Which DSG gearbox do I have? How to identify DQ200, DQ250, DQ381 and more

To find out which DSG gearbox you have, look up the gearbox code. It is printed on the vehicle data sticker in the spare wheel well or service book, on the gearbox casing, and in the factory data for your VIN. The number of gears, the engine’s torque and a wet or dry clutch only point you in a direction.

That direction is often wrong. Two cars of the same model and year can carry different DSG gearboxes, because one has a stronger engine or four-wheel drive, or because the gearbox was swapped at some point. And the type is not a detail: it decides which oil goes in, what a service involves and what a repair can look like. Below you will find where the code is, a table of every common DSG type, and the quick checks we use in our workshop in Montfoort to tell them apart.

How to tell which DSG gearbox you have

Work through these steps in this order and you will usually have your answer:

1. Find the gearbox code. Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda and Cupra give every gearbox a code, usually three letters. Each code belongs to exactly one gearbox type. Once you have it, you are done.
2. Count the gears. Six forward gears points to the wet 6-speed (DQ250, or the DQ400e in a plug-in hybrid). Seven gears can be the dry DQ200 or one of the wet 7-speeds. You can see the selected gear in the instrument display in manual mode, or check the car’s documentation. Do not experiment with this while driving.
3. Look at the engine and the drive. A 7-speed behind a small petrol engine or a light diesel is usually the dry DQ200. A 7-speed behind a stronger engine, with 4Motion or quattro four-wheel drive, or behind a lengthways-mounted Audi engine is a wet gearbox.

Watch out: not every Volkswagen Group automatic is a DSG. Several models use a conventional automatic with a torque converter, and many of those also have six gears. Counting gears only tells you something once you know you have a dual-clutch gearbox. If you are not sure, start with our guide to what gearbox is in your car.

New to the technology? Our DSG gearbox guide explains how the two clutches share the work. Looking for complaints and symptoms? Those are on the DSG problems page. This article is only about recognising your type.

Where to find your DSG gearbox code

The gearbox code is the only fully reliable way to know which DSG you have. It links your car to one specific gearbox, with its own oil specification, filter (or none) and service schedule.

On the vehicle data sticker

Most Volkswagen Group cars have a vehicle data sticker in the boot, in or near the spare wheel well, with a copy in the service book. Besides the VIN and the paint code, it lists the engine code and the gearbox code. Forum members on BRISKODA point Škoda owners to the same two places: the code sheet on the first page of the service book and the spare wheel well. On some newer cars there is no paper service book any more, so the boot sticker is your best bet.

On the gearbox itself

The gearbox casing carries a sticker or a stamped plate with the gearbox code and serial number. You usually need the car on a lift, or a cover removed, to read it. If the gearbox has ever been replaced, this plate is the only place that tells you what is actually in the car now.

From your VIN or a diagnostic read-out

A main dealer or a specialist can look up the factory build data from your VIN (chassis number). That shows the gearbox the car left the factory with. Professional diagnostic equipment can also read the transmission control unit, which stores its own identification and part number. A simple OBD2 fault code reader usually cannot do this: it shows stored fault codes, not the gearbox type.

Can you find your DSG by registration number?

Not with certainty. In the UK, the DVLA does not record which gearbox a car has. In the Netherlands, the RDW vehicle check (kentekencheck) shows registered data such as fuel type and power, but not the gearbox code. Commercial “by reg” lookup sites link your registration to a parts catalogue and show the gearbox that version of the model would normally have. That is a sensible starting point, but it cannot see a gearbox that was swapped or a mid-year change at the factory. Before oil or parts are ordered, check the code on the car.

DSG gearbox types at a glance

The table below lists the DSG and S tronic gearboxes you are most likely to meet in a Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda or Cupra. The parts code prefix is the start of the gearbox part number, and it is how specialists and parts catalogues refer to each family.

DQ200: the dry 7-speed

The DQ200 is the DSG that raises the most questions. It uses two dry single-plate clutches, which saves fuel but is less forgiving of stop-start driving, creeping in traffic and holding the car on a slope with the throttle. It also has two separate fluids: about 1 litre of DSG fluid for the hydraulics in the mechatronic unit and 1.7 litres of gear oil. When something goes wrong, the cause is usually the mechatronic unit or the clutch pack. Read more on DQ200 problems and on when the DSG clutch needs replacing.

DQ250: the wet 6-speed

Six gears in a petrol or diesel model that is not a plug-in hybrid almost always means the DQ250, provided you have already ruled out a torque-converter automatic. Its clutches run in oil, and the same oil also works the hydraulics. That makes it robust, as long as the fluid and filter are changed on time. In our experience, old and contaminated fluid is the most common reason a DQ250 starts to shift badly.

DQ381 and DQ380: the wet 7-speed successor

The DQ381 arrived in 2017 and replaced the DQ250 in Europe. It handles more torque and has seven gears, so on paper it looks like a DQ200 with one difference that matters a lot: the clutches run in oil. We find it sensitive to postponed fluid changes and to extra engine power from tuning. See DQ381 problems for the typical complaints.

DQ500: the heavy-duty 7-speed

The DQ500 is built for high torque and heavy use. It first appeared in the Transporter T5 2.0 TDI and later went into four-wheel-drive Tiguans, the BiTDI Passat and Superb, and performance models such as the Audi TT RS. Towing, carrying full loads and hard driving all put extra heat into the fluid, so we recommend keeping to a strict service schedule.

DL501 and DL382: S tronic for longitudinal engines

Audi calls its DSG “S tronic”. The DL501 sits behind lengthways-mounted engines, often with quattro, and unlike the transverse DSGs it has two completely separate oil circuits: one for the clutches and mechatronic, one for the gears and differentials. The newer DL382 replaced it in models such as the A4 and A5. Servicing either one is specialist work. More on Audi S tronic problems.

DQ400e: the plug-in hybrid 6-speed

Plug-in hybrids such as the Golf GTE, Passat GTE and Octavia iV use the DQ400e, a wet 6-speed based on the DQ250 with an electric motor built into the gearbox and a third clutch that couples the engine to the electric drive. If you count six gears in a GTE, you do not have a DQ250. Diagnosis is different too, because a complaint can come from the gearbox or from the hybrid control. See DQ400e problems and Volkswagen Golf GTE problems.

DQ200 or DQ381? Telling the 7-speed DSGs apart

The quickest check is the engine’s torque. The DQ200 is designed for engines up to 250 Nm, so if your engine produces more than that, you have a wet 7-speed (DQ381 or DQ500). You find the torque figure in the brochure, the owner’s manual or the engine data for your engine code.

Three more clues help:

• Four-wheel drive. A 7-speed DSG with 4Motion or 4Drive is never a DQ200.
• Fuel and size. The DQ200 is mostly found behind small and mid-size petrol engines (many 1.0 to 1.5 TSI versions) and some smaller diesels. A 2.0 TDI or 2.0 TSI with a 7-speed DSG is normally wet.
• Service schedule. A DQ200 has no scheduled oil change in Volkswagen’s service plan. If the service book shows regular DSG fluid changes, it is almost certainly a wet gearbox. Our DSG service article lists the intervals per type.

These clues narrow it down, but they are not proof. Engines close to the limit, and cars that had their gearbox replaced, are exactly where guessing goes wrong. Only the code settles it.

Why it matters which DSG you have

The type decides three things you cannot choose freely:

• The service interval. Wet DSGs need periodic fluid changes because that fluid lubricates the gears, cools the clutches and operates them. The dry DQ200 works differently: its clutches do not run in oil, and the gear oil and the separate mechatronic fluid are two different jobs.
• The oil specification and quantity. Each type has its own fluid, and they are not interchangeable. A wrong fluid rarely shows straight away. By the time you notice it, the damage is often done.
• What a fluid service involves. A DSG is not flushed like a conventional automatic. It is a drain and refill with the right quantity, plus a filter where fitted. What can and cannot be done per type is explained in DSG flush.

Our rule in the workshop is simple: nothing gets drained until the gearbox code is confirmed. It takes a few minutes and prevents the most expensive kind of mistake, the one that only shows up months later.

The type also decides what a repair can look like. On one gearbox a targeted repair of the mechatronic unit or the clutch pack is realistic, on another a full DSG gearbox rebuild makes more sense. We decide that after reading the gearbox and a test drive, not from the model name, and you get a price indication before any work starts.

What decides how long a 7-speed DSG lasts

You will find all sorts of mileages online for how long a 7-speed DSG lasts. They say little, because two identical gearboxes can be in completely different condition at the same mileage. What makes the difference in practice:

• Maintenance. Fluid (and filter, where fitted) on time for wet gearboxes, without waiting for a complaint.
• Driving style. Smooth driving is kinder than constant hard acceleration and braking. Holding the car on a hill with the throttle instead of the brake makes the clutch slip for nothing.
• Type of journeys. Lots of short town trips and long traffic jams are hard on a dry clutch: it slips every time you pull away and heats up.
• Extra power. Remapping puts more torque through clutches that were not designed for it. Where the limits are is covered in DSG tuning.
• Towing and heavy loads. A caravan, trailer or fully loaded van asks more of the gearbox, especially when pulling away and on slopes.

Frequently asked questions about identifying your DSG

What does DSG stand for?

DSG stands for direct-shift gearbox, from the German Direktschaltgetriebe. It is the Volkswagen Group’s name for its dual-clutch gearbox. Audi calls the same technology S tronic. Other makes have their own dual-clutch gearboxes under other names, so “DSG” on its own always means a Volkswagen Group car.

Which DSG gearbox do I have by reg?

A registration lookup gives you the gearbox that your version of the model normally has, not proof of what is fitted. The DVLA in the UK and the RDW in the Netherlands do not record the gearbox code. Use the lookup as a starting point and confirm the code on the vehicle data sticker, the gearbox plate or a VIN check.

How do I know if I have a DQ200 or a DQ250?

Count the gears. The DQ250 has six, the DQ200 has seven. In a plug-in hybrid, six gears means a DQ400e rather than a DQ250. Make sure first that your car has a DSG and not a six-speed torque-converter automatic. The gearbox code gives you certainty.

Is a 6-speed DSG better than a 7-speed?

Not by definition. The wet 6-speed DQ250 has a reputation for being robust, but it needs regular fluid changes. The wet 7-speeds (DQ381, DQ500) are built for more torque. The real difference is whether the clutch runs dry or in oil, and whether the maintenance has been kept up.

Can an OBD scanner tell me which DSG gearbox I have?

Professional diagnostic equipment can read the transmission control unit, and its identification usually tells a specialist which gearbox family is fitted. A basic OBD2 fault code reader normally cannot. It shows stored fault codes, which say something about a problem but nothing about the gearbox type. For what those codes mean, see transmission fault codes.

What years of DSG should you avoid?

It is less about years than about type and history. The dry DQ200 has had the most reported problems and recalls, such as the 2019 Australian recall of 7-speed DSGs over cracking pressure accumulators. A well-maintained wet DSG with a full service history is a different story. Have any used DSG car read and test-driven before you buy.

Which DSG gearbox do I have in a Ford?

None. DSG is a Volkswagen Group gearbox. Ford’s dual-clutch automatic is called PowerShift and is a different design, with its own known faults. If your Ford Focus, Fiesta, C-Max or B-Max has a dual-clutch gearbox, read Ford PowerShift problems instead.

Is CVT or DSG better?

They solve the same problem in different ways. A DSG changes between real gears with two clutches and feels quick and direct. A CVT has no fixed gears and keeps the engine at an efficient speed, which feels smoother but less sporty. Both last when they are maintained. Our CVT gearbox guide explains the other side.

My DSG judders. Does the type say anything about the cause?

Yes, it gives a direction. Juddering at low speed in a dry 7-speed points more often to the clutch or the mechatronic unit. In a wet gearbox it more often starts with old fluid. The full explanation per symptom is on DSG problems and, for the dry gearbox, on juddering clutch in a 7-speed DSG.

Not sure which DSG gearbox you have?

Send us your registration number and your question. We identify the gearbox, read it out if needed and tell you which oil, service or repair belongs to it, with a price indication before we start. ATR Transmissies in Montfoort (province of Utrecht) works on DSG and S tronic gearboxes for drivers from all over the Netherlands, and makes some of its parts in-house.

Book your car in, or first find out what your symptom could mean.

For garages: not sure which DSG a customer’s car has, or what is wrong with it? With ATR Remote we read the gearbox remotely, so you know the type and the fault before you order parts or send the car on.