118TSI - General Discussion

[brad]

Shouldn't this be caught in testing? The damn thing has been in production since what? 2007? 2008? Ford uses a dry clutch DSG as well and I don't hear owners complaining of transmission control unit failures.

I know several people with the Ford dual clutch - it has its' share of issues. I also believe that Ford initially decided it was "sealed for life" until they started failing. I think the fluid change is now every 60k - I could have that entirely wrong though.

It's interesting, they do thousands of hours / kilometres in various conditions & Joe Public still manages to kill them.

[BluChris]

It's pretty much the same deal as VW - the wet clutch 6 speed in the diesel Focus and other Ford models is generally OK. The 7 speed dry clutch in the Focus and Fiesta has had software updates for shift quality and other issues, but also suffers from clutch shudder and some have had leaky seals.

Seems the dry clutch tech is not there yet. The wet clutch boxes also had plenty of issues in the early years but are now a more mature tech.

[Brett_J]

I wonder if the 7 speed would benefit from a pump/cooler set up.

[Rawcpoppa]

Fair enough. I generally hear of powershift having shudder issues similar to the gear 1-2 shudder in VW's dq200 so it would seem that issue of heat is inherent to dry clutch DSGs as both of these are made by separate manufacturers. I can live with shudder in my jetta as it can be avoided altogether in manual mode. What I can't overlook is mechatronic unit failure. The part is none serviceable and us $3400 to replace if a little hydraulic fluid leaks out of it as there apparently is no way to replace its oil by the dealer or owner. Out of warranty it's a mixed response from VW as well.

Anyways this thread is about the 118tsi and its recently come to my attention that the CAVD engines in the 2011 and 2012 models here have begun cracking pistons even when owners use the correct RON fuel. Someone mentioned that the 118tsi Twincharger used to run very lean but that the 24s4 software fixed that years ago. I was following that thread on here and it seemed hit and miss as to whether more recent cars had piston issues.

[Mk R]

Interesting to hear there's some 2011/12 engines blowing out too. My 2009 is finally in for the engine swap this week. made it to 95,000 with the original engine and the APR tune and is actually still running but a little under powered. Also noticed the boost was inconsistent at times so the old K03 might need a rebuild too.

The new donk is a late 2011 CAVD (sump up to plugs but no blowers attached) with a little under 30,000 on the clock. I'll report back on how it goes but will be keeping the old 2009 engine for a potential future rebuild in case this one burns out too...

Also, had the VWR sport springs for a good 6 months now, they've been great and feel to have softened up a tiny bit. Either that or i'm just used to them now.

[brad]

I wonder if the 7 speed would benefit from a pump/cooler set up.

It would have to be an air cooler (fan??) as it's the clutches that overheat.

maybe stick CPU heat sinks all over the gearbox so it looks like an echidna.

[Tobes_WIR35]

Block off the passenger AC vent and duct it down into the DSG instead... if the passenger complains, just tell them if the gearbox fails they have to get out and push

[MyLastVW]

NEAR-DEATH experience: Engine STOPPED on the motorway !!

Hi all,

I am somewhat very luck to still be here and tell this story...

I was driving on the M4 yesterday (6.45pm) with my wife and two children (3 years old and 3 months old). We were going to a family dinner to celebrate my daughter's 100 days.

As I was travelling on the far right lane at 90km/h in heavy Saturday night traffic, all of a sudden I see a warning light come up on the dash saying "Engine Failure. Workshop!" followed by the EPC light. It took me 2 seconds to realise that the engine was NOT RESPONDING to the throttle pedal. I tried to accelerate but NO ANSWER. The RPM was stuck on 1,000 and did not move at all.

Imagine the FEAR of having your ENGINE DEAD at 90km/h on a busy freeway, on the right-hand lane!!

I kept my cool and decided that the best option was to merge back to the far left lane to get to the emergency lane.

Sydneysiders would know that nobody lets you change lane and instead would accelerate as soon as you indicate so that you don't get in front of them. This is exactly what happened with a tow-truck which was on the middle lane as I tried to merge after indicating with my blinker and warning lights. The truck started to accelerate not to let me go!

I had to merge and do it fast as the car starting to LOSE SPEED very quickly. I had to merge in front of this truck and could not even accelerate to get clearance. Needless to say the ruck driver was annoyed and flashed his light and biped at me!

I had one more lane to cross and - lucky me - the car behind let me in and it probably saw something was wrong...

I finally ended up stopping on the emergency lane after the SCARIEST 30 seconds of my life!! The EPC light was on, and the engine not responsive.

I first took a deep breath and felt VERY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE, alongside with my wife and two young children! There is NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS THAN BEING STUCK WITH A DEAD ENGINE ON THE RIGHT LANE OF A MOTORWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC !!!

I have had my Golf (VI MY10) for not even 5 years and had NOTHING BUT ISSUES with it:
- turbo noise
- numerous recall
- air-con pipe blown up
- faulty gearbox (parts being replaced twice)
- gearbox is still faulty
- random ABS brake failure light
- shock absorbers had to be replaced after 3 years
- and now... a DEAD ENGINE !

Has anyone faced this situation before? Is this a common issue for a 118TSI? How should I go about it?

Many thanks

[AdamD]

Has anyone faced this situation before? Is this a common issue for a 118TSI? How should I go about it?

I'm afraid that 118TSI engine failures are a fairly common occurrence - just read through this thread and the following one for more than a few horror stories:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com/forums/f112/golf-118-tsi-engine-failures-resolved-via-service-campaign-24s4-44540.html

Many people consider the 118TSI to be such a risky ownership experience that they'd never contemplate owning one, or even holding on to a well-running one.

[The_Hawk]

Remember though that the higher failure rate was more for the earlier examples. The failures seem to have dropped off for the newer engines (MY11 onwards?). (Also the same engine in the Polo GTI doesn't seem to have anywhere near the same level of issues).

But yes, given a choice, get the GTI instead

[grtuned]

Good thing about this forum is it gives a warning to potential buyers to stay clear of the 118tsi
DO NOT BUY
it is in my opinion is the worst motor ever produced by a manufacturer the failure rate was huge failures even occurring two and three times after an engine swap. I would never advise someone to buy one. Here in Australia I believe owners keep there car for a much longer time and require something that's reliable we don't mind spending to maintain but spending to repair for a inherent problem is wasting money. Buy a Gti or R or a diesel enjoy the car and stay away from the one rotten apple in the bunch.

[tigger73]

- and now... a DEAD ENGINE !

Has anyone faced this situation before? Is this a common issue for a 118TSI? How should I go about it?

Unfortunately this is not an isolated case with this particular engine.

Get it trucked to VW dealer and if the engine has failed it should get replaced under goodwill as long as it's been regularly serviced.

Good luck and glad to hear that you managed to get off the road without a major incident.


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[brad]

Has anyone faced this situation before? Is this a common issue for a 118TSI? How should I go about it?

Many thanks

Are they serious or rhetorical questions?

Suggest you use the search function or have a read of this thread. Plenty of info on what to do.

[tigger73]

Are they serious or rhetorical questions?

Suggest you use the search function or have a read of this thread. Plenty of info on what to do.

Brad this post/questions were originally posted on a separate thread and was merged into this one to keep all the 118TSI issues in the one place.

But yes a quick search would have brought up these 118TSI threads with other members experiences/resolution to the issue.


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[brad]

Brad this post/questions were originally posted on a separate thread and was merged into this one to keep all the 118TSI issues in the one place.

But yes a quick search would have brought up these 118TSI threads with other members experiences/resolution to the issue.


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OIC.

lots of good info in this thread about how to make VW fix their mistakes