Hi all you MK3 owners

As you can see, I am the owner of a MK2 petrol VRS. I assume your MK3 petrol VRS cars use the latest timing chain tensioner. That must be the same one they eventually fitted to the very last of the MK2s. As you may have seen in my posts in the MK2 section of the site, I am told there is a new tensioner on the way. How long will I have to wait though, as I want to do some preventative work and get a later more reliable tensioner fitted. I think mine is the second tensioner they brought out. So far, there have been 4 tensioners, each one better than the first. If it looks like it will be too long, I may just fit the latest one that is on the market at the moment, probably the one you petrol guys have on your cars.

My question is, have there been any instances that you know about of a MK3 VRS having an engine go bang, due to a timing chain tensioner failing?  If not, maybe the latest one that is on the market at the moment is reliable. Mind you, why have I had reliable info that a new one is being developed and tested, if the one at the moment is reliable!

Just a quick note, today I have been training a guy with a MK3 VRS, very nice guys. 

Different engines between mk2 and 3 so parts are not interchangeable

Different engines between mk2 and 3 so parts are not interchangeable

Thanks for the reply. Thought the engines were much the same, just you guys have an extra 30bhp on the petrol engine. 

Pretty sure the MK3 has a timing belt rather than chain.

The mk2 and mk3 tsi engines are at heart mechanically similar and both use chain drive.

Everything I've ever read about the Mk3 suggests it has a belt, because of reliability problems with the chains on previous models.

The bare engine shares most of its components with its predecessor, the chain drive (albeit a more revised version) included.

MK3 Petrol are chain driven not sure about the diesel engines. 

The diesels are belt driven.

Sorry, I missed that this thread was specifically about the VRS, which is apparently different to other models.

Edited 7 August, 20169 yr by Rodge

You are correct pal. The 1.2 and 1.4 is indeed belt driven but the 1.8 and 2.0 has chain drive.