Will SEAT contribute to an out of warranty gearbox repair on my 2012 Leon 1.6 TDI DSG?
I've owned my 2012 SEAT Leon SE Copa 1.6 TDI DSG for just over 1 year now. At the beginning of the month a light came on indicating a fault in the emissions control system, which was immediately followed by the car failing to engage gear. After being with a local garage for almost a month, I was informed the problem was caused by the gearbox failing to link with the computer/electronic gear selector but when they tried to fix the gearbox it began to fall apart. The SEAT garages, who had been contacted to fix, were quoting £3500. The car had been serviced annually and has only done approx 43,000 miles. While I understand that SEAT's warranty is only 3 years, surely a gearbox should not just stop working like this? The garage has advised that I contact Seat to see if they could pay for half the bill as a goodwill gesture. What do you think?
This 7-speed dry clutch DSG has always been a problem. It was recalled around 2012 to replace the synthetic oil in it with mineral oil because the synthetic oil was becoming conductive at high temperatures causing the Mechatronics to lose drive. It's possible that being a 2012/62 yours was filled with mineral oil right from the start. However, filling with mineral oil turned what was designed to be a maintenance-free, sealed for life transmission into one that requires fresh oil every 40,000 miles. Had your car been maintained by SEAT dealers you would have been warned of this. Obviously worth contacting SEAT, but they may take the view that because your car has been dismantled by an independent dealer they are not liable.
Answered by Honest John on
