Just bought a 1.4 TSi 2009

[Jacko5]

Then i have read about engine problems on that year.. oh dear.
Its only done 29000 miles.. has 2 years warranty.
Should i be worried ?

[Cuprabob]

Not if it's a good warranty:-)

[greg7728]

160bhp? 2 years warranty more than enough time to establish if there's an issue . I'm at 25k currently having engine rebuild. U would know if there's an issue by now with Misfires I'm sure.


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[Jacko5]

Yes 160bhp version,2009 29k on the clock.
Look at the newbie alert post in the welcome forum post.
Picking the car up tomorrow.
What should i look out for ?

[greg7728]

Mine has a rough idle - then got worse and started misfiring. Look at what the vehicle idles at once warmed up. If u feel it rumbling through the seat that's not good.


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[blower]

Was it bought from a dealership? - if so request a full history of every bit of work done on the car.

A 2009 model has the following problems/parts which may have been replaced during it's history with revised versions:

Spark plugs: These were revised many times throughout the history of the 1.4 TSI. If you are still running on factory plugs (VW part 101905626) then get them changed to latest revision ones, VW part 03C905601B or NGK SIZFR6B8EG. The original sparks uses in this engine had too big a spark gap from factory and were prone to misfiring - this is the number one cause of piston death in these engines.

Fuel Injectors: Revised versions came out around mid 2010. The early revision injector is prone to leaving unburnt fuel on the piston crown, scorching it - this happens due to deposits building up and restricting the flow - causing odd spray patterns. Not necessarily a problem with all of them, just they are more prone to doing this so is one of the contributing factors to piston death.

Pistons/rings: Early revision 2009 engines had a batch of faulty piston rings, causing sudden piston death. If you car has a manufacture date towards the end of 2009, then this shouldn't be a problem. As above this one is likely to surface fairly early on in its life, so with your warranty you would be covered.

Engine ECU Software: If your car has had it's first few years services at VW, then this won't be an issue. There was a big service campaign update (24S4 Service campaign) mid 2010 after a load of piston deaths throughout 2009 and 2010. The knock sensor from factory was incorrectly calibrated so wasn't doing its job. With low grade fuel in some countries, this meant knock was occurring along with pre-ignition without the ECU knowing it, this inevitably led to piston death.

Super charger clutch / water pump: Early revisions (pre mid 2010) are prone to squeaking under mid-hard acceleration from low RPM's. This is the supercharger clutch momentarily slipping, not a great concern other than the squeak noise. Happens more in hot weather, and comes and goes. Newer revision part solved the issue.

Camshaft adjuster: Early revisions (pre mid 2010) are prone to sticking on cold starts. This will produce a loud grinding noise on startup for a 2-3 seconds. I don't believe this causes any long term problems (other than the unpleasant noise)...it is often confused with a chain tensioner failing (a far more serious but less frequent problem). See my post here for details on both and how to tell the difference and also learn about some other startup quirks:

http://www.sciroccocentral.co.uk/forum/ ... 06#p173845" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now i hope i have not scared you with that lot! - basically out of the ones above, the items you need to ensure are ok are the spark plugs and the ECU software. If both of those are ok, then the rest is less of a concern.

Also only use premium fuel with these engines (97, 98 or 99 RON super unleaded). Sainsburys super 98, Shell Vpower Nitro, Tesco Momentum 99 etc. This is more essential if you have the original injector revision - need a higher grade fuel which will have additives to help keep the injector flowing freely.

[Jacko5]

Many thanks .. printed off .. taking it with me tomorrow .. yes a VW Dealer ( Das WeltAuto UK ) and 2 year warranty and 2 year RAC breakdown.
Cheers.

[blower]

By the way, I noticed that you were originally intending to buy a 2.0 TSI - well if you feel like you have bought the wrong car, don't! - even though the 1.4 TSI is known for its sudden piston death for various reasons as stated above, it's not like the 2.0 TSI isn't without its fair share of issues:

Very common 2.0 TSI failures:

-Water pumps (they fail by the drove, always leaking despite god knows how many revisions)
-Intake manifold runner flap and associated actuator
-Coil packs (fail far more on the 2.0)
-Diverter valve (diaphragms breaking, many revisions)
-Injectors (prone to clogging just like the 1.4 tsi early revision)
-Chain tensioner failure....far more common failure than the 1.4 tsi, with numerous revisions of the chain tensioner, this is total engine death when they go.
-Intake valve coking, leading to cold start misfires and poor running....this happens on all TSI engines, but its far more a problem on the 2.0 than the 1.4
-PCV valve failure (leaking & whistling)
-HPFP, high pressure fuel pump failure - cam follower worn down / cracked - causing camshaft damage or worse.

The 1.4 160ps has earned a bad rep with engine failure due to stupid oversights by VW early on - like having too big a spark gap which meant the engine would be misfiring all the time, hidden most of the time - causing bore wash and inevitable piston failure. In Australia the poor fuel quality meant these engines were very prone to knocking, which combined with a knock sensor that was next to useless due to poor software calibration meant they spent a couple of years destroying themselves before vw sorted it.

-Get the sparks changed to the latest revision if not done so already - they have 0.7-0.8mm gap from the factory and also are iridium with a finer tip that is less likely to misfire.
-Always use premium fuel - the higher octane reduces chance of knocking and pre-ignition and the fuel additives will help clean any deposits built up on/in the injectors.
-Always stick to regular servicing, 10k miles 1 year max and use Quantum longlife or Castrol edge 5w30 oil - this will reduce chance of chain tensioner sticking, camshaft adjuster sticking etc and generally reduce engine wear.
-Like all cars, don't thrash it until its fully up to temperature.

[Cuprabob]

If only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen...

[salsajoe]

If only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen...

[skippy]

Can't say I agree with the 2.0 'common failures' list. These are very much exceptional issues, the engine overall is a tried and trusted unit.

[Jacko5]

Got the car today.
Everything seems fine .. but its only done 29000 miles.
Has full 2 year VW warranty and 2 year breakdown service.
I asked about the spark plugs and he said they will have been changed on a service.
Thanks chaps for your help

[greg7728]

Enjoy the car - perhaps see u at one of the meets this year!


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[samhawkey]

What did they say to you regarding this jacko?

i bought mine 2 months ago and this has just happened to me...

i have the 2 year warranty and waiting to see if they will warranty it or no

cheers

[Jacko5]

Sam,
The plugs have been changed, August last year.
I only run shell petrol, the expensive one not sure what its called.
I have not had any problems yet, but i have only covered 1000 miles or so.
What are the symptoms of your Scirocco ?
Let me know how you get on, hope all is Ok for you.

[Jester]

I've got a MY 2010 1.4 160 with 59k on the clock, touch wood had no problem yet aside from the occasional rattling noise on startup for about 3 seconds. Good luck! It's a cracking engine.

[samhawkey]

Sam,
The plugs have been changed, August last year.
I only run shell petrol, the expensive one not sure what its called.
I have not had any problems yet, but i have only covered 1000 miles or so.
What are the symptoms of your Scirocco ?
Let me know how you get on, hope all is Ok for you.

i have taken it into VW and there taking ages putting the claim through to the warranty people
i had loss of power, epc light and engine light, so sounds like the same problem
i ran it through my mates comp and said misfires

Waiting on vw now, i just want it back..... (fixed)
how long did yours take? did you have to pay anything?

cheers

[Jacko5]

I think you have misread me somehow.
My 1.4 tsi 160bhp has never had a misfire problem ( well not yet ).

[samhawkey]

oh sorry thought it had happened to you, hope it doesnt!

Mines a whole new engine and turbo rebuild as VW phoned yesterday....

In the last year, ive had 2 sciroccos (1.4s) and now on my 5th engine

[Cuprabob]

After the issues you had with the first one, I cannot understand why you would buy another 1.4 (160) knowing the well documented issues.