Why have VW discontinued fitting an ESC (Electronic Stability Control) on/off switch in the Golf GTI? Was it just to save a few pennies?
I encountered some densely packed snow on the main road home last week and my new Mk8 GTI DSG didn't like it one little bit. In fact, it was struggling to make any progress on the slightest of inclines and the electronic systems weren't helping, so I glanced down at the dash and central console for the ESC Off button but there wasn't one visible, unlike in previous versions of the VW/Audi cars that I have owned, including a Mk6 and Mk7.5 Golf.
Luckily, I managed to make the last few miles home that afternoon and, when I did, I sat in my car for a few moments and studiously, searched through the dash and Infotainment menus for that elusive switch or button. Surely, there must be one somewhere and I just can's see it? No, I still couldn't find one, after ten minutes of looking, so I did what all men to do in these situations, I decided, as a last resort, to take the owner's manual out of the glovebox and read it at home.
Eventually, I found the solution, although it's well hidden and a far from a straightforward one. Quite frankly, I don't think VW could have made it any more complicated than they have done, had they tried. For those who haven't found the answer yet and wish to try it for themselves, the way to deactivate the ESC in the Mk8 is to log into your Infotainment System, under User settings, find "Car", then click the "Brakes" caption on the car exterior profile (the manual actually says Park Settings but that didn't work for me) and then you will see an option to deactivate the ESC, so just click on the appropriate box and there you have it. It's that simple! Five or Six actions are now needed where, previously, one button depression did it all.
Please note that you cannot alter the setting while the engine is running. You can still find the option on the menu but the car won't let you deactivate the system, which is really frustrating and annoying. I discovered this the hard way i.e. after several unsuccessful attempts to deactivate the system, while the engine was ticking over to keep me warm.
While the ESC remains deactivated, you will see an amber warning light illuminated in your cockpit settings. If however you switch off the engine and restart it, then the default settings are triggered and the ESC is, once again, fully active.
As I said, why have VW deleted the ESC switch and made life so much more complicated for everyone?
I encountered some densely packed snow on the main road home last week and my new Mk8 GTI DSG didn't like it one little bit. In fact, it was struggling to make any progress on the slightest of inclines and the electronic systems weren't helping, so I glanced down at the dash and central console for the ESC Off button but there wasn't one visible, unlike in previous versions of the VW/Audi cars that I have owned, including a Mk6 and Mk7.5 Golf.
Luckily, I managed to make the last few miles home that afternoon and, when I did, I sat in my car for a few moments and studiously, searched through the dash and Infotainment menus for that elusive switch or button. Surely, there must be one somewhere and I just can's see it? No, I still couldn't find one, after ten minutes of looking, so I did what all men to do in these situations, I decided, as a last resort, to take the owner's manual out of the glovebox and read it at home.
Eventually, I found the solution, although it's well hidden and a far from a straightforward one. Quite frankly, I don't think VW could have made it any more complicated than they have done, had they tried. For those who haven't found the answer yet and wish to try it for themselves, the way to deactivate the ESC in the Mk8 is to log into your Infotainment System, under User settings, find "Car", then click the "Brakes" caption on the car exterior profile (the manual actually says Park Settings but that didn't work for me) and then you will see an option to deactivate the ESC, so just click on the appropriate box and there you have it. It's that simple! Five or Six actions are now needed where, previously, one button depression did it all.
Please note that you cannot alter the setting while the engine is running. You can still find the option on the menu but the car won't let you deactivate the system, which is really frustrating and annoying. I discovered this the hard way i.e. after several unsuccessful attempts to deactivate the system, while the engine was ticking over to keep me warm.
While the ESC remains deactivated, you will see an amber warning light illuminated in your cockpit settings. If however you switch off the engine and restart it, then the default settings are triggered and the ESC is, once again, fully active.
As I said, why have VW deleted the ESC switch and made life so much more complicated for everyone?