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Hi There,

I'm looking at a 2014 Skoda Octavia vRS Diesel 2.0 L wagon. It has a 6-speed DSG auto gearbox with tiptronic shift which has me thinking big dollar signs for repair. The reason I'm going for a Skoda is because of the their supposed reliability but I'm concerned about a gear-box that is so complex after having only ever driven manuals (I'm from the UK).

What are your thoughts on this car and its gearbox?

Cheers
Craig

Hi there,
The DSG is quite popular and you're right can be costly to repair, but it is the same with any transmission these days. These transmissions are fitted to Audi, VW, Skoda, SEAT and Hyundai, while most other European vehicles have similar types of the same thing.
The DSG essentially made up of two manual transmissions with a clutch for each and an automated control which carries out the clutch operation and gear selecting.
The result is a very quick gear change, but the negative comes with it basically being a manual which can cause some uncertainty at certain speeds which might be between changing up or down a gear to keep in the best ratio. These are often seen as being the best of both worlds, as you can select a manual mode and change gears when you like.