bigjohn

I'm not sure the 1.8tsi even has an EGR valve? - I think this function is carried out via the variable valve timing.

Hmm, sound like that's a difference between the facelift and pre facelift models. Mine has no sill rubber bungs. There is a small drain channel at the front and rear of each sill ie at the bottom of all that rubbish!! I got the Dinitrol flowing - probably a little too much and didn't wait long enough as some flowed out as I set off. The reason I first checked is I walked past a very early mkII (2008?) a while ago that had rusting sills at the front - and I've got a bit more time on my hands these days!! A friend of mine has a Golf (circa 2010?) that had the same design issue but even worse - VW put in extra foam bits around the wheelarch I think are for extra soundproofing which were soaked through with water(Rust will love that!). PS - I don't recommend bitumen spray on its own. I found things can rust underneath the bitumen and track along - almost makes it worse! - and you can't see it until it's too late. I did have success with Waxoyl underseal if pre painted with clean engine oil the day before (at least) - and yes it does cover but makes a right royal mess - but it works. A few years ago I re visited a Morris 1000 I'd restored in 1988 and the oil/Waxoyl underseal was still tacky and made your hands mucky if you touched it. Not bad for over 3 decades ago. I'd also blatted a mix of hot clean oil/Waxoyl into cavities. All was rust free except for the bottom of the boot lid - which had been perfect at the time of restoration(should have rustproofed at the time!). Again I found Waxoyl on its own kind of sat on top of layered rust, ok if metal in good condition - mixed with oil it soaks in nicely. Dinitrol seems to soak in /protect straight out of the tin - so these days that's what I use internally and obviously Owatrol Oil if exposed to the elements - which that part you've photographed is. It's a design flaw in that everything from the plenum above drains through that area and any solid-ish bits are trapped.

I'm confused. My 2014 tsi stop/start only has one car battery(EFB)

Myself - I love Owatrol oil (Rust inhibitor) that sets to a kind of resin finish. Seems to handle road spray very well - and you can see through it afterwards to keep an eye on it. Inside sections/sills/door bottoms, bonnet front, boot edge I use Dinitrol. I wish I had done this to my previous 2003 Superb when younger that I bought in 2005 and sold in 2015 after putting a large commute mileage on it. The new owner(who I know) recently said it has just been scrapped due to a terminal MOT rust prognosis on the sills - If I'd done a bit of work a decade or so ago it'd still be going strong. Saying that he's had 7 years reliable motoring and put another 100k miles on it. I used to restore / preserve cars but when doing an awful / long commute for decades bodywork then seemed the least of my troubles. Now I've retired I've decided to try and make my 1.4tsi a keeper.

My car is slightly newer but has done over 100k miles however I'd suggest you undue a couple of screws on the wheel arch liner each side front/rear near the sills to see what's behind. There is a design flaw especially on the front that traps all sorts of carp. Easy to clean out and rust proof but if left then eventually it would rot out. It's also worth finding the drain channel at low level entering the sill front/rear and checking if clear, one of mine wasn't! I used a thin knitting needle to insert. I also squirted Dinitrol deep into the sills front/rear. All the above jobs are quick and easy - if not a bit messy! Photos before/after + rust proofing sills:-

Except for you measuring voltages and being worried - has the car been fine since? I think the behaviour you mentioned could be normal as your car is stop/start. That's why I asked if it was.

Does your car have stop/start with AGM/EFB battery? - if so all sorts of strange things happen to (over) charge the battery with spare engine energy eg on overrun. I spotted this with my stop/start as I fitted a split relay between the 12v boot socket and a cool box in my boot - this senses the input voltage and disconnects when it drops ie not charging. After a while I found it was turning off the coolbox every now and again. This is normal. I've found if I drive with the headlights on it doesn't do this.

I've bought the VW Golf Haynes manual that has my 1.4 tsi engine in it and most bits are the same. I'm not sure which one would be suitable for the 1.8tsi - VW Passat?

Yours is 2013 - is it a facelift model? It would have stop start, cruise etc if it was. My facelift 1.4tsi twin door does mid to late 40's mpg on most journeys although 50 is achievable. but it's late 30's- early 40's around town. Not bad for a petrol bus though. If it's still on variable servicing move to fixed intervals - your cam chain will thank you. Can I recommend a set of Michelin Crossclimate's - I fitted to mine a few years ago and it was way quieter than the the original Continental summer tyres (205/55r16). They have been fabulous in all sorts of weather conditions from 40+ deg C in Europe to northern wintry conditions - their forte is the incredibly wet stuff though, fabulous. Way way better than the Uniroyal Rainsport's fitted to my sons previous Octavia.

I think this engine has an "Electric Engine Auxiliary Water / Electric Circulation Pump" I think my 1.4tsi also has something similar - however like you I've not needed to explore the engine bay thus far.

I'm a fan of the Michelin Crossclimates on my Superb but after an MOT advisory re tyres(cracked etc) on Mrs BJ's Panda and discovering these weren't an option I've gone for a special offer on a full set of Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2 from Tyreshopper -- good value. We shall see when fitted, but reviews look good.

But isn't a 2014 a facelift model? - my 2014 1.4tsi is.

The 1.8tsi doesn't have a timing belt! Sounds like you've had a failure of the cam chain/tensioner in some way. Ignoring the tapping - is it running on 4 cylinders? Do you have breakdown insurance that'll recover the car home? If you have to pay for re-patriation and the pay for a new engine (likely) then you need to consider if it's worth it's worth the effort / expense.

Ok - just experimented with Music controlled by the car (not Alexa!) and in hands free mode the arrows indeed don't control the tracks etc. BUT pushing the voice button on the steering wheel does - eg push button then say "Music" then "Next". It's a bit primitive but it kind of works.

Tech - S model style:- Echo Auto top, Tomtom mounted on Brodit clip and lower down mobile phone cradle secured with strong double sided adhesive strips.

DMF is a "dual" flywheel full of cogs and springs that is know to fail and is an expensive job - the 1.4 has a single mass flywheel, which is effectively one lump of metal(reliable). Bigger manual engines have a concentric clutch slave cylinder (inside bellhousing) that can fail and it's a full gearbox off job to fix. The external slave on yours is more reliable and sits on top of the gearbox so it's a cheap and easy fix if it does have as problem.

I had parking sensors added to mine as part of my purchase, I also insisted on a spare tyre and needed to know how to convert lights for European driving. - mine is a 2014 facelift twindoor 1.4 bought in 2015. Other than that for an S model spec is reasonable with cruise, stop/start, auto lights etc. Make sure the 1.4 has regular oil changes to look after cam chain/ variable cam timing etc (avoid extended servicing - I've had fixed from 14 months) - Mine now has about 105k miles on the clock, doesn't noticeably burn oil and averages about 46mpg (50 on a steady run)! It doesn't have a DMF and has an external clutch slave cylinder. As you'll already know it's incredibly refined as well.

Welcome to the "S" club. On my S model Superb S I've found an Amazon Echo Auto combined with my Pixel 4a (Android) phone works really well where I can ask Alexa for my Music (be it Amazon Prime, Spotify etc) and then ask Alex for next track etc. Or sometimes I ask Alexa for a radio station - eg Scala radio etc. I also can control Google Maps etc. The Brodit clip setup is your friend as well. The basic car Bluetooth is limited re control and I always configure the device on the Superb for "hands free" - if you select "Premium" it takes over your connectivity (Sim) that does strange things that breaks phone connectivity to t'internet.

You normally get over revving in higher gears first eg 5th & 6th

I have no personal experience re Terraclean as the 1.4tsi EA111 direct injection engine as fitted to my 2014 Skoda Superb is still running like it was was when I bought it nearly new. Now about 105,000 miles. Still did 48mpg on a journey from Manchester to Cheltenham. It may have carbon in there but clearly not as yet affecting it's performance so I'll leave alone! However a friend of mine that bought a Jag XK8 that was not a happy runner had the Terraclean treatment and it rather did the trick. Said same car then went on to give a few years high mileage service. Probably not direct injection though.

Can you check first principles when it's not starting. Pull a plug lead off and attach to a spark plug(spare?) and clamp against a metal surface on the engine - does it spark when turning over? When not starting after turning over for a while can you smell petrol at the exhaust pipe - or on an extracted plug? I think this engine also has a wasted spark coil pack that is known for partially failing and are cheapish and quite easy to change - doesn't always trigger a code. Also the previously mentioned crank sensor - although I would have though that would throw a code.

VW Passat B5?

First comment - if you've just bought it from a trader - take it back! You have rights - https://www.theaa.com/car-buying/legal-rights Engine revving up but car not gaining extra speed could be bad clutch slip - more noticeable in higher gears. However engine revs as somehow you have selected a wrong gear by mis aligned gear shift - could be why it showed it was in 1st or 2nd? Either way I think you have just bought someone's previous problem.

I had Bluetooth issues with an earlier phone (One plus 3) disconnecting occasionally and I tried all sorts of thing to fix with no luck until the phone bricked on me and I ended up doing a factory reset and restoring a backup - Bluetooth was perfect thereafter. This wasn't AA of course but something was interrupting phone basic functions - hopefully nothing nasty! Could it be worth factory resetting the A52?

Any codes logged? Crankshaft sensor could be a possibility but diagnosis by substitution can get expensive.