events ŠKODA Vrchlabí plant: 500,000th DQ 200 transmission

[ColinD]

Today, the ŠKODA Vrchlabí plant has manufactured the 500,000th dual-clutch transmission. The modern direct shift transmission has been rolling off the production line in Vrchlabí since October 2012 and is used in ŠKODA vehicles as well as Volkswagen, Seat and Audi models. The Czech manufacturer, together with Volkswagen Group, had invested around 210 million euros in establishing DSG production.

 

 

• ŠKODA has produced half a million dual-clutch transmissions since October 2012
• High-tech location: 1,500 DSG transmissions daily; 210 million euros invested
• Important employer: around 1,000 people employed in the Vrchlabí plant
• Future: manufacturer expands powertrain competency
• Tradition: 115 years of ŠKODA powertrain development and production

​Source: Mladá Boleslav/Vrchlabí, 06 November 2014 – 

​Around 1,000 employees currently manufacture 1,500 DSG transmissions daily in the ŠKODA plant at the foot of the Krkonoše mountain range. Production takes place five days a week, around the clock in three-shift operation. At the beginning of 2014, the daily production capacity was increased from 1,000 to 1,500 DSG transmissions per day. 

“The figure of half a million manufactured DSG transmissions underlines the performance of the Vrchlabí plant and its employees and marks another milestone for ŠKODA’s powertrain production in the Czech Republic,” says Ivan Slimák, plant manager of DQ 200 transmission production in Vrchlabí. “ŠKODA has developed the plant into a new high-tech location for the company. The production facility is a cornerstone of ŠKODA’s strategy for growth,” says Slimák.

Two years ago, the Czech manufacturer, together with Volkswagen Group, invested around 210 million euros in setting up the production of the DQ 200. For around 27 million euros, new buildings were built or existing production halls were modernised. 180 million euros were invested in technical equipment and additional provisions, for example in the training centre for transmission production, in logistics functions, in Measurement centre and laboratories.

The seven-speed direct shift DQ 200 transmission is one of the most innovative automatic transmissions in the automobile industry. The technology combines the ease of an automatic transmission and the execution of quick gear changes without any reduction in traction. The Vrchlabí plant got the go-ahead for the production of the DQ 200 transmission in spring 2011.
    
The production of the DQ 200 underlines the high competency of the Czech producer in powertrain manufacturing. Alongside the production of transmissions in Vrchlabí, the MQ 200 and MQ/SQ 100 transmissions are rolling off the production line in the Mladá Boleslav plant. Another focus is on engine production. The ŠKODA parent plant Mladá Boleslav is currently building three- and four-cylinder petrol engines for the EA 211 series as well as powertrains for the EA 111 series.

In the coming years, the company wants to further expand its powertrain competency. As the most recent step, at the beginning of September this year, ŠKODA opened a new engine centre in  Mladá Boleslav. The manufacturer, together with Volkswagen Group, invested around 45 million euros in this alone.

ŠKODA has a 115-year-old tradition in engine and powertrain production. In 1899, the founding fathers Laurin and Klement equipped a bicycle with an auxiliary engine for the first time. The Motocyclette was driven by one-cylinder engines with 1.25 or 1.75 PS.

[vrskeith]

Do they all have the correct oil in them now?

 

Are they all mineral based?

 

Improvements made in the Mechatronics units?

[Ootohere]

Volkswagen Group and the Good News Spin. Nothing new there.

 

VW do seem to like announcing the positives and ignoring their failures.

Work Wide Recalls of DQ200 DSG that do not include the EU/ UK.  because we have Governments that assume the position that suits 

the Volkswagen Group.

 

So the UK Gets Service Campaigns or even Secret Service Campaigns.

 

Skoda as part of the VWG can not even come to put the Service Campaign Information on Skoda UK Websites.

Shame on them.

 

Seems like Skoda NZ could do it, and do the right thing by their customers and car owners.

http://skoda.co.nz/news/dsg-service-campaign

[fordfan]

The affected transmissions were built before this factory opened.

[vrskeith]

The affected transmissions were built before this factory opened.

Lets hope all the issues are now put to bed then in the production process and within the build quality.

 

I note on the thread first posted on here, that the recall of vehicles in China was posted in November 2013,production from said plant began in October 2012

Edited 9 November, 2014 by vrskeith

[Ootohere]

The Chinese Plants and Recalls are one Issue.

 

DQ200 as in Cars built in the EU & first Register in the UK up to 2013-2014 have required the Synthetic OIl Changed to Mineral & a ECU Update.

So really i have no idea if these were built in some plant before or after October 2012, 

and in which plant these Boxes were Built.

These DSG are in Right Hand & Left Hand Drive cars in Australia, Qatar etc,  Built in Europe.

 

But Volkswagen are quite good at Press Releases & Briskoda are good at Posting them.

So Confirmation of were and when the possibly troublesome DSG were built should be easy to find.

 

Some Statements from VW, Skoda, Audi & Seat on the Possibly Faulty Gearboxes and assuring owners that VW, Skoda, Audi & Seat will 

see that Owners do not have to suffer financially would be nice.

 

george

 

This got Magazine Space and Media Coverage.

Not so much from May 2014 when the Service Campaigns were required,

so a  U Turn, and little Media Coverage or Press releases.

Just not called a 'RECALL'. So a Service Campaign without it going on the VOSA Recall Website in the UK.

http://autocar.co.uk/car-news/motoring/vw-uk-no-dsg-recall-required

Edited 9 November, 2014 by goneoffSKi

[seboni121]

However, although the Australian-specification VW's use the same DQ200 gearbox as UK cars, a spokesman explained: "It is a problem that relates only to temperate countries with a high incidence of stop and start driving. It requires a set of circumstances - humidity, temperature, dust and congested driving conditions - that we simply don't see in the UK.

Dont understand this ! Our summers are pretty hot and congestion is bad here also so there must be a fundamental issue with the gearbox, so what they are saying only purchase these cars in Iceland and similar ?

[Ootohere]

But that turned out to be guff as much of the Press Releases from VW, Skoda, Audi & Seat turn out to be.

& the Service Campaign is running, 

just not very publicly announced, & that being that much of Europe has a climate much like New Zealand.

 

Sauce for the Goose and all that.

The only difference is that the VWG try to get away with doing things as cheaply as they can possibly in the EU / UK.

& they keep their fingers crossed nobody dies.

 

Corporate Responsibility and all that.

Maybe time the EU Fines were as high as in North America, or just any fines.

& some Jail Time might give the CEO & other senior Executives kick up the backside, or maybe something more painful.

http://skoda.co.nz/news/dsg-service-campaign

[vrskeith]

Perhaps one day , VAG will publish a Marketing "Sorry " via the likes of Briskoda, for  affecting the lives /pleasure of Fabia vRS mk2  ENGINE and DSG DQ200 OWNERS.

 

However, don't hold your breath .

 

My be in the future VOSPA and such organisations will  also do their homework  and not just take the Manufacturers word for issues relating to their faulty products.

 

As a Professional Manufacturing Engineer,Full marks to the production facility /employees for meeting the output targets /objectives for this transmission.

 

However, it would be good to publish improvements to the said units, by virtue of Customer feedback, by living with the unit day on day and having covered many millions of miles /kms.

Give some credit to the owners ,as they are a vital Cog in the wheel(sorry for the pun)  of your continuous improvements of your products.

Edited 10 November, 2014 by vrskeith

[FlyingGecko]

However good/bad VAG is at recall/not recall, design faults, etc, at least they've a better record than Toyota over the past decade or so. Brake systems, fuel systems, airbags, airbag sensors, suspensions, incorrect tyres, seats, steering columns - the list goes on. 6.4 million vehicles for Toyota in 2014 alone.

 

 

 

Just my opinion, that's all. No great loyalty to VAG.

[vrskeith]

However good/bad VAG is at recall/not recall, design faults, etc, at least they've a better record than Toyota over the past decade or so. Brake systems, fuel systems, airbags, airbag sensors, suspensions, incorrect tyres, seats, steering columns - the list goes on. 6.4 million vehicles for Toyota in 2014 alone.

 

 

 

Just my opinion, that's all. No great loyalty to VAG.

Understand where you are coming from.

However,Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers are and have always been very open with their Customers and  have been  honest enough to tell the Customer upfront and take the financial hit. Without being dragged kicking and screaming

[FlyingGecko]

Hi vrskeith, I totally agree, Toyota comes clean early on in the recall process, it's more the quality product reputational damage they (and VAG) suffer from recalls. I echo the disquiet that VAG haven't done a good faith repair across the board with the DSG boxes, it'd be a good PR opportunity and the group could easily manage the cost. But like you, I won't hold my breath! I'm just crossing my fingers that my DSG box lasts the 126k the auto box in my old Saab lasted.

 

As for other Japanese makes, Mitsubishi has a historic record of covering up faults. The were doing it for over 20 years before they were found out, and they WERE dragged kicking and screaming. I have personal experience of Mitsubishi's non-recall of a faulty gearbox.

 

In fairness to Toyota, one of the airbag issues has also affected Nissan and Honda - third party manufacturer issues.

 

Cheers, FG.

[Ootohere]

In fairness to the companies that do 'Recalls', they do 'Recalls'.

 

The Volkswagen Group manage in the UK to convince the DfT / VOSA that issues are not Safety Critical.

so a 'Service Campaign' will do.

Then they do 'Secret Service Campaigns', forgetting to tell Registered Keeper, just people they might have on their system.

Then not Dealerships or Staff know,

& some that do, do not bother to tell the Cars Owner/ Driver or Registered keepers.

 

EG

Fabia MK2 Wiring Looms,  Fabia vRS Heated seat Elements or Switches.

Pretty Safety Critical to some peoples way of thinking.

just as 'Loss of Power or Drive' due to Gearboxes failing,

even if VW can get people at the DfT / VOSA to accept you can roll the car to a place of safety.

 

http://dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls

 

http://skoda.co.nz/news/dsg-service-campaign

Edited 11 November, 2014 by goneoffSKi

[fordfan]

However good/bad VAG is at recall/not recall, design faults, etc, at least they've a better record than Toyota over the past decade or so. Brake systems, fuel systems, airbags, airbag sensors, suspensions, incorrect tyres, seats, steering columns - the list goes on. 6.4 million vehicles for Toyota in 2014 alone.

 

 

 

Just my opinion, that's all. No great loyalty to VAG.

The difference is that Toyota have been honest and saving money has not been their number 1 priority.  When the Fabia 1 automatic was released some of them had an engine cutting out problem in light rain, it turned out to be the engine ECU picking up interference from the intermittent wipers.  Did Skoda announce a recall to replace all the affected engine ECUs, did they hell.  They issued an instruction that they should only be replaced in the event of a customer complaint.

 

If VW group take the same approach as Toyota, their recall list will be just as big.

[Ootohere]

So in late 2016 Skoda has a Service Campaign for some DQ200 built between 2013-2015 but since they are not saying much people will not know which plants they were built at.

Service Campaign '34F5'. 

Might not show on the VIN Checker for recall actions so you might have to ask Skoda / Skoda Main Dealers if you need to know if your vehicle needs this.

http://master.skoda-auto.com/mini-apps/recall-actions 

 

Pity SKODA CZ or SKODA UK etc do not do Press Releases on Service Campaigns or Recall Actions / RECALLS.

Only ever 'Good News stories'.

How many they build or first register, not how many they have to repair or make preventative changes to.

?

So how many DQ200 have Skoda now built and fitted by October 2017, 

and how many failed and have been replaced under warranty, or had replacement Mechatronic Control Units, 

& how many times have Skoda Customer Services panned off owners, said get to **** or 'maybe the dealer will make a goodwill gesture', 

50%, but do not bother us, VW Group do not make DSG's, that was some other company, no point taking us to court. ?

AMT TVS Brainwashed DSG's.pdf

Brochure DQ200 EN.PDF

Edited 15 October, 2017 by Headinawayoffski