I have a 1.4 TSi 140 PS in my Mk 3 Leon, very happy with the car after almost 2 1/2 years.

But its a totally different engine to the one in your car which in twin charged form has proven to be a bit of a dog. Main problem is probably the previous owners who have had them chipped, ragged them and then sell them before the warranty expires passing on their problems.

The 122 PS 1.4 TSi version of the engine has proven mostly reliable as has the 1.2 version but even those have had cam chain/tensioner issues on occations. Our neighbours son has a 1.2 Audi A1 and at 5 years old it needed £1000+ of attention but luckilly Audi paid most of the bill. These cars do not encourage the same buyers as the 160 PS version thus they will not have suffered the same abuse.

You need to keep your fingers crossed and make sure you have some money set aside should expensive problems occur.

The Mk 7 Golf 1.4 TSI has the same engine as my Leon which is a much better proposition but can still have muppet owners who chip and rag them, just avoid the FR or GT versions.

After driving a VW Lupo for the past eight years, I finally found myself in the position to purchase a new car; VW Golf MK6 2012 1.4 TSI (160ps) 40k miles.

Two weeks in and I am very happy with the car. It is a really joy to drive, accelerates very quickly and is packed with so many features compared to my Lupo, I really can't begin to state how pleased I am with it.

However, after looking for tips on maintenance, I have found many negative reviews about the 1.4 TSI engine: There are many forum posts from people having problems with the timing chain, leading to thousands of pounds worth of damage in general a lot of people saying bad things about the car.

It would be good to hear from any owners of this same car as myself and hopefully hear some positive reviews; Are you still enjoying your car? Are you happy with your purchase? Has anyone driven 100k without a hint of trouble?

I'm not going to jump ship and change, but it would be good to get some feedback.....

Hi,

Like you I've taken the plunge with this engine as the car was such amazing value many thousand cheaper than any other of the same type. I've got a 2014 Skoda Superb 1.4 tsi (125) . Economy is amazing although mine is the later version with stop/start etc(low CO2) , performance good and it's really really quiet (I've been driving through Europe and at 130kph it's so relaxing you feel like pulling the curtains closed when it gets dark! 60mph= 2000rpm) - but you already know that

However there are some good things to consider:-

1)The cam chain, sprockets, covers, tensioners on both the 1.2 and 1.4tsi have been revised throughout the life of the engine. The chain looks very different now although its still and oil pressurised tensioner(More about this later) - the newer the better

2) Pistons, oil cooler jets and injectors again have been revised. Early versions burnt lots of oil and pistons could be fragile (mine hasn't really burnt any between services - still at the top of dipstick mark)

3) It has a Single Mass Flywheel - this is good as the Dual Mass Flywheels used in diesels (not sure about 1.6 thought) and larger petrol’s do tend to self destruct - and its expensive when they do

4) It has a water cooled turbo - this is good!

5) The water pump is fed by an auxiliary belt (other versions use cam belt/chain - if water pump fails everything goes bang)

6) Car tuners like this engine - the rest is generally robust. Even if you had piston failure on the earlier twin charger versions the bores generally survived due to the plasma coating. It's a cast iron block with plasma coated bores.

7) No Diesel Particulate Filter or Ad blue

8) Many parts easily accessible - e.g. alternator, turbo, water pump

Most failures seem to be on earlier cars so the later the better - however take no chances:-

A) Do very regular oil changes - the TSI does hammer the oil ( I've noticed mine goes a bit darker after a few thousand miles). Keep the oil clean and use the correct type - always good anyway but all chain and turbo cars like very clean oil (look at old Saab reports). This also important for the cam fed high pressure fuel pump

B) IMPORTANT - NEVER allow the engine to turn backwards this can effectively cause potential chain problems especially when worn. Think of a cycle derailleur gear turning backwards getting taffled. It can release the oil pessurised tensioner - or worse. But how do you manage to turn the engine backwards? - by parking in the wrong gear. If you park up hill in first when you apply the handbrake and then release the foot brake the car rolls backwards slightly turning the engine backwards. If you need to PARK in gear always select a gear that would turn the engine in its usual direction of rotation if it rolls down a hill e.g. 1st gear if pointing downhill and reverse if pointing uphill. (Don't forget when cars have rear disc handbrakes if they have not been well applied they can release due to contraction of the disc etc when it cools - with drums the opposite happened!)

C) Run on higher octane fuel - this is an engine that runs on the edge of 95RON especially the higher power versions - the pistons are shallow and would be rattled if any pinking occurred - you would never hear this these days due to lots of soundproofing - (yes I know you have anti knock sensors but could detect the same on the previous generation 1.4 16v in an Otatvia so I always ran on higher octane petrol 125k miles and still going strong with no oil burning!)

D) When coolant replaced ensure system properly bled - bores are well cooled but only if water present - this engine needs good cooling, or else!

A friend of mine has a 2010 1.4tsi Skoda Octavia that has had no trouble from new. The only warranty item he ever had was actually trapped stone in front brakes

Edited by Big John on 07/10/2015 at 22:39

I assume the OP has read HJ's review which starts with the headline comment "Huge problems with chain cam 1.4 TSI mainly the Twincharger versions". VW have been phasing out twincharging but I think it was used on the 2012 1.4 TSI (160ps). A quick inspection under the hood should find out.

So-called muppits chipping their cars may be quite common on forums but the proportion of chipped VWs on the road must be tiny. So HJ's observation is unlikely to be the result of chipped engines.

"If you park up hill in first when you apply the handbrake and then release the foot brake the car rolls backwards slightly turning the engine backwards."

Very good point, Big John. I always park with the car in gear, nearly always first, purely out of habit. But to make sure the handbrake is on securely, I still have the clutch depressed when releasing the footbrake. Hopefully that avoids the problem.