Thank you! Do you know how long they last roughly before needing to be replaced? I also saw something online regarding the tensioner not being very good? Is this corect?
The chain is supposed to last the life of the engine therefore there is no schedule for replacement. I do believe there have been issues with the tensioner with this engine.
To be honest, VAG seen to have issues with tensioners with the majority of chain driven engines.
As cuprabob says they are supposed to last the life of the engine - in reality the tensioner fails long before this, and/or the chain stretches.
Personally I think if you get to 100k, then change the damn thing regardless. Only problem is the cost - its a hell of a lot of labour, especially on the 1.4 TSI.
VW would charge around £1000 in total. A 3rd party probably half that, but I would be concerned about a 3rd party fitting non VW genuine parts on this one and actually replacing what needs to be replaced - chain, tensioner, guide rails, couple of sprockets, all bolts, valve cover seal and properly re-sealing the oil pan.
You do tend to get a warning when this tensioner starts to go - on a cold start you will hear a loud rattling noise as the chain is loose whilst the failing tensioner takes a few moments to apply pressure (as the oil pressure builds). As soon as you hear that, get it changed immediately.
One other thing - if you have a manual, never leave your car in gear when parked. The tensioner primarily relies on oil pressure to tension the chain, when the engine is off only the internal spring is applying pressure. It's actually the spring / ratchet latch that fails or wears out on the tensioners - if this is starting to go and your car is in gear and moves slightly on an incline then the chain can jump, so that when you start the car its out of timing and then engine destroys itself.
Last edited by blower on Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Another one that's not on the service schedule any more is engine coolant - change that every 5 years.
This is the problem with the chain driven engines - normally your cambelt would be changed at 60,000 miles - and along with it usually your water pump, which would be new coolant.
Now nothing gets changed, the coolant never gets changed and tends to go bad in the older cars. Coolant is only good for 5-6 years, after that it needs to be changed as the corrosion inhibitors have worn off.
