Cold starts - secondary air injector pump?

[JonP01]

Could it be possible that your timing chain is subject to the recall? That's in the exact same area and will make a high pitched metallic pinging sound.

I used to have a intermittent high pitch sound coming from the water pump (up to about 20,000) since then it's gone and haven't had a problem since.(now at 75,000) actually I have been getting less problems with mine as it has been getting older - or i consider those "problems" no lt to be problems anymore, like the turbo wastegate rattle. Honestly I have never had many doubts that my engine will make it to 120,000km relatively hassle free...the DSG on the other hand.

I did point my highly sophisticated stethoscope all around the timing chain area but heard nothing untoward. Of course I could not do any testing except at idle without any load. Infact I listened out for things all over the engine bay and nothing stood out apart from the water pump. My worry is that there might be other causes for the noises apart from the pump, but at least if the dealer replaces it I can dismiss that as a cause.

[JonP01]

So the dealer rings me this morning. Car is fine. There is nothing wrong with it So obviously they must have thought the metal on metal broken bearing sound coming from the engine bay with the car standing completely still was a squeaking bicycle going by or cicadas singing in the trees. To add insult to injury, they want to replace the oil filter as it is not a genuine VW filter (was a German filter fitted by the VW specialist at the first 12 month service and from what I can tell it is at least as good as the genuine one - it might even be the same brand for all I know).

I half expected all of this crap but then again I also half expected they'd do the right thing. In the UK and US customers have no problems getting water pumps replaced and if you read the forums people have had up to 4 replacements under warranty - and that is with the Golf VI where the water pump is apparently a much more involved part to replace than on the 77TSI Polo.

So not happy at all, especially as I went to the trouble of writing them a detailed 1 page latter precisely explaining how to reproduce the problem and where exactly the noise was coming from. And I gave them a recording of it all as well. So rather than fix up what is a potentially serious problem for free under warranty they want to charge me $90 for an un-necessary oil filter change.

I honestly wish I had just bought a Yaris. Being bored to death behind the wheel is better than having these sorts of hassles. So I suppose if the pump outright fails next time on the freeway and the engine and turbo completely lunch themselves, the will want to charge $6,000 for a repair, since I had the car serviced by an independent and they did not use a filter with "VW" stamped on it.

Yes, I know my legal rights, but it's going to be a pain to enforce them.

[ATYPIC]

To add insult to injury, they want to replace the oil filter as it is not a genuine VW filter (was a German filter fitted by the VW specialist at the first 12 month service and from what I can tell it is at least as good as the genuine one - it might even be the same brand for all I know).

Was it a Mahle by any chance?

My VW specialist service centre uses these Mahle filters on all Euro cars they service. I was also told they are actually made in the same factory as the VW branded version and are of identical spec.

After having issues with my oil pressure light continually appearing at random, and several visits to VW service centre to discover said issue...I was totally frowned upon when they discovered my filter which was damaged and causing the problem, was a Mahle filter and not a VW branded filter.

Even whilst under warranty I had to pay $140+ for labour and a new VW filter....which was eventually reimbursed by my specialist service guy under their warranty.

[JonP01]

Was it a Mahle by any chance?

I don't have the car back yet and I can't remember 100% but I think that name rings a bell.

[JonP01]

Just got back from the VW dealer and I feel a bit better than I did before. I saw the foreman and he was actually quite amiable and knowledgeable, but most importantly he obviously does not have any hearing issues. I took him for a drive over my "test" route and thankfully he easily heard the first (and least concerning) of my issues - that metallic sort of induction percolating noise. He says this is normal and merely indicative of the car engine / turbo freeing up and I won't argue the point. He says the more powerful models sound even "worse" and that a lot of the noise is due to the relatively high mounting of the turbo in relation to the bonnet line. There is some logic to all of this - over the last 14 months I virtually never ever used more than about 30% throttle or more than around 3,500 RPM simply because it was never necessary. But over the last few months I have changed my daily route and there is a very steep high speed hill that begins at a very slow roundabout and I have to work it harder to get to the speed limit up that hill. So maybe I am only freeing up the mechanicals now.

Maybe an aftermarket mod might make the induction sound a bit beefier and not sounding like a coffee percolator full of metal filings like it does now.

But sadly the big issue - the really loud metal on metal dry bearing type noise: He could not reproduce it. But in a sense, I am happy because since he heard the induction noise I was talking about (which is far, far quieter than the screaming water pump), then he is obviously going to hear the water pump if it does actually muck up. I am just befuddled as to how it has screamed every morning for the last 10 days and this morning when he started it, it behaved itself (he did an indoor start and my car is garaged overnight).

Anyway, he asked to keep it for one more day and I agreed - anything to try and resolve the problem. I asked him how complicated changing the pump is. He says it is much less involved than the more expensive models - the main thing is having to change the coolant and bleed the system apparently.

[JonP01]

A final update: got the car back this morning. They did not do anything to it apart from the aforementioned oil filter and an ECU update this morning. So far as the ECU update was concerned, the report says "Cause: outdated ECU software. Found TPI relating to upgrade to ECU software for similar intermittent noise. Updated ECU software". On the way back home the car was behaving no differently to when I dropped it off two days ago.

[LukePolo]

A final update: got the car back this morning. They did not do anything to it apart from the aforementioned oil filter and an ECU update this morning. So far as the ECU update was concerned, the report says "Cause: outdated ECU software. Found TPI relating to upgrade to ECU software for similar intermittent noise. Updated ECU software". On the way back home the car was behaving no differently to when I dropped it off two days ago.

Jon, I have the exact same polo as you, Candy White, manual 77TSI. I'd love to hear this noise you are talking about, to see if mine also does it..