Official Timing Chain Tensioner failure thread

[cosmokramer]

Hello.

Mk6 GTI owner from the Uk. I have fallen victim to the failing chain tensioner issue. I noticed a small rattle on start up perhaps the previous 2 or 3 trips, thought it was strange but didn't think much of it and car was due in for DSG oil change soon anyway so thought would deal with it then. Drive car home from work, all normal. Next day it wouldn't start. Got it towed to the VW dealership where they said the chain tensioner has snapped and caused a catestrophic engine failure. No compression at all and it is suspected that all valves are bent.

They wanted £1,600 to "investigate further" after which it would be a further £2,500 to £3,000 in the best case and at worst a replacement engine at a quote of £7,000. The guy on the phone then starts to try and sell me another VW! Can you believe it! "Oh we have some lovely models in stock", go f**k yourself mate. I don't see the point in spending £1,600 to be told that the engine is destroyed which it most likely is. Throwing good money after bad.

I complained to VW Uk and the local dealership. They are not interested and couldn't have been less helpful.

So now I am in a dilemma. The dealership are offering £3-£4K for a trade in. Although I'm not convinced I want another VW after this experience. I have a quote from an independent garage to supply and fit a second hand engine at approx £2k. I also have another offer from a friend to buy it at £4k. If the car was in working order it would be worth approx £8k, possibly £9k to sell privately. What to do??

 

[BlueE30]

Hello.

Mk6 GTI owner from the Uk. I have fallen victim to the failing chain tensioner issue. I noticed a small rattle on start up perhaps the previous 2 or 3 trips, thought it was strange but didn't think much of it and car was due in for DSG oil change soon anyway so thought would deal with it then. Drive car home from work, all normal. Next day it wouldn't start. Got it towed to the VW dealership where they said the chain tensioner has snapped and caused a catestrophic engine failure. No compression at all and it is suspected that all valves are bent.

They wanted £1,600 to "investigate further" after which it would be a further £2,500 to £3,000 in the best case and at worst a replacement engine at a quote of £7,000. The guy on the phone then starts to try and sell me another VW! Can you believe it! "Oh we have some lovely models in stock", go f**k yourself mate. I don't see the point in spending £1,600 to be told that the engine is destroyed which it most likely is. Throwing good money after bad.

I complained to VW Uk and the local dealership. They are not interested and couldn't have been less helpful.

So now I am in a dilemma. The dealership are offering £3-£4K for a trade in. Although I'm not convinced I want another VW after this experience. I have a quote from an independent garage to supply and fit a second hand engine at approx £2k. I also have another offer from a friend to buy it at £4k. If the car was in working order it would be worth approx £8k, possibly £9k to sell privately. What to do??

My vote is the second hand engine installed and get the new timing chain tensioner in it. Should be good to go for quite some time and it's your least costly route.

 

[bmanc42]

This is such a horrible thing that they have been getting away with. Vw claims it is a lifetime part which it most certainly is not.

 

[joefix413]

Guys, a little history of my situation....2011 mk6 always factory serviced and at the 100k I asked my advisor what do I need to do with the timing chain.....he said "nothing, its self adjusting and you don't need to do anything.....

At 133k on the highway home lost all power and had to coast to the shoulder thru 3 lanes of traffic and let it cool down. I got it started and got it home it was just rough idling at this point. I got it back to the dealer the next morning and what they sent me as a report was unbelievable!!!!!

I was at work and looked quickly at the bottom number $22000!!!!!

When I calmed down and called him only then did I find out it was $2k to lower subframe and drop pan and look for debris, then $5k to replace chain and tensioner and the $10 for the rebuild.... I had it towed home and 2 weeks later got laid off.

We sold our house( it was really nice and a bit on the expensive side and since it's just me and wife now we were able to find a place to right size. I had to pack the garage with my shop and our recording studio because there was no space in the house and the base needed to be reworked for the studio.

We dove in and finished the studio space and got al that equipment down there and set up ( and recalibrated). The lumber and shop equipment is getting arranged to get the car in and start tearing it down with my son hopefully before the snow flies....

The takeaway from this....

At 100k miles if your. Tensioner hasn't gone yet.....REPLACE IT!!!!


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[cosmokramer]

I wouldn't wait until 100k. There is many isstances of the TSI engine failing anything from 20,000 miles upwards. Mine destroyed itself at 81,000. The worst part about it is the blasé attitude shown from VW, total indifference when i approached them about this issue. Terrible customer service.

The customer is expected to foot the bill for what is essentially a design flaw that VW are responsible for. My car was well maintained and serviced at the VW dealership and as you say this is a non serviceable item which is supposed to last the life of the car.

For what it's worth, here is VW's response:

"Thank you for your recent email regarding your Volkswagen Golf Mk 6 GTI 2.0TSI 210PS 3Dr 6Spd DSG. I am sorry for the delay in my response.

I do appreciate that your expectations of reliability and build quality are high when you purchase a Volkswagen and that any failure is most disappointing. It is not possible to predict the life expectancy of any component due to numerous variable factors such as vehicle usage, driving style and servicing of the vehicle. There is always a possibility that a component may fail during its lifetime. It is for this reason that all new UK specification Volkswagen vehicles are supplied with a comprehensive three years or 60,000 miles warranty, whichever arrives first. Our records indicate the manufacturer‘s warranty on your vehicle expired on 17 August 2012 and no Extended Warranty has been purchased.

As you can appreciate, the responsibility for any repair costs becomes your own when the manufacturer’s warranty has expired.

I understand that you would like Volkswagen UK to look into the possibility of offering support with the potential costs involved in repairing your vehicle. Once a vehicle is no longer covered by a warranty there is no legal obligation for us to consider support towards a repair by the manufacturer. In such cases the manufacturer is no longer responsible for any costs. As we have not had the opportunity to view the issue, I am sorry we are unable to comment further in this matter.

I appreciate that this is not the outcome you had anticipated, but trust that you understand the reasoning behind our decision. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to respond to your email."

 

[joefix413]

I received no help from the dealer who I was loyal to for all servicing even when I tried to buy another car, albeit a used car, from them and I got less from VW with them saying you got 133,000 miles on it....


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[BlueE30]

Goes to show.... replace the damn tensioner if you have an old one.... I suspect as these cars age, we will hear more and more horror stories by people putting off the repair. I had my tensioner replaced for $700 including the new cover, much better than a bill for $22,000 in your case, or $5-$6k in other cases.

JUST REPLACE IT!!!!

VW not backing up this known failure part is pathetic in my humble opinion and I'm not sure if I will be purchasing another VW product as I don't trust them at all.

 

[snobrdrdan]

So now I am in a dilemma. The dealership are offering £3-£4K for a trade in. Although I'm not convinced I want another VW after this experience. I have a quote from an independent garage to supply and fit a second hand engine at approx £2k. I also have another offer from a friend to buy it at £4k. If the car was in working order it would be worth approx £8k, possibly £9k to sell privately. What to do??

x2 on what BlueE30 said


Even if you don't want the car, buy the second hand engine for $2k and that'll make it back to a $8-9k car like you said and more money in your pocket instead of settling for the $4k

In this case, you gotta spend money to make (more) money

 

[Dans GTI]

I was at work and looked quickly at the bottom number $22000!!!!!

When I calmed down and called him only then did I find out it was $2k to lower subframe and drop pan and look for debris, then $5k to replace chain and tensioner and the $10 for the rebuild.... I had it towed home and 2 weeks later got laid off.

Wow..i truly hate spineless, piece of shit service advisors/dealers like the ones who wrote your estimate.

22k for a rebuild. Thats mind blowing.

 

[Gfish311]

After reading this thread (amongst others) and starting to hear a rattle on cold starts, I got my tensioner replaced for peace of mind. Rattle went away, and my nerves are definitely eased a bit. Cost around $650 from an independent shop.

 

[Schaber403]

Dreaded timing chain tensioner failure on my MK6. Don't know the full extent of the damage but was parked and just wouldn't start after driving perfect a few hours before.

Looks like I got no compression in 3 cylinders but hoping its nothing too major.

What would everyone recommend for which route I take. Rebuilding the motor or replacing it with a used one.

 

[BlueE30]

Dreaded timing chain tensioner failure on my MK6. Don't know the full extent of the damage but was parked and just wouldn't start after driving perfect a few hours before.

Looks like I got no compression in 3 cylinders but hoping its nothing too major.

What would everyone recommend for which route I take. Rebuilding the motor or replacing it with a used one.

Ugh sorry to hear, I feel I'm one of the biggest advocates on changing this defective part out asap as a preventative measure if you have the old one.... just got to get it done, no excuses.

Unfortunately, doesn't sound like it will be cheap. Finding a good used engine is your best bet (change the tensioner on that used one too if it's the old one). Take it to a respected indy shop and have them start searching... you'll have a CCTA which is more common fortunately.

 

[BlueE30]

This should be your list of eligible donor cars:

 

[BlueE30]

Sorry for the massive pic

 

[Joveen]

Wow..i truly hate spineless, piece of shit service advisors/dealers like the ones who wrote your estimate.

22k for a rebuild. Thats mind blowing.

I was quoted 17k for full rebuild of tranny and engine which includes lsd, shift forks and new clutch and long and short head.

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