Is the Volkswagen 1.4 TSI a timebomb?
A friend is looking to buy a circa 2009 Golf VI 1.4 TSI 122hp with 85,000 miles on the clock, full dealer history and apparently no cam chain issues.
So from a distance all seems fine, but we know these engines can have issues. If the car he is buying is showing no problems and he starts to service it every 10k (or annually if he does less per year) straight away, does he have a sporting chance with that engine?
Would you change the cam chain in any case or should he be fine? I suppose just keep a close eye for any change in behavior or noises. Any other advice on this engine? By the way do you know whether they corrected the problem on the 1.4 TSi engines at some point, besides changing to a belt on the Golf VII?
So from a distance all seems fine, but we know these engines can have issues. If the car he is buying is showing no problems and he starts to service it every 10k (or annually if he does less per year) straight away, does he have a sporting chance with that engine?
Would you change the cam chain in any case or should he be fine? I suppose just keep a close eye for any change in behavior or noises. Any other advice on this engine? By the way do you know whether they corrected the problem on the 1.4 TSi engines at some point, besides changing to a belt on the Golf VII?
Asked on 16 April 2015 by 5cylinderdiesel
Answered by
Honest John
Yes he could be okay. Even though the fault is well known with this engine, it's suffered by a vocal minority rather than the vast bulk of 1.4TSI owners. The main problem came from the chain supplier stamping out the links on worn machinery that left tiny burrs on them, coupled, of course, with Volkswagen's unwise long-life oil service regime. I don't know if quality inspections solved this before the engine was switched to belt cam.
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