Anyone had an engine replacement from VW?

[Man Utd FC]

In the middle of the week, my Golf R was making a really bad noise from the engine bay like the fan belt rubbing against something. I never heard it before and had only started it 5 mins ago, luckily only drove for about another 10 mins and as I was pulling up my driveway the engine stalled. I tried restarting it but wouldn't happen just like a car that ran out of fuel, car attempts to but fails so not like an electronic problem that nothing happens at all. So I was stuck halfway on the road and on the driveway, had to push the car by myself and park it on the street because the driveway has an incline and was impossible to push up, it wasn't an easy task.

Had only done 8,500kms and have always been driven conservatively so I didn't know what the problem was. I called up VW Roadside Assist and they sent out RACV. He checks the engine bay and finds a loose cog or something that resembles a gear and tries to push it back on the rod it's suppose to be on but can't. The RACV guy tells me that he doesn't even know what the cog is or what it even does. It's like situated between the fanbelt.

Had to get it towed to a VW dealer and they couldn't check what was wrong with it until the next day. Called them up on Friday afternoon and asked for an update on my car. A mechanic tells me the water pump broke so it caused one of the valves to stop turning which then caused a piston to shoot out of the engine. I was shocked to hear what happened and couldn't believe it. He told me they would have to order a brand new engine in and replace it so I'm waiting until Monday for an update. Isn't it easier just to give me a new car? The engine pretty much is half the car's value or more.

Has anyone else got an engine replacement from VW before?

[SilvrFoxX]

Geezuz, have not heard of a Golf R engine grenading before but a water pump will do it, happened to one of my cars after a hose blew. They are not going to give you a new car, my humble guess is they will drop in a new engine and you wont even know there was an issue.

Given they have sensors on everything it is surprising your dash was lit up with warning lights.. how long till you get it back?

[cktsi]

Judging from the number of 118 comfortline tsi's that have had engine rebuilds i would think vw's mentality is to just give you a new engine rather than a new car. My 118 comfyline didnt even get an engine rebuild ad others did... So i think they will look to do the minimal possible.

Good luck and hope they fix everything. 8500 is too soon for something like this... Particularly when yours is built so late in the product cycle.

[Umai Naa!!]

Replacement engine doesn't cost a whole lot compared to the price of the car.

If they've got a good technician working on it, it'll only be two days tops, to swap it over, and make sure it's all good.

In the meantime, there might be a bit of a wait getting another engine, and the dealership finding time to do the job.

[tonymy01]

There is a thread on vwvortex forums with dozens of Golf R water pump failures= engine pistons into valves. Date of build around early 2012.

[Man Utd FC]

No engine warning lights came on or anything which was strange. They told me VW (VAG or VGA or whatever they're called) will get back to them on Monday and it would only take a week to put it in.

There was also another problem with some rubbing like noise when you would go above 80km/h and gets more noticeable as you go faster and longer drives on the freeway. It's a steering problem they wouldn't be able to replicate it until they get the car running again and I reckon they will tell me it's nothing because they won't want to fix it. I've heard of so many people having problems with warranty issues and only get somewhere when they go to different dealerships or have to push harder. It's sad cos when they sell you the car, they're really nice to you making you coffees and speaking politely. When you have a problem, they start getting aggressive about it and say nothing is wrong, it's 'normal wear n tear' to try push you out the door and no cup of coffee either.

Some unlucky people just get a lemon from the start and I kinda feel like one of them. In another thread one poor guy had to get three clutches replaced and had to push really hard for it. Some people say if you kick a big enough fuss to the head office, they'll give you a new car if the problem is big enough so you don't go slandering their brand. Should I push for it?

I've heard from one person getting a new car for not running in the engine properly. They thrashed it as soon as it was delivered and the engine started making some tinkering noise.

[SilvrFoxX]

To be fair you havn't been treated poorly yet, in fact they have taken your car and ordered an new engine and provided an indication of when it will be returned all under warranty. Before taking everyone who has ever had an issue before you with only one side of the story see if yours actually is OK

[Umai Naa!!]

You won't get a new car out of this.

Perhaps they will fix the other problem you have when they're doing the engine?

[Man Utd FC]

I didn't mean to say they treated me poorly, they actually were really nice to me. I was referring to other people who have had bad experiences with dealers. The time they treated me poorly was when I took my car in after the first 1500kms. When I picked the car up on delivery, I was told to bring it in for a 'service' between 1500-3000kms. So I did what I was told and then luckily I didn't leave straight away because I was given a bill. They wanted to charge me for a 'service' and then after much discussion, they told me it was for a 'check up'. Which is inflating the tyres and checking the liquids. I could of done that myself. The salesperson should have been more clear when i took delivery of the vehicle. Should of told me to bring in the car for a 'check up' and not a 'service', I was even told they they would change the oil after the first 1500-3000kms.