Has anyone tried an alternative DSG oil?

[fr1nklyn]

Hi Guys,

 

Wondering has anyone tried an alternative DSG oil? I'm observing poor transmission performance when the outside temp is below zero( pulling and shaking ) during the winter months. And also when the oil is really hot - let's say if I drive it with 80-100mph on the highway and then enter in the city and drive it in traffic.

 

The car is on 75k miles and Skoda said the DSG(the bulletproof DQ250) box is working fine.

 

I just want to try another oil in order to try to cure this behavior...

 

I've read that VW has moved from full to semi synthetic oil over the years due to issues which is one of my concerns not to do it. On other side reputable brands like Amsoil, RedLine, Motul, Liqui Moly and others, are offering their own DCT oil alternatives.

 

It's also interesting that the only approved(correct me if I'm wrong) non-OEM oil is Titan/Pentosin FFL-2. Others are marked as recommended..  

[Ootohere]

VW Group did a World Wide Recall of DQ200's 7 speed twin dry clutch DSG's in 2012/13 which was just a service campaign in Europe from 2013/14 to change the Synthetic Oil to mineral and do a software update.

That was because of internal corrosion from sulphur due to the additive in the synthetic oil.

DQ200's have 2 oils, for the box and the MCU.

 

Wet Clutch DSG's have only one oil.

 

When did VW group move from full to semi-synthetic oils in Wet Clutch DSG's?

[fr1nklyn]

Just googled it and seems that you’re right that only DQ200 (dry clutch ones) have been affected by the fully synthetic to mineral or semi-syn change.

 

Which makes the things even more appetite - if DQ250 already uses synthetic oil and the only VW-approved oil is Titan/Pentosin FFL-2, then the OEM one is either produced by this company or at least has very close characteristics to it. Actually I don’t think that someone is producing oil only for VW and not selling it as their own product, so most likely OEM = Titan/Pentosin.

 

So why no one has compared the FFL-2 spec with a DSG oil offered by another brand and chose something maybe better for their transmission? Something with better wear protection, lower pour and higher flash points. Or just used FFL-2 instead of the OEM?

Edited 15 June, 2021 by fr1nklyn

[Ootohere]

There are world regions with possible ambient temps far lower than you will ever get in Bulgaria so what oil is used in VW Group wet clutch DSG's there?

[fr1nklyn]

I don’t think that VW is using different DSG oil in different regions, it expensive enough to cover logistics spending. Plus the FFL-2 is offered almost worldwide  

For the engine oil, they do it for sure. But the variety is greater and it’s changed much more often, so it doesn’t really matter for the 100k km warranty period. Castrol, Shell, whoever offers the lowest price I guess..

[fr1nklyn]

I've collected data about pour and flash points, and viscosity index of several different DSG oil brands( tell me if I'm missing a big brand offering a DSG oil ):

________________________________

Pentosin FFL-2
Pour Point: -51 C
Flash Point: 224 C
Viscosity Index: 173

 

Motul DCTF
Pour Point: -45 C
Flash Point: 196 C
Viscosity Index: 189

 

Valvoline DCT
Pour Point: -48 C
Flash Point: 188 C
Viscosity Index: 171

 

Ravenol
Pour Point: -51 C
Flash Point: ?
Viscosity Index: ?

 

Amsoil DCT
Pour Point: -58 C
Flash Point: 230 C
Viscosity Index: 171

 

Redline DCTF
Pour Point: -45 C
Flash Point: ?
Viscosity Index: 177

 

Liqui Moly 8100
Pour Point: -48 C
Flash Point: 200 C
Viscosity Index: 174

 

Wolf EcoTech DSG
Pour Point: -50 C
Flash Point: 198
Viscosity Index: 170

 

Millers Millermatic ATF DCT-DSG
Pour Point: -51 C
Flash Point: 198
Viscosity Index: 172

[Ootohere]

-10 to -15*oC is the sort of temps i have driven DSG's in and i have never been aware of them behaving any differently.

The only thing is that you can not start some in N at -10*oC.

[fr1nklyn]

Yeap, I've driven in almost the same temps and the first few minutes are like my grandma is engaging the clutch on a manual as fast as she could. Especially from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 2nd. Higher gears are switched in much better way.

 

In the winter mornings, I even started to avoid pressing the gas pedal until the car switches automatically from 1st to 2nd gear, otherwise that "fast engaging" shaking is noticed.