Water pump failure, 3 months after timing chain failure... Advice needed!

[Casper]

Hi all,

I have a 2010 6R Polo 1.2TSI, purchased Sept 2010. A few months before the factory warranty expired in Sept 2013, the car started making a weird rattle sound on cold start. Started out happening only once a week, then once every few days etc etc. I had to get some other minor issues looked at under warranty before it ran out, so booked the car into the dealer I bought it from, and also told them about the rattle sound. The service manager of the dealership told me the noise was normal and not to worry about it.

The noise got progressively worse over the coming months, and by around mid 2014, I decided there was no way it could possibly be a normal noise. I did some research online, and that's when I found out about the timing chain tensioner issues with these engines.

I called VW customer service and asked them about it. They advised me to take the car back to the dealer and have it checked. I called the dealer to book it in, and the same service manager again told me that the noise was perfectly normal and that I was basically wasting my time and money by getting it looked at, as it was outside of warranty and I'd have to pay any and all costs for checking the car.

I took his word for it, and let it go. In Sept 2014, the car completely packed it in as I was driving down the road and I had to limp it into a side street, from where it was then towed to the dealer.

The timing chain had jumped a tooth due to the faulty tensioner, making the car completely un-driveable.

I contacted VW customer service again, and after a bit of to-and-fro, they agreed that the issue should have been corrected when I first reported it 12 months earlier and the car was still inside its 3 year warranty period. They initially agreed to cover 100% parts and 50% labour, but the dealer pushed them to cover the whole lot and they eventually did.

So in Sept 2014, the car had the timing chain tensioner, timing chain and ignition coils replaced, covered completely by VW.

Now, just 3 months later (about 3 weeks ago), the car suddenly gave me a red flashing light telling me there's a problem with the cooling system. The car was towed to the dealer again, and this time they tell me that the water pump has failed and the engine overheated.

It took them nearly 2 weeks to repair, and required replacing the water pump, thermostat housing, and coolant pump solinoid valve. This time however, VW are saying that this is all normal wear and tear and none of it will be covered under any good will warranty.

The dealer tells me that it's "normal" for a water pump to fail after 4 years, but since they also told me that the rattle sound was "normal", I don't know whether to believe them or not.

My knowledge of these things is fairly limited, but from what I do know, the water pump is driven by the timing chain. Is it possible/likely that the faulty timing chain tensioner could have caused premature wear and tear on the water pump? What is the normal lifespan of one of these pumps?

My car is just over 4 years old, and has travelled ~62,000kms. Is it reasonable to expect a water pump to last much longer than this?

Thanks for any advice!

[Hail22]

Hey Casper,

Before I sold my MY2011 Polo 77TSI in May I took it in to Denlo VW in Parramatta for a pre-sale inspection to which they said "The water pump is leaking and the timing chain will need replacing within the next 12 months".

So I'd assume its common in the 77TSI' to have a failed timing chain / water pump after 4 years.

[bushman]

Standard procedure is to replace water pump, thermostat, etc with timing belt. !
As the parts are relatively cheap compared to the cost of getting to them.
Either they have not done this, or the one they put in was faulty or wrongly fitted.

[spotme]

Coolant pump should be on the back of the block and is driven by the accessories belt, not the timing chain.

[bluey]

FWIW, Self study program 485 for Audi 63kW and 77kW 1.2 TFSI (google found it) says P36 on maintenance work:
Ribbed V belt replacement interval LIFETIME
Ribbed V belt tensioning system LIFETIME
Timing gear chain replacement interval LIFETIME
Timing gear chain tensioning system LIFETIME

Active coolant pump is driven my multi-V belt, but electronically controlled by vacuum and solenoid valve.

[Umai Naa!!]

Just because there's no replacement interval, doesn't mean it'll last forever.

The active water pumps were doomed from the get-go.

[bluey]

Lifetime design means it is meant to be designed to last the the life of the vehicle, whatever interval they use for that. Should be at least 100,000km or 6 years. Obviously even with a lifetime design (as the DSG clutches), they are only as good as the length of warranty.

Water pump longevity surely depends on if the multi-V belt tension is correct. Would have to test the tensioner.

Sounds like extended warranty is the go for VAG.