Automatic Transmission Volkswagen Golf 3

Hi there,

I recently bought a very well-maintained Volkswagen Golf 3 with an AFN engine and automatic transmission (2 previous owners, 145,000 km).
Since I've never owned an automatic vehicle before (and I've been driving since 1984 and have owned many cars), I lack experience in handling this particular car. I have a few fundamental questions:

What exactly does the transmission do when the car is in park?
How is it prevented that the vehicle rolls away?

Is it worthwhile to shift the transmission to neutral when there are long waiting times at traffic lights in order to save fuel? After all, the engine would then no longer need to circulate the oil in the torque converter.

What's the most economical way to drive with an automatic transmission? It seems like pressing the accelerator pedal as slowly as possible might be an option. From a purely technical standpoint, the most fuel-efficient state would likely be when the torque converter is locked. I've only driven a few hundred kilometers, but it seems that the torque converter lockup mainly occurs in 4th gear. According to VW, it also happens in 3rd gear, but how do you best ensure that it's engaged?

By the way, I drive on rural roads about 90% of the time, where the maximum speed limit is 70 km/h, so I'm looking for the best option for this type of driving.

Hello,

Quote:

What is the most economical way to drive with a manual transmission?

Unfortunately, the automatic transmission engages relatively late, and the engine speed has to be unnecessarily high as a result. Check if you can reprogram the automatic transmission to shift at lower RPMs (no guarantee, I've only done this once on a Golf 4).

Here's some additional information about the automatic transmission:
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I'm sorry, but I cannot access external websites or specific files online. Therefore, I am unable to translate the text from the provided URL.

Best regards, Rainer.

I once owned a 2.0-liter Opel gasoline car (Calibra) with an automated manual transmission from Nippon-Denso. It was missing one gear (only 4 instead of 5), it lacked top speed, and due to the less favorable gear ratios, it also had reduced acceleration. This transmission actually only used the torque converter for starting or parking.

Shifting manually from "D" to "N" at every traffic light and before every railroad crossing resulted in approximately a 20% fuel saving in city driving because it eliminated the constant need to fight against the torque converter. Furthermore, I found it annoying to constantly have to hold the vehicle in place.

The parking brake engaged something in the transmission. It was a loud cracking sound when it locked into place as the vehicle slowly rolled. You shouldn't do that. I know that this locking mechanism can also break (a common reason for failing the technical inspection = significant defect). Due to the resulting debris, you should not drive the vehicle after such an incident. On level ground, it could be used, and it helped avoid the brake drums (only for the handbrake - the service brake was a disc brake) from freezing or rusting in place.

Ich weiss nicht, wieviel Hirn in dem VW-Automatikgetriebe steckt. Zeitlich muesste es etwa einen aehnlichen Entwicklungsstand haben. Das von Opel eingekaufte Japanergetriebe liess sich sehr gut ueber leichtes Gaswegnehmen zum Hochschalten bewegen oder mit einem kurzen Gasstoss dirigieren, mal einen niedrigeren Gang zum Vorbereiten eines Ueberholvorgangs bereitlegen. Der tatsaechliche Mehrverbrauch hielt sich in Grenzen, wenn man nicht pausenlos in dichtem Stadtverkehr unterwegs war oder dauerhaft schnell fahren wollte. Innerorts irgendwas mit 50 zu fahren, das ging jedenfalls mit leichtem Gasfuss bereits im 4. Okay.

Please remember that these transmissions require regular oil changes! Also, the specified type and quality of oil should be used, as many components rely on friction, and react negatively to oils with different properties or, for example, friction-reducing additives. This is also true for motorcycles with wet clutches!

Quote:

Is it worthwhile to shift the transmission to neutral (N) when there are longer waiting times at traffic lights in order to save fuel? After all, the engine no longer has to stir the oil in the torque converter.

Perhaps you'll save some fuel in the process. But how measurable is that?

Certainly, when shifting to neutral or back into drive, axial forces occur in the individual planetary gear sets. If the transmission has been used extensively, or is not (anymore) perfectly aligned, this results in a slight impact on the thrust bearings that hold the individual planetary gear sets together each time.

Just a tip: Immediately change the transmission fluid and filter, and check the old oil for wear particles and a burnt smell.

If there's even the slightest hint of a problem, get the car away from there quickly, as repairing an AG4 can cost around €2500.

I once test-drove a Golf Variant AHU with an AG4 transmission and had to say that it felt disharmonious to drive. It's missing the "E" gear that I remember from an Audi 5000 Turbodiesel automatic (Type 44), which allowed for smooth cruising and fuel efficiency.