The Dark Art of Hill Hold on DSG

[rbz5416]

A search suggests this hasn't been discussed for a few years so just wondering what other users experience are?

I find it very random in it's operation. The single most glaring omission IMO being the lack of a dash indication that it's engaged. Not a great fan of the "You can tell it's not engaged when you start to roll backwards" approach!

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has it working reliably & how.

[Ricmondo]

Mine is as it came from the factory. Always works, never rolls back, absolutely seamless in its operation. I don't really understand what problems people have, am I lucky or too thick to realise that secretly it has all manner of terrible flaws?

[SRGTD]

I don't have DSG but hill hold has always worked as it should and I've never experienced it not engaging/rolling back or not releasing when moving off. The hill hold in my Polo GTI is better than it was in my mk6 Golf GTI, which occasionally didn't release the brakes when moving off. No such problems in the Polo though.

[RUM4MO]

I don't have DSG but hill hold has always worked as it should and I've never experienced it not engaging/rolling back or not releasing when moving off. The hill hold in my Polo GTI is better than it was in my mk6 Golf GTI, which occasionally didn't release the brakes when moving off. No such problems in the Polo though.

Being a lurker/poster on a few of these forums covering Fabia, Polo and Ibiza, it does seem that some DSG car owners just do not or cannot get to grips with DSG + Hill Hold - it seems that this combo can be miles away from how 5 or 6MT + Hill Hold behave/work!

[rbz5416]

Possibly part of my problem is the previous 30 years of driving regular autos, where rolling back is nigh impossible. I'd quite happily ignore hill hold if VW had managed to design an armrest for the SEL that doesn't require contortions to operate the handbrake.

But as I said, why they can't have an indication that it's engaged is beyond me.

It's going in for a random error message regarding the selector in a couple of weeks so I'll ask them to check it out while it's there.

[RUM4MO]

I'm just glad that I initially ignored/forgot about the Hill Hold function in my 2011 S4 6MT, until my wife got her new Polo SEL in August 2015, as VW only fit "Hill Hold Lite" to the Polos, and my S4 has proper Hill Hold,ie it holds "for ever" and not just a few seconds - or I'd be a bit annoyed when I was driving that Polo and it suddenly started running backwards! I'm guessing that Hiil Hold "proper" can only get used on a car that has an electric handbrake as my S4 automatically applies the handbrake if Hill Hold is enabled and the driver, removes the seat belt or opens the driver's door or switches the engine off - in the interests of safety.

On the subject of the armrest, yes, I always meant to fit one to my wife's old 9N Polo but my wife objected, on her current 6C Polo SEL, that arm rest remains up even when I'm driving that car, I only drop it if I'm parked up.

I don't enjoy having an electric handbrake in my car, but at least it is possible to have an arm rest if you have an electric handbrake!

[Ricmondo]

I'd imagine the designers didn't incorporate an indicator because it is a device that requires no driver input and just does what it's supposed to. I agree that if it is not functioning as intended a warning light would be handy but that would in effect be a corporate admission that the design is imperfect.

My previous car, the only other modern car I've owned with hill hold sounded a bleep if it failed to engage, a case of the Italians either being less confident or more honest than their Tutonic equivalents.

Some fifty years ago I used to drive a car which pared a preselector gearbox with a hillhold device using a large and dangerous sprag that occasionally threatened to noisily burst through the floor and deprive you of your manhood, scarey and only left in operation for a very short time!

[Willni]

Can't speak for automatic but just curious, the brake engages about 70% or so when it's using hill hold and than after the period of hill hold I forget the exact time say 6 seconds, it engages the last 30% and that's how I know at least in a manual not sure if it's similar, but hopefully it helps a bit.

[pipsyp]

Hill hold with DSG is vital in my opinion. I had a Mk2 facelift Octavia vRS DSG that didnt have it and it was a nightmare.

The problem with DSG is that occasionally the clutches dont lock up when you expect them to....or v v occasionally dont at all. Its most disconcerting when you are in a hill (either looking to go forwards or backwards if reversing) to find when you press the go pedal you roll away in a flurry of revs.....been there done that and does happen on both 6 speed wet and 7 speed dry box cars ive owned.....the dry box probably did it less to be honest.

So its not so much the Hill Hold but the DSG IMHO thats the problem.

Dont get me started on Auto Hold or the e-Handbrakes on VAG cars. I had two Mk7 GTDs...auto hold on both would stick often...to the point you'd turn it off...also my last one developed a habit of deactivating the handbrake upon exiting the car....did it once and rolled away with my young son still strapped in the back....shame really VAG do make a v good car but their modern (in some respect overcomplex) electronics can be a bit difficult to trust.