OEM DSG Cooler Upgrade

[NeoSA1]

One of our other South African cousins has reported that he has upgraded his stock DSG cooler on his 6R with an upgraded unit from the 7R. He reported that the 7R's cooler is bigger than the one found on the 6R (and subsequently the MK6 GTI as well).

I'm trying to establish if upgrading the DSG cooler on our MK6 GTi's to this new one from the 7R has any benefits to the DSG at all. Some might say that a larger volume cooler = instant win. Others might say that it will have little to no effect at all. Either way, with my car experiencing clutch slip since going K04, I've been told that a simple software upgrade on the DSG will solve my minor clutch slipping issues. I'm not too sure about that and would rather look at first ensuring that the DSG is adequately cooled.

From what I can gather, the cooler is also a direct bolt-on swap - so installation is literally a 10 minute job once the battery is out. Couldn't be simpler.

What do you guys think?

The stock DSG cooler part number is: 02E 409 061 B
The DSG cooler on the 7R is: 02E 409 061 D

**UPDATE**

So, as I suspected there is NO difference between the DSG cooler on the Golf 7R and the cooler found on the MK6 GTi. The only difference between the B and D revisions of the cooler is the angle of one of the coolant pipes.

The cooler that you should be installing when upgrading your stock DSG cooler is the C revision. That cooler has 14 plates making up heat exchanger core, whilst the B (and D) have 10. More plates, more cooling. Simple.

Part number for the CORRECT DSG cooler is: 02E 409 061 C

I've ordered the "C" version, but as it's an import from Germany, it will take about 2 weeks to get here.

 

[gtboost]

Are people actually overheating the DSG?

I haven't dove into my vag-com extensively but if there was a way to monitor DSG fluid temps that's the best way to see if this upgrade would be useful or not.

 

[NolaMKVI]

sub'd for having a DSG

 

[NeoSA1]

Funds are a bit tight this month due to the WMI install. I'll be looking into this mod next month. I'll see if I can monitor DSG temps in the meantime with VCDS and keep a record. The guy who upgraded his cooler already says he notices a difference in temps - so I don't mind going for an OEM+ solution for a few $$$. Even if it drops the temps by a couple of degrees, it will be worth it in terms of longevity it should add to the mechatronics unit.

It does get pretty hot here in South Africa, especially in summer with temps hitting +35 degrees Celsius almost daily. I've been experiencing some clutch slip in 4th gear on the highway when going WOT, and one of the most common fixes is to ensure that the DSG is cooled properly, and then a software flash after that. Since the Stage 2 DSG flash from unitronic is $600, I'd rather try the cheaper route first by upgrading the cooler. Besides, having a slightly better cooler when having the DSG flashed isn't a bad thing either.

All in all, it's better than paying $3000 to have the clutch packs upgraded.

I'll post details as I go along.

 

[U-20T]

Idk about the OEM solution since I went straight to the pump and tstat setup, converted from a manual so didn't change the cooling ssystem. But I can say the setup I have works very well, holding temps at a constant, no ups and downs at all.

 

[GIACUser]

Funds are a bit tight this month due to the WMI install. I'll be looking into this mod next month. I'll see if I can monitor DSG temps in the meantime with VCDS and keep a record. The guy who upgraded his cooler already says he notices a difference in temps - so I don't mind going for an OEM+ solution for a few $$$. Even if it drops the temps by a couple of degrees, it will be worth it in terms of longevity it should add to the mechatronics unit.

It does get pretty hot here in South Africa, especially in summer with temps hitting +35 degrees Celsius almost daily. I've been experiencing some clutch slip in 4th gear on the highway when going WOT, and one of the most common fixes is to ensure that the DSG is cooled properly, and then a software flash after that. Since the Stage 2 DSG flash from unitronic is $600, I'd rather try the cheaper route first by upgrading the cooler. Besides, having a slightly better cooler when having the DSG flashed isn't a bad thing either.

All in all, it's better than paying $3000 to have the clutch packs upgraded.

I'll post details as I go along.

I think you can probably solve the the slippage with DSG software. I am having the same problem. Currently running Unitronics DSG stage 3 and Unitronics worked with me to verify the slippage. I am currently awaiting a custom version from them with increased clamping force that should take care of most or all of the issue. I will let you know.

 

[tsmack]

Very interested as I am having a K04 installed on my DSG car this week. I am somewhat surprised none of the tuners are selling a kit. Was a popular mod for many of the other cars I have had. Would be interesting to see temp logs before and after K04 install and after DSG tune without bigger cooler, temps with bigger cooler and no DSG tune and then bigger cooler with DSG tune.

Also surprised to hear people having issues with the DSG as I had read and heard it was good for 500hp.

 

[xHeartcoreboyx]

Lower temps, happier DSG. I am interested if anyone can review this for us.

 

[ViRtUaLheretic]

I wonder how much bigger the "D" revision is

 

[gtboost]

I am assuming you need to drain and fill the coolant in order to do this swap. Correct?

 

[NeoSA1]

I am assuming you need to drain and fill the coolant in order to do this swap. Correct?

Apparently not. It's as simple as unplugging the 2 pipes connecting to your current cooler and then hooking it up to the new one. I'm still going to verify that though.

 

[Vroomer]

Very interested as I am having a K04 installed on my DSG car this week. I am somewhat surprised none of the tuners are selling a kit. Was a popular mod for many of the other cars I have had. Would be interesting to see temp logs before and after K04 install and after DSG tune without bigger cooler, temps with bigger cooler and no DSG tune and then bigger cooler with DSG tune.

Also surprised to hear people having issues with the DSG as I had read and heard it was good for 500hp.

Actually transmissions are not rated in HP, but for maximum safe torque, and for our DSG its officially 350Nm (258 ft. lb.) That basically means that VW wont put it in a car that has more tq than that. Obviously it can handle more as we have seen, but it doesn't mean it will hold up to aggressive driving when you go above 300tq. I have no idea why there is this myth on the forum that our DSG can easily handle anything thrown at it.

 

[U-20T]

I am assuming you need to drain and fill the coolant in order to do this swap. Correct?

Apparently not. It's as simple as unplugging the 2 pipes connecting to your current cooler and then hooking it up to the new one. I'm still going to verify that though.

Use clamp off pliers and there will be some residual in the cooler when disconnect it.

Still dont see it making that much of a difference especially for the guys in a hot climate as you are using one hot fluid to cool another hot fluid. Ambient air is way lower of a temp compared to you coolant temps

 

[NeoSA1]

that might be true, but this cooler acts like a heatsink, and the bigger the heatsink, the better the cooling efficiency. So the fact that it's larger may still prove to have some benefit.

Update: So basically in order to log your DSG box it's recommended to do a run from 2nd to 4th gear, WOT until redline. And then another run in 4th gear from about 2000rpm until redline at WOT. I don't know about you guys, but if you're like me and you're already sitting with a slipping DSG box, those kind of pulls are the LAST thing you want to be doing?

From the stuff I've read it seems that the mechatronics unit is almost always damaged by heat, and nothing else really. So if you're slipping on your DSG clutches, it already indicates a pretty thin line between replacing clutch packs and replacing the mechatronics unit as well.

Is there another way to see if this DSG cooler is effective without doing insane WOT pulls that could potentially damage the clutches even further? Maybe some ambient temps on the DSG on the same day before and after the cooler install?

 

[gtboost]

Use clamp off pliers and there will be some residual in the cooler when disconnect it.

Aren't they hard lines?
My guess is youll lose fluid but not need a full refill. I haven't look at the line layout but I seem to remember them being hard plastic.

that might be true, but this cooler acts like a heatsink, and the bigger the heatsink, the better the cooling efficiency. So the fact that it's larger may still prove to have some benefit.


Is there another way to see if this DSG cooler is effective without doing insane WOT pulls that could potentially damage the clutches even further? Maybe some ambient temps on the DSG on the same day before and after the cooler install?

just logging even a longer trip on the highway looking at peak temps will give you an idea how well the cooler is working.

Doing a few 2nd gear pulls building up heat will also get it hot to see how effective it is.

Best way is to do the exact same test with and without the upgraded cooler.

I may just order this up. I have access to temp data logging tools and programs with my work. I do the same thing with our medical devices.