DSG easy to nudge into neutral when driving and can bang back into gear.

[Solent_Pirate]

Recently purchased a T6 panel van DSG auto. I am not used to driving an auto and have accidently knocked it into neutral at low speeds when fiddling with the environmental controls or the radio. I believe it is okay to do this, but when I have put it back into drive and started to accelerate again there has been quite a bang from the drive system, like those planetary gears not engaging in a friendly way. Is this just me driving a DSG like a newb or have a bought an expensive gearbox problem?

 

[roadtripper]

Recently purchased a T6 panel van DSG auto. I am not used to driving an auto and have accidently knocked it into neutral at low speeds when fiddling with the environmental controls or the radio. I believe it is okay to do this, but when I have put it back into drive and started to accelerate again there has been quite a bang from the drive system, like those planetary gears not engaging in a friendly way. Is this just me driving a DSG like a newb or have a bought an expensive gearbox problem?

It's not a traditional auto box with planetary gears, it's essentially a twin manual gear box with two automatic clutches to select gears:

DSG: what is a Direct Shift Gearbox and how do they work? | Auto Express

A direct shift gearbox, also known as a dual-clutch gearbox, offers an alternative to a conventional automatic

www.autoexpress.co.uk

So by going to neutral you are disengaging both clutches, and by going back to drive you are asking the box to select which gearbox, gear and clutch to engage. That's normally a shift that happens at rest so the box may not be making the best choice.

Really you should avoid dropping to neutral under way. If you do I'd suggest aiming to move back to drive in the same way you would a manual, get the engine revs to a point that would be normal for that speed and then shift.

The thing I had to remember from years of driving a traditional torque converter auto is not to hold a DSG auto on the revs on a hill - in a DSG you are slipping a clutch at that point...

 

[Solent_Pirate]

I have not really driven it very much and I am sure there is some (mostly) operator error. I have tried to recreate the bang under controlled conditions and you are quite right about the revs. But ultimately, yes I need to avoid dropping into neutral.