The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

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RUM4MO
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by RUM4MO »

If I were you, I’d firstly, call VW UK customer services and explain your concern making sure that they know that you are aware of issues with engines within a certain build date window having ended up needing the inlet cam shaft variable timing pulley replaced due to the original version coming apart and ending up with complete engine failure when the belt gets thrown off.

Further to that you should quote the workshop intervention number covering this issue.

Now, I have never contacted VW UK but I expect that you need to talk to someone that is technically competent to discuss this issue, maybe also mentioning the article in the money section of The Guardian online, do not tolerate being fobbed off by a telephone answering operative.

You could try getting them to prove their customer commitment by following up that call with a letter covering this exact issue and not just a general fob off letter which they might try to send out.

Staying calm but firm should work to put you in control, they are human so don’t blow this contact by exploding, also get the name and function they perform in that establishment.

Good Luck.
KiwiME
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by KiwiME »

My comments are in the other thread from years ago. I don't have any subsequent information and haven't had any issues since, but only have 15,000 km on the car, a late 2014 Cross-Polo 81kW made in South Africa.

In summary, I received a phone call from my dealer in New Zealand to bring the car in for campaign 15E7 and did so Oct 2015. I understand that on the right-hand (intake) pulley in the first photo, the screws holding it together from the back loosen and back out causing an oil leak then continue on until they make contact with the head, after which the belt breaks with obvious results. The right-hand pulley in the second photo is what I have now, but I'm unaware if that looks the same as the "production" fix. Also, as far as I'm aware there are no other parts involved such as the tensioner.

My car was manufactured July 2014 and the fault was known by Oct 2015. From my conversation with the dealer at that time, I understood that all owners in Australia and NZ were notified.

In my opinion, if the car was serviced by what appears to be a legitimate VW dealer it is their responsibility to check for and apply campaigns at every service visit. That's why we as consumers buy new cars from, and have them serviced by reputable manufacturers.

Image Original pulley
Image Replacement pulley
Last edited by KiwiME on Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
veteran
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by veteran »

Today (Wed 15th Aug 18) I've been doing some standard jobs on my Polo and the weather's been conducive outside, so thought it'd be a good opportunity to remove the cover over the camshaft sprocket-wheels and take a peek at them to see if my engine still uses the old type righthand sprocket-wheel or instead the latest version, as I gather that it's with the earlier one that there's the serious problem with bolts eventually coming loose.

After working out how to release the two rubber pipes from their clips on the cover, and faffing around and eventually having to get that top cover bolt undone by using a short wrench and torx bit, I was able to withdraw the cover. I say that advisedly, though, because in the time I'd given myself to complete the inspection I simply couldn't pull back the cover sufficiently to expose the very front of the sprocket-wheels. Various things baulked the cover's total withdrawal. All I managed, really, was to see the rear of the righthand sprocket-wheel. It had on its rear side a number of what could have been small boltheads, but I could find, on that righthand sprocket, no signs of bolt looseness or of oil contamination. Peering down the back of the lefthand sprocket, I could just about make out, with the aid of a small torch, some few minor traces of oil near its oilseal, but that's about all. Generally, both sprockets themselves appeared dry. The belt was nicely taught, with no sign of fraying or contamination.

The really annoying thing was that I couldn't fully withdraw the cover. The two metal pipes at the top (which are partially released when you remove the torx bolt) foul the top of the cover and prevent the withdrawal. I spent quite a bit of time jiggling the cover around, and holding the rubber pipes back as well, but had to concede defeat in the end. What I was really wanting to see, of course, was the fronts of the two sprocket-wheels, especially of the righthand one. I wanted to verify that my Polo (a 2017 model) had the newer, modified sprocket frontpiece.

I wondered, at one point, whether releasing the metal pipes from their combined further fixing at the rear edge of the cylinder head would have freed them up a bit, but I didn't want to risk fracturing or distorting those two metal pipes in any way, so refrained from doing anything further to them.

So although, on this occasion, I found no obviously loose bolts or any contamination of the sprockets or of the belt itself, I was prevented from fully removing the cambelt cover, and was therefore unable to confirm whether the righthand sprocket-wheel on my 2017 Polo 1.2 now has a modified front fitting. Maybe when I check it again in a year's time I'll either have, by then, info helping me to properly and easily withdraw the cover, or possibly by then I'll have worked out how to wriggle the damn thing free?!

Aside from RUM4MO, anyone else had a go at this? If so, how did you get on?
RUM4MO
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by RUM4MO »

I think that "task" improves with time, ie you get better at doing it, being probably understandably a bit cautious the first time, having removed it twice of three times now that is how to see things. The plastic cover will tolerate a bit of abuse/distorting to get past these other solid pipes, it was keeping the two rubber pipes out of the way so that they didn't destroy the pipe storage clip for them on the top cover.

If I'm being honest, I thought that I had taken a photo of these pulleys the first time I took that cover off, but I've yet to find where that photo is, so it looks like I'll be back in there quite soon just to photograph that area for reference in the future, maybe repeat that each year!

Edit:- I'd be interested to hear what others have found their inlet variable timing pulley part number is, as I think it started life as 04E 109 088P and was changed to being 04E 906 455N - which is quite a number change, I would have expected the middle number to remain the same! I've forgotten where I picked up these part numbers from.

Another Edit:- I've just checked what might be the latest part number for that pulley and it is 04E 109 088AN, it could be that that odd other part number was a temporary number to be used until this issue was solved.

Yet another Edit:- in case anyone is reading this after "jimbo1593" added the clarification over part numbers, what I took to be a new part number of 04E 906 455N is actually the complete kit of parts to update this pulley.
Last edited by RUM4MO on Mon Nov 12, 2018 10:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
RUM4MO
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by RUM4MO »

I've just edited my previous posting by adding what I think is the latest part number for that pulley.
jimbo1593
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by jimbo1593 »

Hi,

I have loads of info on this fault.
I even paid for the 15E7 service campaign details.
13months into a legal/ombudsman process about this.

my email is p_james_yates@hotmailDOTcom

feel free to get in touch.

james
Last edited by jimbo1593 on Sun Nov 11, 2018 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jimbo1593
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by jimbo1593 »

btw the part number didnt change only the letter at the end, the PN above is the fitting kit which includes th pulley.
albob
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by albob »

Jimbo -- it's not a good idea to put your correct email address on a public forum. You could just end with a load of spam

Try disguising it - something like this ..

p_james_yates@hotmailDOTcom
jimbo1593
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by jimbo1593 »

thx bob...literally just deleted some spam before reading your post.
RUM4MO
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by RUM4MO »

Maybe even better to request that anyone interested should contact you by PM as only reg'g forum members would have access to that way of communicating?

ie, scrub the email details out.

Edit:- thinking again about this, it could be that you, jimbo1593 can not use the PM service until you have made X posts and I don't know what numeric value X equates to.
jimbo1593
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Re: The Guardian reporting Polo 1.2TSI Engine failures, oh no!

Post by jimbo1593 »

that is what i thought too.

i'm a trusting soul. lol
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