Please help, smoking TSI118

[yollyloo]

My golf has an intermittent smoking problem, every week or so I heard a feint short rattle in engine compartment followed by a puff of smoke out the back, enough for following car to back off! This has been happening for several months now and hasn't worstened. I have gone to VW several times and they cannot find fault. Warranty runs out in 1 month. Any advise would be most appreciated.

[AdamD]

Hmm, have you read this thread:

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

Is yours a 2008-2010 118TSI, or is it a newer model? Have you had the 24S4 campaign fix applied?

Don't be too concerned with respect to your warranty. As you've taken the car to VW (it was an official VW dealer?), they should have made a note of your report and of the nature of the fault. As it's a pre-existing condition, it will be covered under warranty as it existed (and was reported) before the warranty expired.

If you have any concerns, just give the dealer service manager a call and make sure they have made a note of the problem, so you'll be covered (to the extent that the original factory warranty will cover you) even after it expires.

[Lucas_R]

Sounds like another 118TSI about to go bang. Tell VW that the fault is a hole melted in your piston seeing that they can't find it.

As mentioned above, this is a very well known fault with the 118TSI engines and VW will fix it even if the warranty has expired. In most cases, VW will either rebuild or replace (depending on the extend of the damage) the engine.

[yollyloo]

Thanks for your replies, its the 2011 model and VW dealer has updated software.

[Lucas_R]

Thanks for your replies, its the 2011 model and VW dealer has updated software.

I believe the software update was too little too late for most of these engines - the damage was already done and it is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.

Just make sure your local VW dealer knows you are having issues and that they make a note of it.

[Transporter]

I believe the software update was too little too late for most of these engines - the damage was already done and it is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.

Just make sure your local VW dealer knows you are having issues and that they make a note of it.

Since the OP posted that he was at the VW dealer, everyone should be able to get that the VW dealer knows about the OP's issue.

[brad]

Since the OP posted that he was at the VW dealer, everyone should be able to get that the VW dealer knows about the OP's issue.

Not necessarily Miro.

A lot of these dealers don't put all the iss ues into the database so no record is available unless you want to trawl back through the paper copies they fill out on the forecourt.

It wouldn't be the first time a dealer has said "we have no record of your complaint". Not everyone is as thorough as you are.

[minke]

Hence why I like to email dealers pre and post telephone conversation.

Pre - I would like to discuss the following issues I have with the vehicle. I will call at this time.
Post - Thank you to talking with me today on the telephone at 10:30am (if generic email then mention service contacts name) then note the bullet points ie. I will bring the vehicle in for you to scan for codes on this day. You also indicated that this isue will be registered with the manufacturer for further scrutiny and visibility across the dealer network. etc...

This then allows the recipient to either accept, refute or amend what you've written so that both parties are clear on what is expected of each other.

Remember - Silence is Compliance.

I previously had a Renault - so learnt the hard way

[toastedvw]

my 2009 golf was blowing smoke like that before it crapped itself the first time
the second time the engine died i had no warning

[zoomda]

My golf has an intermittent smoking problem, every week or so I heard a feint short rattle in engine compartment followed by a puff of smoke out the back, enough for following car to back off! This has been happening for several months now and hasn't worstened. I have gone to VW several times and they cannot find fault. Warranty runs out in 1 month. Any advise would be most appreciated.

The 118TSI I had did that exact thing from time to time. Dealer couldn't find any issues. I would be making very certain that every time you have raised it with the dealer that they have indeed recorded. Ask for some sort of written acknowledgement and note when you advised them of the issue.

If it goes bang after the warranty expires you might be in with a slim chance of it being fixed.

The best advise I can give you is to get rid of the car asap. I got rid of mine because I didn't want to take the risk. They are just way too unreliable.

[darkfriend]

My 2010 TSI also did this. I would put my foot down, get a rattle (like you'd here shaking a spray paint can) and get a large puff of blue smoke from the exhaust. VW weren't interested and said it was normal.

There was a previous thread on it and I can't remember if a reason was given. And yes I had had the software upgrade prior to this. It still ran well.

I ungraded to a GTI 1 month prior to the warranty running out.

[Lucas_R]

^ love how VW claim that the engine rattling (probably pinging) and then a large plume of blue smoke (oil burning) out the exhaust is "normal operation".

Every car does that right?

[brad]

It's obviously a viable marketing tool because it appears plenty of folk got out of their car ealy & upgraded to another VW. Quite a brilliant strategy.

[Lucas_R]

It's obviously a viable marketing tool because it appears plenty of folk got out of their car ealy & upgraded to another VW. Quite a brilliant strategy.

^ haha. Either that or stepped out of a VW never to return....like one guy at work who owned a MK6 118TSi with DSG. Problem after problem.

[darkfriend]

It's obviously a viable marketing tool because it appears plenty of folk got out of their car ealy & upgraded to another VW. Quite a brilliant strategy.

lol... so I went from a 118TSI to a GTI because I fell victim to a marketing ploy.... I like that!

And my GTI burns too much oil... so I should fall victim again and upgrade to an R... I wish!