Hi folks.

Briskoda has helped me out loads over the years. I'm now in a pickle, and I don't know what's for the best.

Today I found out my 63 plate vRS estate will need a new engine. I've looked after it and had it looked at when it's needed it. I've tried to look after it. It's not done 80,000 miles yet.

Not going to lie; it's gutting. It has a few stone chips and scabby alloys but Ive generally thought if I looked after the car, it'd look after me. It starts and runs but there's metal in the oil... and a mechanic I trust has told me a good refurb engine will take about £8k fitted with all the ancillary bits fiddled and fixed or £11k for a new unit from the factory. Clearly that's not worth it.

So anyway, it seems a shame to scrap and I imagine We Buy Any Car and the like would pay buttons for it. I don't have the time or expertise to part this out myself, barring odd bits of trim.

Any ideas how I might make the most of a really bad situation, folks? The engine's screwed but the rest is a straight car. The interior is particularly good.

Thanks for any advice the community can offer me.

Sorry to hear this - is this usual EA888 terminal issues?

Is this a G2 or G3 EA888 engine?

G3, I think.

Coolant sensor fault in cylinder 3.

No obvious mayo etc but swarf in the engine oil.

Oddly still seems to run fine (not that I'm moving it unless essential).

Does the mechanic know what the metal swarf is? (i.e. it's origin) Have they done any investigative work - maybe put a boroscope down cylinder 3 to see if there's anything obvious? A compression test? Checked the mains?

If it's running fine, what symptoms do you have?

Certainly metal filings in the oil is not good news. But what makes the mechanic advise the engine is toast, as oppose to repairable? Back in 2018, my then 2015 vRS TSI grenaded its turbo. The engine was flushed and the oil pump changed (amongst other items) as a precautionary measure, but the engine survived. Much younger engine than yours though and minimal swarf in the oil - most had been caught by a gauze filter.

Maybe get a second opinion if you don't have all the facts. It's a big (and unwelcome) decision for sure. Best o' luck.

Gaz