Roomster Fuel Injectors

[ChrisPrice]

I have a 2011 Diesel Roomster which I recently bought for £2.5k. It’s in reasonable condition – good tyres, brakes and a good runner. There’s a couple of minor scrapes which I can get fixed without breaking the bank. It has 99k on the clock, a fair amount of service history and 6 months MOT. It was only serviced around 4.5k ago, but that was 18 months ago so it’s done very low mileage since. I think it’s been stood for some time so I decided that a full service was the thing to do. My local garage fixed a couple of minor issues in the process. Otherwise they said she’s good to go. What worries me is that, looking through it’s service history, it had a fuel injector replaced not so long back and the garage who fixed it advised that the others were weak (whatever that means) and may fail. It’s starting up okay and running smoothly with no warning lights. My local garage has all the diagnostic kit and they didn’t report anything amiss. Am I worrying too much? I know that replacing fuel injectors can be expensive though I gather that refurbished units are an option. Any thoughts guys?

[bobspark]

I worry a lot too.

"BUT IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT" is something I wish someone had told me when I was young!

[ChrisPrice]

On 08/02/2023 at 08:40, bobspark said:

I worry a lot too.

"BUT IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT" is something I wish someone had told me when I was young!

I know you're right, but I'm not young and I worry about everything!! In my youth I'd have just driven it into the ground and got hacked off only when it went pop! I could spend a fortune replacing the injectors only for the turbo to fail or the clutch to burn out. Best just drive it I guess, and save some pennies just in case.😀

[hogun pen llyn]

Chris Price,

Is the engine in your Roomster the 1.6 TDI CR by any chance?

If so the injectors fitted therein around that time were Siemens Piezo which have turned out to be NOT the most reliable or long lived part of that particular engine.

My son has a 1.6 Octavia with the same engine and which developed a fault issue on the third injector.

The diesel specialist who did the repair claimed that his weekly work was significantly made up of injector issues relating to this specific engine.

These injectors tend to fail on age rather than mileage and around 10 years tends to be the norm.

The same individual also indicated that once one injector started to play up, it was invariably only a matter of quick time before the others would also become troublesome.

In the end we had all four injectors changed just to give us some peace of mind but be mindful the cost is eye watering.

Not good news I know but hopefully it gives you some insight.

[dieselV6]

New car 2011/2012 injectors on Roomster's 1.6CR CAYC were often leaky and not durable (well, at least compared to previous VW offerings). After ~10 years 1 failed on my wife's Roomster (electrical failure), decided to replace a pair so I have a spare one handy for a quick fix if needed (new ones took over a week to arrive and the car is almost undriveable with an electrically failed injector). I also found out that another injector was leaking, probably from new, so replacing 2 seems to have vastly reduced my fuel -in-engine-oil experience I had since purchasing the car new back in 2012.

 

At least the injectores on 1.6CR are much easier mechanically to replace than on earlier cars (no need to remove engine cover).

 

New injectors  for e.g. CAYC engine have part number 03L130277S , Siemens p/n  A2C9626040080 . They take quite a different calibration, so best to update calibration settings with VCDS or similar after replacement, otherwise engine may sound and feel broken for a lot of miles (there is some self calibration, but it takes time and not sure if it can take all the difference).

 

For fuel consumption and smooth engine running it would be best to replace all 4 injectors, but cost is quite steep. I am waiting for another failure before replacing 2 more or deciding it is end of life for the car and putting in the "spare" old injector. Still, given how durable and longer range Roomster is compared to newer offerings, it may be worth to bear the cost.