Golf 118 TSI Engine Failures and Service Campaign 24S4

[Joshdc]

Somehow I missed everyone else saying their engines have also exploded... Gah! I'll post in the main thread if I have the same issue as everyone else. Cheers

[Lucas_R]

Piston will need to be replaced if it has been damaged. Some people are starting to put in much stronger aftermarket pistons too.

[AdamD]

Yep, exactly as Lucas has said - these are the symptoms that you'd expect of a cracked piston in a 118TSI. Cylinders 1 and 4 are usually the culprits too.

It's a bit disappointing that your mechanic didn't look into the issue a little more closely before changing over the coil and charging you, even though coils are a common cause of misfires.

I'd suggest you read through this thread (now merged) for info on next steps with respect to repair. A compression test will confirm the issue, but your options with respect to a rebuild under warranty are limited, and VW are far less inclined to perform goodwill repairs on 118s than they used to be. It'd help if you have a squeaky clean dealer service history and maintenance record, but that's rare these days.

[Joshdc]

Yep, exactly as Lucas has said - these are the symptoms that you'd expect of a cracked piston in a 118TSI. Cylinders 1 and 4 are usually the culprits too.

I am told the misfire is intermittent, I presume the car is still driveable, does that still indicate a cracked piston? What's the implication of running the engine with this condition - could my mech be causing more damage while diagnosing other possible causes?

[AdamD]

I am told the misfire is intermittent, I presume the car is still driveable, does that still indicate a cracked piston? What's the implication of running the engine with this condition - could my mech be causing more damage while diagnosing other possible causes?

They'll often still run - albeit often very roughly - with a cracked piston and usually (but not always) with errors on the dash. I'd be absolutely minimising the time the car is running or driving until it's compression-tested and the cause verified.

[Lucas_R]

Yes the misfires seem to get worse as the engine gets hot from the feedback other 118TSi owners have given, for some reason the misfire is less obvious when the engine is cold or cooler. But as advised by AdamD, i would drive it as little as possible (or not at all if you can go without it) until the engine is inspected for low compression and/or piston damage.

[svondas]

I had purchased a 2010 118tsi Manual Golf in October 2016 with 80000kms (I was the second owner). About 4 weeks ago the engine light and EPC light came on and I took it straight to the mechanic and got the error read as misfire in Cyl 3. A couple days later I had a compression test done and Cyl 3 came back at 50psi compared to 150psi which confirmed more than likely a cracked piston. I was advised to contact VWA to try and get help as it would cost in the order $6000 to get fixed. I contacted both VWA and the dealer numerous times and only got frustrated with the default line of bringing it into the dealer and getting it stripped at my cost. In the meantime i contacted the ACCC and read through this forum and decided based on my research to write a letter of demand to VWA. The email was cc'ed to a number of executives in VWA.

The next day I got a call from VWA who kindly organised for a loan car and the my Golf to be stripped and a goodwill claim organised all at VWA cost. I recently got the news that VWA would cover 100% parts and labour which was great news.

Ever since i sent the email to VWA they have been great to deal with and obviously resulted in a great outcome from what was a really stressful situation after a number of early discussions on the phone with them.

[ope126]

I had purchased a 2010 118tsi Manual Golf in October 2016 with 80000kms (I was the second owner). About 4 weeks ago the engine light and EPC light came on and I took it straight to the mechanic and got the error read as misfire in Cyl 3. A couple days later I had a compression test done and Cyl 3 came back at 50psi compared to 150psi which confirmed more than likely a cracked piston. I was advised to contact VWA to try and get help as it would cost in the order $6000 to get fixed. I contacted both VWA and the dealer numerous times and only got frustrated with the default line of bringing it into the dealer and getting it stripped at my cost. In the meantime i contacted the ACCC and read through this forum and decided based on my research to write a letter of demand to VWA. The email was cc'ed to a number of executives in VWA.

The next day I got a call from VWA who kindly organised for a loan car and the my Golf to be stripped and a goodwill claim organised all at VWA cost. I recently got the news that VWA would cover 100% parts and labour which was great news.

Ever since i sent the email to VWA they have been great to deal with and obviously resulted in a great outcome from what was a really stressful situation after a number of early discussions on the phone with them.

Great outcome there mate!
Credit were credit is due...

[billables]

Hi all - I'm almost exact same story as svondas. Bought second-hand in Jan 2016, manual 2010 118TSI with 70k on the clock. A couple of weeks ago engine light came on - cracked piston cylinder 1.

I noted most of the goodwill repairs have been done in Melb and Adelaide so thought I'd weigh in with a NSW good news story - I took it into North Shore VW (where the car was purchased new by the original owner). They put in for goodwill straight away and came back a couple of days later saying it'd been approved.

Also shout out to VW Village in Anzac parade who stopped work as soon as they found the issue - and told me to take it straight to VW to try for goodwill - rather than try push for themselves to do the repair for the $$$$.

All in all a bit of panic but good result!

[saveferris]

As per my previous post. VW is now covering 100% of the costs eventhough I was rejected at first. They will try to get out of it at any cost. That's when I became nasty. You have to be relentless persistent and consistent. I called and tormented them everyday, , I trolled there Facebook page and tagged them in whinging posts on Instagram, from VW Australia to Germany USA France, threatened them with lawyers, multiple times I told them I would not go quietly into the night and that I would be there worst nightmare, mentioned I would be contacting ACA or today tonight who would lap up another VW error.
In all reality VW should be held accountable. They have a flaw in its engine, it ain't an isolated event, it's happening to thousands of its customers no matter what kms, brand of oil, type of petrol or prompt service intervals.
Don't pay a single cent, they are the ones that are accountable. Be firm.