Hi,

 

I have a 2010 VRS with the above engine, just hit 50k, full Skoda history bought from a main dealer a year ago with 29k on the clock, warranty about to expire. I'm planning on keeping the car for another 2 years at which point it will be on around 100k - 110k.

 

I'm weighing up updating the cam chain tensioner or taking the risk. A local indy garage I use will do the work including updated tensioner, guide rails and chain for around £500. My brothers Audi A4 with a similar engine suffered a failed tensioner last year at 92k (2009 plate) and the final bill from the same garage was £2,000.

 

So I was wondering, how many high mileage (or at least over 100k) VRS' are there on here, has the tensioner been done, would you bother?

 

 

Mine has 74k and that has been fully serviced and this had the tensioner snap so above all I would recommend getting it done as mine have to have a full engine change

The tensioner issue has nothing to do with mileage, mine went bang at about 27k!

59 plate with 90k

Not a VRS but a 58 reg 1.8 Tsi with 113K

Bluefin remap for the last 2 years

55 Plate VRS TFSI 130K, and still pulls like a train. Fully serviced with dealer since new. 

09 VRS 2.0TSI with 128K on the clock.

 

New engine fitted at 80K ish, currently sat on the driveway awaiting a new PCV valve, which will hopefully solve my dodgy idle problem!

For peace of mind i would replace the tensioner,guides & chain if required. £500 is a good price,its not much more than a dealer would charge for a cambelt & water pump change. I personaly would not have a TSI engine vrs without knowing the tensioner has been replaced or getting it replaced as soon as i got the car. 

Did they revise the part? If they haven't and mileage appears to be irrelevant seems a bit of a lottery if new parts would be any benefit.

I have an early 2011 car and have been wondering whether or not its worth doing......

Mine is at 64k, and my tensioner failed at 48k when the previous owner had it. I'm nervous it might happen again so I'm thinking that I might look at getting it done myself after Christmas.

It's a shame isn't it. Absolutely blinding car otherwise. Really enjoying my ownership of it. Does anybody have any idea of cost from Skoda? Or does your mileage vary? (Excuse the pun).

It's about the same price as a cambelt service so probably worth it if you intend to keep the car.

 

I sold my TFSI VRS with 83k on the clock and the engine was as sweet as as the day I got it new (MOT emissions were actually going down not up with age). Other parts of the car not so good (rust) but I would have no concerns of that engine doing many more miles.

It really depends on your attitude to risk - if you're worried about the tensioner thing (and from the fact that you're posting on here/ thinking about it i'd guess that you are) then for peace of mind 500 quid seems a no brainer, especially if you're keeping the car for the forseeable.

 

also, if you get the new part fitted, you'd have a warranty on that part (and hence if it fails you'd have some come back)..

It really depends on your attitude to risk - if you're worried about the tensioner thing (and from the fact that you're posting on here/ thinking about it i'd guess that you are) then for peace of mind 500 quid seems a no brainer, especially if you're keeping the car for the forseeable.

 

also, if you get the new part fitted, you'd have a warranty on that part (and hence if it fails you'd have some come back)..

 

Yeah that's my thought.  Stupid question, but could fitting a new tensioner 'upset' a good engine and make the fault more likely than just leaving it as is?

Yeah that's my thought.  Stupid question, but could fitting a new tensioner 'upset' a good engine and make the fault more likely than just leaving it as is?

 

Any part can fail. But if it is supplied and fitted and you get the warranty then you'd be covered in that eventuality.

 

Also doing any work on anything can trigger faults in unrelated placed but that could apply for servicing even.

 

More than a few times I've had a computer in to fix one part and while I've got it another part goes pop. Probably the moving of the box that has set off an exisiting weakness.

That's outwith your control really so not worth worrying about.

Any part can fail. But if it is supplied and fitted and you get the warranty then you'd be covered in that eventuality.

 

Also doing any work on anything can trigger faults in unrelated placed but that could apply for servicing even.

 

More than a few times I've had a computer in to fix one part and while I've got it another part goes pop. Probably the moving of the box that has set off an exisiting weakness.

That's outwith your control really so not worth worrying about.

 

Cool, I'll look at getting it done soon.  I'll ask Skoda to quote me the part and labour costs to fit it.  And I'll ask for it in writing that if the new part fails the damage done to the engine would be covered under part warranty.  

Did they revise the part? If they haven't and mileage appears to be irrelevant seems a bit of a lottery if new parts would be any benefit.

I have an early 2011 car and have been wondering whether or not its worth doing......

The parts were revised (several times I believe) and the later revisions seem to be more reliable. This can be judged by the number of reports on here and by the fact that VAG included their replacement on engines within the warranty period. An early 2011 car might have the original or interim revision parts but is unlikely to have the better latest parts unless fitted as part of a service schedule. I believe this is true both for the camshaft bridge (oil starvation) and chain tensioner (timing chain slip).

Mine is a December 2011 car. Anyone know whether it's likely to have the latest tensioner fitted? All this talk about failure gets you thinking!

The parts were revised (several times I believe) and the later revisions seem to be more reliable. This can be judged by the number of reports on here and by the fact that VAG included their replacement on engines within the warranty period. An early 2011 car might have the original or interim revision parts but is unlikely to have the better latest parts unless fitted as part of a service schedule. I believe this is true both for the camshaft bridge (oil starvation) and chain tensioner (timing chain slip).

 

Have you got part numbers for the latest versions by any chance please?

Have you got part numbers for the latest versions by any chance please?

 

there's lots of info on the "failures" thread:  http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/266114-18tsi-and-20tsi-engine-failures/  

I was one of the fortunate few who's tensioner failed but didn't destroy the engine. I was stupid to not get it replaced when I was made aware of the issue a year or two prior by Rob_e. I thought 'it won't happen to me', but it did and looking at the damaged part (ratchet teeth), the miles/service makes no difference.

£500/600 for piece of mind or £5000 for a new engine. Easy choice I reckon.

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