Polo TSI 2010 problems - snapped timing belt

[Fortunefox]

Hello! I'd like to start of by mentioning that I do love my Polo still (despite all the grief) and I'm hoping you guys can help me out here regarding the issues I've had.

I bought the Polo in 2011 (I think it's a 2010 model) and so far it's done 54000kms. I experienced shuddering first in 2012 - which was caused by warped pads and required new rotors. The costs weren't covered by the warranty because of standard 'wear & tear' - despite only having it a year. The second issue which occurred late last year was when my gears got stuck on 'D4' on the freeway and I had to pull over & restart - I contacted the dealer; and they stated it was partly related to the recall. I got that fixed & it was running smooth again - up until now.

I was driving on the highway & my engine basically failed. I couldn't accelerate and had to crawl to the nearest side street. The car ended up needing to be towed, I won't get my car back for a month - it turns out the timing belt snapped and cranked the engine, & I'm waiting for a new engine to be imported - which is all covered under warranty (thankfully).

Now; I have a few concerns regarding the Polo. My warranty expires in June, I'm torn between selling the Polo & getting a more "reliable" car. I know the timing belts are meant to be replaced every 105000kms - mines carked it halfway. I'm worried that once the warranty expires & it happens again before the replacement kms - I won't be able to afford to replace the entire engine myself (I'm a uni student). I'm ashamed to say that my confidence regarding safety has also plummeted - if I had travelled on the freeway to uni that day, I don't think the cars behind me would be as forgiving. As I said; I still love my Polo - it's a mint little car, and I don't want to give it up. Is there a way around this? I've kept up with all the scheduled servicing & I do look after my car - so I don't understand what I could have done wrong to snap the timing belt has anyone else experienced this??

[Snail Style]

Never really see them snap timing belts at all. However the "good" part of this is that the motor is now covered by parts warranty as a result of being replaced, even after your warranty expires.

[Fortunefox]

Thank you for your response, Snail Style. Would you know how long the parts warranty lasts?

[nomadx38]

Are you sure it wasn't the fan belt (or accessories belt, as I like to call it becuae the fan doesn't run of it any more) or was it definitely the timing belt.

Thing is the 1.2tsi doesn't have a timing belt. It has a chain that is pretty much impossible to break. They do over time stretch and it's why they are replaced at the 210,000km service.

There is a recall in place for motors June 2011 and under which addresses a poorly designed chain tensioner which sometimes allowed the chain to come off or skip teeth at worst. The main thing it did was cause excessive noise as the chain flaps about which lead to excessive wear. I would be looking into this for financial reimbursement on any parts or costs as it should have been noted at one of the services, as part of the road test they should be checking for weird noises.

[Fortunefox]

Thank you for your response, nomadx38. The gentleman I spoke to from the dealership said it was the timing belt/chain that caused the damage to the engine. Prior to this, the car did sound loud & rough on start up - the mechanic also queried the noise during the servicing but was told that it was normal.

The engine replacement is covered by the warranty - but I'm concerned with whether it will happen again before the scheduled 105,000kms. So far, I take it that this is uncommon (?). But I'm just looking for a peace of mind.

[Snail Style]

Ahh sorry missed the TSI stated in the title and was thinking of a 1.4 mpi. However the information I mentioned still stands and parts warranty is for 2 years from memory.

It should not happen again, it's quite rare that the chain gets to the point that it jumps before the issue gets noticed. I would assume you would have been hearing a lot of rattling in the mornings at startup. At the workplace I work at, we normally quote that job when we notice it on services, so to this date we have only seen 1 of the 1.2TSI's jump their chain and that was from another dealer's used car lot.

Also, the new parts going in will be improved to address the information nomadx38 attached.

Hope that helps put you at ease a little.

[Fortunefox]

Yes! There was rattling in the morning, the mechs picked up on the noise when I took the car in for the recall - but they told me it was normal.

Thank you so much for your responses! It has eased my mind

[kar2390]

Sorry to bring back this thread.

Just wondering if anyone could post the Technical bulletin for the chain tensioner failing. I have a 2010 polo and its starting to rattle on cold starts, the car is way out of warranty so I'm a bit nervous

[bushman]

Does moderator or anyone know if this was a mandatory change by dealer during warranty period, as most of these will be out of warranty now ? Because I know mine was not replaced, although not showing any symptoms but for tiny rattle

[deanbox]

Just get rid of it. I had a manual TSI 2011 with sports pack that I loved driving but went back to the dealer several times in the first year. Granted they were small things but several rattles and the car stalling at lights several times in the first year alone is frustrating. Your car is a dog box thats not going to change. I specifically got rid of mine so I wouldn't be left with a VW out of warranty. VW have nice styling and I loved the way mine handled but it seems to be hit and miss whether you have problems or not, chances aren the guy that bought mine might not ever have any problems now but it wasn't a risk I wasn't willing to take given the fact that I will probably be leaving my job and going to uni too.

[brad]

Does moderator or anyone know if this was a mandatory change by dealer during warranty period, as most of these will be out of warranty now ? Because I know mine was not replaced, although not showing any symptoms but for tiny rattle

It's not a mandatory change. You've got to have the noise. It's usually most prominent when the oil is cold. VW rarely carry out pre-emptive fixes.

kar2390 - isn't that the TSB in post 4?

[kar2390]

It's not a mandatory change. You've got to have the noise. It's usually most prominent when the oil is cold. VW rarely carry out pre-emptive fixes.

kar2390 - isn't that the TSB in post 4?

Oops my bad, I tried opening it but for some reason the image wasn't very clear. It was fine after I saved the image to the device.

So just wondering if a VW dealer would know the type of chain tensioner my car has installed at the moment. Also does anyone have an idea what this would cost.

[Snail Style]

Vw can tell by the engine code if it falls into the range. You would be looking at between 4-8 hours labour to get it done.

[Pokie]

Bring it to Burwins we will fix it

[kar2390]

Vw can tell by the engine code if it falls into the range. You would be looking at between 4-8 hours labour to get it done.

Thanks for the info Snail Style

Bring it to Burwins we will fix it

Cheers Pokie thanks for the offer, do you get a lot of 2010 models coming in to get them done