disabled on my DSG Beetle, my findings are below.
> 
> *The Good:* It's a night and day difference. All the hesitation and feeling like I was fighting with the car to accelerate is gone. Completely. We have a lot of hills in Pittsburgh, and I'm guessing that the Hill Assist was coming on 50% of the time I came to a stop. Now there is no delay when coming off the brake pedal and accelerating, regardless of incline. Launching was so much easier, and me still used to the delay, I'm honestly surprised I didn't get a speeding ticket.
> 
> ...



This is a great write-up. Well done and thank you.
Do you have much experience with the standard Beetle transmission? Can you give any impressions of how the one drives vs. the other?

Thanks.

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