Golf 118 TSI Engine Failures and Service Campaign 24S4

[Transporter]

The life of the car isn’t 250,000-350,000km. Not with the maintenance regimes set at every 12Months or 15,000km. It’s much less than that and difficult to determine.

The ACCC is the toothless dog when the car gets older and yes the 9years is a long time for the car, so IMO you’re in the mercy of the VW.
Be aware of that and don’t jump on the high horse, because you might think that you’re backed by the ACCC, but you aren’t.

[The_Hawk]

Does anyone on this site know how many of these repairs have been done on the 118 TSI?
How much will it cost if I have to go it alone without VW assistance?
The Mechatronics unit was replaced about this time last year as a "goodwill" repair so this is the second "goodwill" repair I am requesting.

There have been a bunch done for people on this forum, myself included. Read through this thread for some background on many of those.
What would replacement cost?? People have done it themselves or through specialist mechanics for $4-7k ish (the low end being a DIY job with a cheap 2nd hand engine).
Best case it’s just pistons, which could be replaced with the uprated parts used in later models. Worst case it’s a whole new engine. Some people just find a later model engine, drop that in and hope for the best. Others will tear their unit down and repair it.

Bottom line, your right, it’s a **** position to be in, we are very much hitting a point where the cost of repair is almost that of the car itself (if you have to pull the cash out of your own pocket) making it a hard decision. A few years back they were pretty good at doing the inspection at no cost (I think they largely accepted they were going to do goodwill at that point in time). If you're not getting joy through the dealer network, it's worth pursuing VWA directly to see what that might (or might not cover) at this point in time before undertaking expensive diagnostic work especially if they can state upfront that they won't cover this issue anymore.

I think it's a bit disingenuous to ask a customer to spend money to undertake diagnostic works in order to lodge a goodwill claim if they know it’s unlikely to be approved. While I appreciate there is a chance that it’s some different problem entirely (as unlikely as that is), it should be something that can be articulated upfront.

[tigger73]

100% agreed VWA has to be able to give you a commitment that they are going to cover a fixed % of the labour/parts before going into an expensive inspection.

They have to know before starting whether they are going to cover the cost of repairs or not. If you get a BS answer from the dealer forcing you to pay for an expensive inspection then escalate the issue with VW customer care to get an answer before you start.

I know they won't want to run it this way but as a paying customer you need to know this upfront as it will potentially change the way you handle the repair.

[Transporter]

How about the commitment to repair the significant flaw in the engine, regardless of the cost even if that means replacing the engine?
The engine shouldn’t lose the compression before 100,000km, that’s just not acceptable quality.

As far as the cost goes.
The mechanic knows from the compression test and leak down test if the pistons and/or the rings had failed.
From the scan of the ECU, he knows that the customer was driving the car within manufacturers specifications (didn’t abuse the car).
These are simple tests and shouldn’t take long time, therefor $1500-$2000 quoted is not acceptable and if the car had done less than 100,000km the repair should be done at VAG cost.

Despite it was voted the international engine of the year almost 10 years ago, just remember, we’re talking about the engine, which left the factory with bad (very dodgy) pistons, which started to fail at very early stages. Often in less that 30,000km

They should all be either recalled or repaired for free for up to 120,000km or 10 years, especially if there was only 1 owner.

[monterot]

Follow up post.

Dealership got no luck from VWA. I then emailed Jason Bradshaw a nice email and got a phone call very promptly from a customer service person for more info. A couple of days later a phone call back from VWA stating due to the age of the car they were not going to contribute.

I then sent a more forthright email, stating statutory laws, ACCC, known fault, etc but again VWA emailed back stating they were not going to contribute.

My plans now were going to be have the car fixed by an independent mechanic and continue to harass VWA for recompense and launch a complaint with Fair trading and the ACCC. The only trouble being I have tried 2 local mechanics who both said they would not rebuild the engine. Does anybody know of a good mechanic near Tweed Heads or Brisbane who would rebuild the engine?

Any help or advice appreciated. I know it makes no sense to spend $5k on a car worth $6 - 9k, but my wife loves her car.

For those who missed my previous post, 2010 Golf, owned from original 105Km, always 98Ron, all but one service by VW.

Thanks

Hi,
I have the same issue with my golf as year.

I went to vw village and they quote me $5-$7K to rebuilt the engine, also they offer me a 2 years warranty.

I have this car for 2 years now, so I really do not know if rebuilding the engine is a good idea or not.

or should i try to trade the car?

[apewearingclothes]

Hi All,

My daughters 2010 golf 118tsi (70000 klms) in v good nick, (SURPRISE) blew multiple pistons the other day, (3 cylinders v poor compression) my mechanic has diagnosed cracked pistons via oil sealing the cylinder then compression testing (not bent valves as compression stays up with oil seal)

In light of a 10 year old, dealer serviced vehicle, does any one think it is worth;
a; pursuing with VWA or local VW dealer for assistance as a matter of principle as per transporters comments below
b; going to someone like volkewerke to get a rebuild with decent pistons and warranty ($7k) given the car is worth 10k but hard to replace for similar money
c; selling the thing, as is for bugger all and getting the daughter a corolla or mazda 3 as per mechanics advice

thanks for any help

How about the commitment to repair the significant flaw in the engine, regardless of the cost even if that means replacing the engine?
The engine shouldn’t lose the compression before 100,000km, that’s just not acceptable quality.

As far as the cost goes.
The mechanic knows from the compression test and leak down test if the pistons and/or the rings had failed.
From the scan of the ECU, he knows that the customer was driving the car within manufacturers specifications (didn’t abuse the car).
These are simple tests and shouldn’t take long time, therefor $1500-$2000 quoted is not acceptable and if the car had done less than 100,000km the repair should be done at VAG cost.

Despite it was voted the international engine of the year almost 10 years ago, just remember, we’re talking about the engine, which left the factory with bad (very dodgy) pistons, which started to fail at very early stages. Often in less that 30,000km

They should all be either recalled or repaired for free for up to 120,000km or 10 years, especially if there was only 1 owner.

[Guest001]

Hi All,

My daughters 2010 golf 118tsi (70000 klms) in v good nick, (SURPRISE) blew multiple pistons the other day, (3 cylinders v poor compression) my mechanic has diagnosed cracked pistons via oil sealing the cylinder then compression testing (not bent valves as compression stays up with oil seal)

In light of a 10 year old, dealer serviced vehicle, does any one think it is worth;
a; pursuing with VWA or local VW dealer for assistance as a matter of principle as per transporters comments below
b; going to someone like volkewerke to get a rebuild with decent pistons and warranty ($7k) given the car is worth 10k but hard to replace for similar money
c; selling the thing, as is for bugger all and getting the daughter a corolla or mazda 3 as per mechanics advice

thanks for any help

Try A with all your invoices spent at VW services and make the point that its a known fault with that engine worldwide

[The_Hawk]

Try A with all your invoices spent at VW services and make the point that its a known fault with that engine worldwide

Pretty much this and pray to all the deities at once (and let us know the outcome of course). August last year was the last confirmed documented case (in this thread) of VWA coming to the party so it's worth a shot.

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of good ways out of this otherwise. A drop-in replacement can be cheaper than a rebuild if done on the cheap, but it's not exactly a small job so unless it's mates rates or done yourself there may not be a lot in it, you also have the risk of an unknown engine.
Rebuilding is best, but also very time consuming, again unless you can get mates rates on the labour it's going to suck.

Plan C would be an engine transplant to something that's not the twincharged motor, but that's potentially more complicated but does at least leave you with an engine that's far less likely to fail again.... except you then have a sort of Frankenstein vehicle which would likely be harder to move on later. When my engine went pop I was 100% in going down the GTI transplant route (which needs an engine and gearbox), but only because it's in a Cabriolet, if it was just a normal hatch it would be a real toss up between just writing it off and buying something else...

On the buying something else note, assuming you otherwise like the Golf, there are currently 14 non 118TSI Golfs from 2010/11 for sale on car sales for $7k or less. You could buy one of those, cherry pick all the good/upgraded parts and swap them into the running one eg nicer seats, chrome bits then try to sell off the broken one as parts. It's not a great option, it's time consuming and painful, but you'd likely recover at least some of the cost.

[apewearingclothes]

thanks for help so far you guys are great, what a resource

Pretty much this and pray to all the deities at once (and let us know the outcome of course). August last year was the last confirmed documented case (in this thread) of VWA coming to the party so it's worth a shot.

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of good ways out of this otherwise. A drop-in replacement can be cheaper than a rebuild if done on the cheap, but it's not exactly a small job so unless it's mates rates or done yourself there may not be a lot in it, you also have the risk of an unknown engine.
Rebuilding is best, but also very time consuming, again unless you can get mates rates on the labour it's going to suck.

Plan C would be an engine transplant to something that's not the twincharged motor, but that's potentially more complicated but does at least leave you with an engine that's far less likely to fail again.... except you then have a sort of Frankenstein vehicle which would likely be harder to move on later. When my engine went pop I was 100% in going down the GTI transplant route (which needs an engine and gearbox), but only because it's in a Cabriolet, if it was just a normal hatch it would be a real toss up between just writing it off and buying something else...

On the buying something else note, assuming you otherwise like the Golf, there are currently 14 non 118TSI Golfs from 2010/11 for sale on car sales for $7k or less. You could buy one of those, cherry pick all the good/upgraded parts and swap them into the running one eg nicer seats, chrome bits then try to sell off the broken one as parts. It's not a great option, it's time consuming and painful, but you'd likely recover at least some of the cost.

thanks all, going down the rabbit hole, using mainly svondas posts as a guide, thanks mate... will keep you posted

cheers

[alexw1958]

Hi apewearingclothes

Same issue happened to my daugthers 2010 118TSI in Oct last year. I took it to a VW dealer in Adelaide and was advised that it would be unlikely that VW would provide a goodwill repair.

VW would not commit to a goodwill repair unless I agreed to pay approx. $1,000 to get it fully diagnosed. I was concerned that I could outlay $1,000 and then have VWA refuse to provide any assistance.

I took my time and spoke to a number of independant VW mechanics and basically was told that it was 99.9% certain to be a cracked pistion in cylinder 3.

The dealer rang me in early Dec and I rolled the dice and indicated I would pay for the full diagnosis. The diagnosis confirmed a cracked piston in cylinder 3 but no bore damage. The dealer put forward a request for a goodwill repair to VWA and much to my surprise I was informed that VWA agreed to do the goodwill repair at no cost whatsoever to me. All up the pistons replaced plus the timing chain and tensioner.

We got the car back at the end of Dec and it is running perfectly and we are very happy with the repair.

In this instance VWA came to the party and covered the entire cost of the repair. I can only say thank you very much to VWA. They have received a lot of bad press in the past but I can only speak highly of them.

All the best. Good luck. One tip. Get the goodwill repair request submitted early in the month.

Hope that helps.

[jdw]

Hi apewearingclothes

Same issue happened to my daugthers 2010 118TSI in Oct last year. I took it to a VW dealer in Adelaide and was advised that it would be unlikely that VW would provide a goodwill repair.

VW would not commit to a goodwill repair unless I agreed to pay approx. $1,000 to get it fully diagnosed. I was concerned that I could outlay $1,000 and then have VWA refuse to provide any assistance.

I took my time and spoke to a number of independant VW mechanics and basically was told that it was 99.9% certain to be a cracked pistion in cylinder 3.

The dealer rang me in early Dec and I rolled the dice and indicated I would pay for the full diagnosis. The diagnosis confirmed a cracked piston in cylinder 3 but no bore damage. The dealer put forward a request for a goodwill repair to VWA and much to my surprise I was informed that VWA agreed to do the goodwill repair at no cost whatsoever to me. All up the pistons replaced plus the timing chain and tensioner.

We got the car back at the end of Dec and it is running perfectly and we are very happy with the repair.

In this instance VWA came to the party and covered the entire cost of the repair. I can only say thank you very much to VWA. They have received a lot of bad press in the past but I can only speak highly of them.

All the best. Good luck. One tip. Get the goodwill repair request submitted early in the month.

Hope that helps.

Did you have to pay the $1000 >?

[alexw1958]

No did not have to pay anything. $0

VWA covered entire cost of the diagnosis and repair. All up I believe it was about $8k.

[morgs RS]

118 TSI compressor issues

Hi apewearingclothes

Same issue happened to my daugthers 2010 118TSI in Oct last year. I took it to a VW dealer in Adelaide and was advised that it would be unlikely that VW would provide a goodwill repair.

VW would not commit to a goodwill repair unless I agreed to pay approx. $1,000 to get it fully diagnosed. I was concerned that I could outlay $1,000 and then have VWA refuse to provide any assistance.

I took my time and spoke to a number of independant VW mechanics and basically was told that it was 99.9% certain to be a cracked pistion in cylinder 3.

The dealer rang me in early Dec and I rolled the dice and indicated I would pay for the full diagnosis. The diagnosis confirmed a cracked piston in cylinder 3 but no bore damage. The dealer put forward a request for a goodwill repair to VWA and much to my surprise I was informed that VWA agreed to do the goodwill repair at no cost whatsoever to me. All up the pistons replaced plus the timing chain and tensioner.

We got the car back at the end of Dec and it is running perfectly and we are very happy with the repair.

In this instance VWA came to the party and covered the entire cost of the repair. I can only say thank you very much to VWA. They have received a lot of bad press in the past but I can only speak highly of them.

All the best. Good luck. One tip. Get the goodwill repair request submitted early in the month.

Hope that helps.

Very helpful reply as i am also in SA. Thanks. My wifes 2011 118TSI was diagnosed with a compression issue on cylinder 3 this week. Only 49,000km. Solitaire yesterday quoted $10k for new engine or $6k if existing motor is repairable. Weighing up my options.

[Transporter]

Very helpful reply as i am also in SA. Thanks. My wifes 2011 118TSI was diagnosed with a compression issue on cylinder 3 this week. Only 49,000km. Solitaire yesterday quoted $10k for new engine or $6k if existing motor is repairable. Weighing up my options.

You still should push for goodwill repair.

[Buttonbash]

So many of these sale too going cheaper than other engines
only people in the know steering away from them
I would have thought VW would have been on to this