Golf 118 TSI Engine Failures and Service Campaign 24S4

[Diesel_vert]

Thanks Diesel-vert.

While I don't want to be pedantic that EVO Magazone article compares fuels in the UK, not here. I would assume they'd be refined to a higher standard that what happens here.

I'm guessing there's no recent comparison of local fuels.

Whilst fuel in the UK may be different to our fuel, my opinion is that RON is RON, so I don't think the sulphur content (or lack thereof) would unduly affect their results.

[Swallowtail]

Well having just read through all of this I think the quote of the thread so far has to be:

I've got an XF Jaguar, the Golf is "just" for the wife

(Quotes added). And that's all I am going to add to this one, any more and I'll end up getting infracted....

[Corey_R]

Lol yes... I should infract you for that comment alone! hehehe. Take your snobbery back to your Passat forum

[Diesel_vert]

Unlike Aussies who are impressed with Euro badges, I think you'll find that the Continentals view Volkswagen as bread 'n' butter cars. Nice tasting bread 'n' butter mind you, but bread 'n' butter nonetheless.

After all let's not forget that the word Volkswagen translates as "the people's car", lest we start becoming Euro snobs.

[logger]

I'd be interested to see what they have modified in the Flash. Have they just taken timing out to stop detonation or have they also added fuel and dropped boost cooling the intake charge as well.
If I had the car before and after I could tell you.

I am interested in this too and will be closely looking at my VCDS data logs before and after I get around to getting the ECU re flashed. Fortunately I have my own very detailed label file for the CAV engine and should be able to pull a lot of info not usually visible in VCDS.

Also I find is amusing that this thread has drifted into a fuel type/quality discussion, when it is not necessarily the smoking gun here.

Is there any trend developing as to which TSIs failed? I suspect it wont be the people who cane their cars any more that those who drive gently. I have a theory that high cycle cars might be more prone to this problem, but this is speculative. By this I mean cars that do lots of short trips and specifically cars that do a lot of cold starts. For what its worth my TSI tends to do long trips on the highway, and I do at times cane it a fair bit and I always use 98 ron fuel form major brands. Who knows I might be the next victim.

Be interesting to hear from people who have had TSI engine failures.

How Many KMs?
Do you mainly do a lot of short trips?
Do you mainly do fewer longer trips?
Do you alway drive in a gentle manner?
Do you flog the car and give it a bit of a hiding from time to time?
Do you only use 98Ron fuel?

Even a few responses might show a trend, if indeed there is one.

[coastie]

It's a shame that BP don't have a deal with one of the major Supermarket chains like Caltex and Shell do (or am I wrong on that front?).

Get a Citibank BP Mastercard and get 5% off all BP fuel purchases and 0.5-1% off everything else spent on the card in the outside world. It's more off than the shopper dockets and your don't need the piece of papers

[Ozram]

I'd also add to your list logger. I'd like to know if there is a bad batch of engines, have the failures occurred on certain build date models?

[Syd118TSI]

Get a Citibank BP Mastercard and get 5% off all BP fuel purchases and 0.5-1% off everything else spent on the card in the outside world. It's more off than the shopper dockets and your don't need the piece of papers

I just did a quick calculation (so it may be wrong). But filling up at $1.45/litre that puts 55l at $79.95. With 5% discounted it drops to roughly $75.75 or a saving of $4.20. If you do 15,000km in a year that is 19/20 tanks of fuel with a real consumption of 7 litres/100km. To 20 x $4.20 equals a saving of $84 across the year.

Unfortunately there is a $79 annual fee on the card, so even if you always pay off the card on time you only come out $5.20 ahead for the year. So if you had to fill up at a Shell or Caltex for whatever reason a couple of times you're suddenly behind! :O

If you had two cars that do a lot of KM the sums would be a bit better as a secondary card is $30 annually. So two cards for $109, with two vehicles doing 20,000km each would total a $218.40 saving, or $109.40 once you take off the annual fee.

[WhiteJames]

A few points worth noting:

1. Australian fuel prices follow the TAPIS price which relates to fuel refined in Singapore and Australia. UK North Sea/USA West Texas Crude fuel would not be refined or sold in Aus or Singapore. Most fuel sold here is TAPIS fuel. 118TSI’s in Singapore are reporting the same problems as have occurred in Aus, I’m told. May suggest something to do with quality & type of fuel supplied from these refineries.

2. AFAIK Sydney only has one oil refinery – Caltex at Kurnell. I’ve been told that a number of fuel companies in Sydney use fuel from this refinery. The difference between: Shell, BP and Caltex is the additives blended in with the fuel – not the fuel itself.

3. The earlier MKV Golf had issues with either the knock or oxygen sensor (recent article on it in drive.com.au or carsguide.com.au about buying a 2nd hand MKV Golf) costing @ $600 to repair. Volkswagen do not tune motor vehicles specifically for Aus – unless it’s the Golf R. This will have to change re: 118TSI issues.

4. I’ve used all four major brands of fuel – BP, Shell, Caltex and Mobil. Differences are not distinguishable. There is a difference in the Shell V-Power Racing 100+RON with @ 5% ethanol blend, which makes the MKV GTI a little more eager. My local VW service guys say to avoid ethanol based fuel as ethanol is thicker than petrol and tends to clog filters & pumps.

5. Modern direct injection motors are finely tuned for both economy & emissions requiring consistent use of good quality fuel.

Cheers.
WJ

[logger]

I'd also add to your list logger. I'd like to know if there is a bad batch of engines, have the failures occurred on certain build date models?

Good Point, although you'd think they would only contact that batch of owners if that was the casel.. But might as well add it.

A few questions for those who had TSI engine failures:

How Many KMs?
Do you mainly do a lot of short trips?
Do you mainly do fewer longer trips?
Do you alway drive in a gentle manner?
Do you flog the car and give it a bit of a hiding from time to time?
Do you only use 98Ron fuel?
What is your car build date?

[DracZ]

Good Point, although you'd think they would only contact that batch of owners if that was the casel.. But might as well add it.

Covered this point earlier in the thread, but after speaking with the essendon VW service dept, it seems that not all 118TSI's are affected. I was asked to provide my VIN number to see if the update was specifically applicable to my vehicle. With this being said, perhaps its simply a case of the later 118TSI's already having this ECU update applied via factory and not simply a bad "batch" of engines so to speak.

[hooba]

2. AFAIK Sydney only has one oil refinery – Caltex at Kurnell. I’ve been told that a number of fuel companies in Sydney use fuel from this refinery. The difference between: Shell, BP and Caltex is the additives blended in with the fuel – not the fuel itself.

Shell has its refinery at Clyde (opposite Rosehill Racecourse), but your point is valid nonetheless, BP fuel in Sydney is coming from one of those two refineries.

I prefer BP simply because it doesn't have the queues of people holding shopping dockets on TA Tuesday.

[anthony]

After 4 VWs,I am actually more relaxed with my decision to buy a Honda Accord Euro in preferance over a Jetta 118 TSI.

[OilBurna]

BP comes from Shell refinery except Ultimate.

[logger]

... it seems that not all 118TSI's are affected. I was asked to provide my VIN number to see if the update was specifically applicable to my vehicle. With this being said, perhaps its simply a case of the later 118TSI's already having this ECU update applied via factory and not simply a bad "batch" of engines so to speak.

Yes that would make sense. More a case of a bad batch of ECU software causing unintended consequences. Alter this part of the ECU program and hopefully problem fixed.