I bought a one owner 2011 GTI with 145K on it a few weeks ago from a local used car dealer for a great price. It looks, runs and drives great. I was a little worried about the known chain tensioner issues so I was about to tear into it to see if it had been replaced.
Well, from the day I bought it I noticed a few things. The engine cover, tow hook and cover were missing. I also noticed the engine looked reaaallly clean. Like too clean. The aluminum was spotless. I had never never seen a 150k engine this clean.
Well, I may have found out why. I happened to notice a peeling sticker on the valve cover... dated 11-22-2018. I looked up the part number and it is an OEM cylinder head assembly to the tune of almost $1800. I can't find records of it despite the carfax having almost 40 service records at the dealer.
Does this mean the cylinder head was replaced? Possibly the whole engine? Judging by the other service records dates, the new cylinder head (engine??) has less than 6k miles. Did I just win the lottery lol?
Well, from the day I bought it I noticed a few things. The engine cover, tow hook and cover were missing. I also noticed the engine looked reaaallly clean. Like too clean. The aluminum was spotless. I had never never seen a 150k engine this clean.
Well, I may have found out why. I happened to notice a peeling sticker on the valve cover... dated 11-22-2018. I looked up the part number and it is an OEM cylinder head assembly to the tune of almost $1800. I can't find records of it despite the carfax having almost 40 service records at the dealer.
Does this mean the cylinder head was replaced? Possibly the whole engine? Judging by the other service records dates, the new cylinder head (engine??) has less than 6k miles. Did I just win the lottery lol?