Mk5 1.4tsi low compression. Auckland mechanics plz give me quotes for repair

[Moneyberg]

I have a 2008 1.4 TSI twincharged blg covered golf mk5.

Got it serviced at AA and got new spark plugs. All up it cost 700 for the service.

The very next day my car lost all power and it got stuck driving on the motorway.

It started losing power more frequently and it started stalling. Went back to AA and they did a compression test and stated that piston one was severely underpowered. They couldn’t do anything so I got it towed to Volkswagen giltrap and they quoted me 12k. That’s twice what I bought the car for lol.

I really need my car back and I don’t want a new one.

It’s currently bricked. I am fine with engine replacement. Where would I go about finding a used exact model and how much does it cost to have it replaced (labour?) I live in the east Auckland region and would like to get some help with reputable people that can help fix my car up.

If any of you guys can give some quotes or a benchmark figure as well as sending me to the right people, that would be really appreciated.

I would rather buy a new engine and get this car going than buy another. I love this car.

Do you think it was the AA technician that might have messed it up? Maybe wrong oil or spark plug? Everything was running smooth up until that point.

I’ll post below what VW stated.

Further to our conversation at the dealership today, please see summary of potential costs for your Golf below. We have confirmed that cylinder no.1 has no compression and this is the cause of the running rough complaint.

We suspect that there is an issue with that cylinders piston or piston rings that is causing the no compression fault. We would however need to remove the cylinder head to inspect properly and determine this is the case.

 

Until the cylinder head is removed it can not be known for certain weather or not there is further engine damage? The estimated repair cost below is for replacement of all 4 cylinders pistons, but as I say until stripping the cylinder head we can’t be certain there isn’t further engine damage.

Solutions? Costs? Any help would be appreciated

[Brett]

Out of interest, what grade fuel do you run in it?

[The Red Warrior]

Unfortunately this is a fairly common problem for the Mk5 and Mk6 twincharged engine.
My wife bought a Mk6 one with 23000km and just under 4 years old. Soon after I took it to Giltraps city branch as I thought there was a problem with the gearbox. (The gearboxes are different between Mk5 and Mk6 and the Mk6 one is very problematic).
Anyway, they couldn’t replicate the problem but gave it a service while it was there including new spark plugs. Total cost a bit over $600 from memory. A few weeks later the car went into limp mode. I took it to Giltraps in Botany as they are local to me.  They came back saying low compression in cylinder 4 due to cracked piston ring and subsequent scoring of the bore. New base engine needed, total cost about $12000.
That’s when I joined this site and other forums and did some digging. Found out that the twin charged engine (the Mk6 in particular runs too lean and has wrong spark plugs from the factory. I checked the invoice from Giltraps in the city and found they had replaced the spark plugs with the newer, correct version, probably in an attempt to stop engine failure. Obviously too late though.
The car had lived a charmed life (except for not much long driving) up to this point and we had bought it off my bosses wife and it had been bought new from Giltraps in the city and serviced there without exception.
Obviously my wife was none too impressed as she’d only had the car about 3 months and was just finding out how unreliable they were. She phoned EMD and told them the situation and generally gave them an ear bashing. They phoned back the next day to say that Giltraps Botany would call us with good news. They called and said the engine replacement will be covered under goodwill and we only have to pay 10% of the labour which amounted to $600. We went ahead with that and and drove the car straight from Giltraps and traded it in.

I realise this doesn’t help you but at least you know you’re not the only one this has happened to. Do some research and arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. Let us know the outcome too.

As Brett asked too, you should be running 95 octane minimum.

[slowburn]

yeah if this was on 91 it'll be toast

[Worms]

Perhaps John at West Worx does these repairs??? It's worth doing the timing chain components at the same time too.

IF the block is OK, the pistons can be replaced with the updated version. It's a big job though and will still need to run high octane afterwards.

Buying a second hand motor risks it happening again - it's a very common issue. They're basically a BAD idea and need the updated pistons. I beleive some versions have updated software too, to richen it up a bit? They run too much boost, too lean, at too low RPM. They pull well for what they are, but self-destruct because of it.

[80 Vert]

Not only do these have piston rings land issues but also have timing chain issues like the 2.0 engines.
Unfortunately a full rebuild is the only way to go. Don't bother trying to find another engine as they are in high demand and still have the same issues so the same thing will likely happen again.
A LOT of people run these on 91, this is THE worst thing you can do. Even 95 is marginal.

[superfueler]

91 octane is the kind of crap i will never put in my car. No point trying to save a buck on fuel only to destroy your engine's internals. Not to say that this was the case here though.

[Moneyberg]

Perhaps John at West Worx does these repairs??? It's worth doing the timing chain components at the same time too.

IF the block is OK, the pistons can be replaced with the updated version. It's a big job though and will still need to run high octane afterwards.

Buying a second hand motor risks it happening again - it's a very common issue. They're basically a BAD idea and need the updated pistons. I beleive some versions have updated software too, to richen it up a bit? They run too much boost, too lean, at too low RPM. They pull well for what they are, but self-destruct because of it.

Thanks guys. I have always been putting 95 and 98 so I don’t know why there’s a problem.

Just got quoted 5350  for second hand engine and labour and everything all up. The new engine has only done 80,000km as opposed to my 210,000. This includes a new chain.

If my engine is fine, should I get new pistons instead? You said it will be inevitable it will happen again. But with new pistons I guess it will last longer. Are these pistons just new or an updated version from the stock one?
I also have an engine error code which says one of the swirl flaps on the inlet manifold is stuck. Mechanic said he would replace inlet manifold for free. Should it replace this problem?

How much do you think is a reasonable price for this sort of job? It costs around 5500 for new pistons and timing chain vs an engine change which is 5350

[rambo_005]

At 210,000kms, why don't you consider selling it as is and replace it with something similar, instead of spending the maximum market value repairing it?

[The Red Warrior]

When changing the engine on my wife’s one, there was an error code when they said they had finished. I told them that was unacceptable and they are supposed to be fixing it regardless. They found a piece of piston ring had made its way in to the inlet system and as such a flap couldn’t operate properly. After removing the obstruction it was fine.

[portmanteau]

At 210,000kms, why don't you consider selling it as is and replace it with something similar, instead of spending the maximum market value repairing it?

must be the only twincharge on the planet that has lasted that long!

[Pristle]

We really need to get some 'up tick' buttons for some posts.

You have my sympathies. But from personal experience I'd follow Rambo's advice.

And Portmanteau is so on the money with his comment.


I would say, cut your losses.

_________________________

My experience cost me 3k in outlay in labour and parts. Admittedly I used the wrong shop for the job (you can read about that elsewhere), but once everything was almost 'sorted' any little hiccup would have my heart skipping a beat. As it was the (allegedly) 90k motor that was fitted developed a noisy chain tensioner after about 3100km (warranty was 3-months or 2000km). Also the seal on the thermostat housing that had been leaking since the motor swap was getting progressively worse.

I was quite relieved when State called me to say the car was being written off, after being rear ended.