Has the Volkswagen 'twincharger' engine issues?

Hi,

Just read that the Volkswagen 1.4 turbo- and supercharged engines are giving problems. One UK Scirocco motorist says his Volkswagen dealer is replacing his engine. My Audi A3 is a 1.4 TSI. I think the new Audi A3 Saloon has the same engine. Have you any reports on the above ?

F D (Dublin)

Sep 2015 Filed under: fault

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Expert answer

Hi F D,

There does seem to be an issue with the turbo- and supercharged engines involving the timing chain and it seems to be because Volkswagen tried to stretch the service intervals too far. Now, your A3 may not have that particular engine, depending on the year and the engine power. The lower power 122hp version of the 1.4 TSI didn't have a supercharger, just a turbo so is simpler and doesn't seem to suffer the same issues. The more recent 150hp version also does without the supercharger, so the best thing to do is not panic - if you're concerned about the car, take it to your dealer, have it inspected and maybe insist on a more frequent oil change.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe