Audi shifts away from dual clutch transmissions

[mik]

Originally Posted by v8snerlo

I'm sure repairs on any gearbox isn't cheap. VW made the mistake of going to the dry clutch seven speeds as opposed to the wet clutches in the six speeders which were a lot more reliable. Granted, they take a little getting used to driving as they are essentially a robotised manual gearbox. I can speak personally about this as my two cars have a dsg and a conventional torque converter. If I am honest, the dsg in my R36 s**ts all over the tranny in the territory. I'm sure that if ford had kept the proper zf for the diesels then it might be a little closer but for smoothness in normal driving, the dsg wins hands down in my situation. As for reliability, depends on how astute the owner is on maintenance. Ford failed with their dsg but don't be quick to tar all dsg's based on one brand. My dad has an 8 speeder torque converter in his Q7 and it is a great smooth gearbox. They handle the power of modern cars brilliantly and are very smooth at doing it. Everyone will have a differing opinion maybe to what I have experienced but this is just my opinion. I'm not against one gearbox as opposed to the other and I welcome torque converters back, especially with the modern ones with a thousand gears! ��

i get what your saying with the driving experience , and it great your dad has had a good experience with his limo , but im thinking the over all experience as time goes on , reliability ,repairs , cost etc ..

i suspect that most territory cog swappers will ........barring dodgey build quality or poorly maintained ed ones will still be running nicely in ten years time with just general maintenance .

its probably a bit unfair to compare the old technology , but looking at my stoneage AU which has done 240,000 kliks of varied driving from being a tow vehicle to driven like grandpa , to chirping it into second gear when a bit of youthful exuberance shows it head on the odd occasion.
i look back on the nearly 11 years ive had this old banger for , and the only thing the auto has had , is an extension housing seal , an auto cooler when i first bought it , servicing by yours truly until last couple of years until old age health started dwindling a bit, and a line pressure adjustment during a service about two years ago by my new auto servicing fella.
i might add the auto still sounds good and works well , it will probably out last the car i think .
This to me is the big picture,
yes the old torque converter auto may not quite have the driveability of the newer ones , but simplicity , reliability, ease of maintenance , cost of maintenance ,general owner satisfaction , it is pretty hard to beat imo , and you dont need a workshop computer to re calibrate everything after doing maintenance ,it just works .