Think twice before purchasing a Volkswagen with a chain driven overhead camshaft engine - and this includes almost all VW engines, and some Audi engines. I am relating my experience here to alert others to the problem.
First, my Volkswagen was meticulously maintained and carefully driven for 52,000 miles.in that time it had 15 oil and filter changes - an average of once every 3300 miles - more than twice the VW recommendation. But still a engine mechanical failure at 52,000 miles (2,000 after the warranty ran out) resulted in major repairs. The check engine light came on indicating a fault detected by the camshaft position sensor. The VW authorized dealer diagnosed it as needing replacement of the timing chain and associated components - at a cost of over four thousand dollars (view itemized invoice on my web page at: www.reesphotos.com/VW/).
After the engine was torn down the intermediate sprocket was found to be badly worn - almost to the point of being completely rounded. The sprocket obviously was not properly hardened or heat treated so the failure began the day the engine was first started. It's no wonder the timing chain had jumped.
Unfortunately the dealer did not return the sprocket even though I had requested it. However, it does show up on a number of the photos I took of the engine when it was separated from the transmission on the work bench. (View photo on my web page at: www.reesphotos.com/VW/).
A call to Volkswagen Customer Relations for warranty help was denied. I then asked them if they could verify the extent of the failure; was it really that bad - did it really need $2500 worth of parts? They said no to this request too. They made it clear that the problem was mine and mine alone.
Properly lubricated, a timing chain and sprockets will easily last for 200,000 miles or more. There are five sprockets in the VW timing chain assembly. Four were like new and one was worn to almost nothing. Only the weakest mind could believe that wear to this degree was normal. The sprocket was sadly defective from the day it was installed.
Placing the apparently under-engineered timing chain at the rear of the engine required removal of both the engine and the transmission from the vehicle to service it. This greatly upped the labor bill.in addition, the charge for just the short-lived VW engine parts was devastating. $2532.62! And Volkswagen would accept no responsibility citing the fact that the vehicle was now out of warranty.
As if the mechanical problems were not enough, the vehicle was in the dealership service department for over SEVEN WEEKS before the repairs were completed, most of the time waiting for parts.
I sent a email of explanation as well as a link to my web page to Volkswagen of America CEO Stefan Jacoby (frequently spelled Stephen Jacoby in the media) and other executives. It was blocked by the lower level "Customer Care" people. I then sent it to Volkswagen of Germany. They forwarded it to the Volkswagen of America executive office. But, it was received by some lower level person who admitted that she "had heard" of the timing chain problem. However, she said that it was she alone who decided what Volkswagen of America CEO Stefan (Stephan) Jacoby and other executives would view. And she decided that they would NOT receive my email or view the web page.
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