timing chain and tensioner issues...

[merlynreuter]

Hello all…

Am new to the forums… but have owned my 2010 passat r36 wagon for 2 years now… its my work and family car… and as a vehicle we LOVE it.
Has been pretty flawless for the first 2 years… but now we have his a speedbump
We are out of warranty and just hit 100,00kms.
And upon recent service we have been diagnosed with the dreaded timing chain issues and all that comes with it…

Has anyone had success with getting VW to fully cover the repairs when out of warranty? My bill quote has come to 5600 bucks… and with a goodwill claim it comes down to 3300.
Could be worse… but in all honesty these faults should be part of a recall…. And VW should be covering in full or at least most of it…

Thoughts or experiences would be much appreciated!!
Need to act on this one asap… car is stuck in the shop and want to sort it out…


Cheers
merlyn

[snerlo]

Mine has the noise when doing a cold start up until oil pressure builds up and it also makes some funny noises on warm start ups sometimes if you have only stopped for about five minutes but I haven't done anything about it. I have talked to few people about it and they all have the same thing. VW should be doing something about it before the you know what hits the fan!! I wish you the best mate. Let us know what happens.

[XXX-1.8T]

I had mine done under warranty so I was lucky.

But my mother in law wasnt so lucky so she had a independent VW specialist do the work for $1800 instead.

[Elmura]

Unfortunately, mine has the noisey startup, hot or cold. I asked VW about outstanding recalls but there wasn't any reported.

[3C4M Guy]

My 3.2L V6 only got to 64,000km before needing timing chains, sprockets and tensioners replaced. VW rejected a formal request by the dealer for a goodwill claim despite evidence of oil changes every 5,000km. The dealer quote was similar to yours in excess of $5K, but they looked after me and did not charge for a lot of the labour so it ended up around $3.5K. I could have gone to an independent, but I was happy enough with a dealer - they must be getting a lot of practice doing timing chains by now! I understand the new chains have revised part numbers so should not fail so quickly.

Incidentally, my timing problems did not end there and have continued for some months. I keep getting DTC P0016 / 00022 Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position, Correlation Bank 1 Sensor A. I've tried an ECU software upgrade to change the length of time the camshaft adjuster solenoids operate during a cycle to vary the camshaft timing. Still the same DTC occurred. Next step is to replace the solenoids that seem to have a tendency to fail.

[brad]

Plenty of threads explaining statutory warrranty, the ACCC & your rights.

Basically when you bought the car you, as a reasonable person, had an expectation that the product was of a quality that would last a certain amount of time without needing major repairs. Your vehicle(s) clearly haven't met that expectation.

If the dealer isn't getting a decent response then I'd suggest that you ring VW customer service or even contact the CEO of VW Australia and put forward what the issue is, what your expectations were /are and apply a bit more pressure.

You will have to be insistant & persistant.

[merlynreuter]

don't worry... I have been persistant.
my dealer is looking after me and have been through goodwill department with a regular case manager and even further to the senior advisor... was on the phone for hours explaining my case and opinion... even wrote a lengthy letter formalising it all etc...
end result was a 5300 dollar bill reduced to 2500.
am not really satisfied, but is 2 years out of warranty so I guess they did come to the party to a degree.
am considering writing a letter to the CEO, but will prob fall on deaf ears...

on the plus side, car is starting and running much better... feeling very smooth.

for me the whole argument is that this is a failed component simply due to poor design... nothing to do with miss use or abuse...
simple manufacturer fault in poor design. even VW admitted this in late 2010 and revised the design...hence my feeling they should have paid for the parts in full at least...

but what can you do...
I might write a letter to CEO just to see if I even get a response... I doubt it.
I cbf going down the consumer affairs path...

[merlynreuter]

a couple of people on the forums here said they were covered in full out of warranty...
I tried to contact them but never heard back. would be good to know their circumstances and outcome in detail...
would be very handy to build up a case...

[brad]

Have a look in the relevant timing chain threads regarding the 77tsi engine & the 1.8/2.0tsi engine. Many examples there

Letters to the CEO actually work

2011 77 TSI Engine Rattle on Start Up.

[dannyjak]

So what are the obvious signs that the timing chain and tensioner need to be replaced? Rattle on start up?