VW Polo - timing chain?

ddebski_us

My car has been in the garage since Friday when the EGR valve went, and it has been fixed under warranty. I was also told that the lamda sensor was broken and needed to be fixed (and this was causing the car not to start intermittantly due to the engine being flooded with fuel). This was going to cost me £89 to fix.

Today I was due to pick the car up and I've had a phone call saying the timing chain has broken and will cost £758 to replace :eek::eek:. Apparently the car won't start at all now and had to be pushed into the garage on Friday for work to commence. I wasn't told about this apparently because I'd mentioned it didn't start first time that morning.

I can't help but feel like I'm being ripped off. I had no complaints with the car not starting, other than now and again as most older cars do (it's a 52 plate) and now it's in the garage, it won't start at all??

Can anyone give me any advice? It's at a VW garage as my local independent dealer was unable to fix the EGR valve under warranty and now I can't move it apparently!!



Thanks in advance

Hintza

Chain or Belt?

If belt when was it ever changed?

ddebski_us

Hintza wrote: »

Chain or Belt?

If belt when was it ever changed?

Chain - no belt has been changed either.

jaydeeuk1

How comes EGR was fixed under warranty but the other problems weren't?

Strider590

Sounds like bu11sh1t to me.

The EGR and lambda would produce very similar faults, I suspect the EGR was covered on warranty, but the lambda is screwed into the CAT and probably counts as part of the exhaust system (not covered on warranty).
So they took a hit on the EGR and are trying make up for it by charging for a lambda sensor.

If the engine was flooding with fuel then your CAT would be totally wrecked (£300-£400), so watch out for that one too.

Timing chain is the icing on the cake..... If it wasn't broken when you took it to them, then it's their bloody problem!!

In my opinion they've made a total balls up or can't find whats wrong and expect YOU to pay for it!!

They've got you marked as a fool and will now try to milk you dry.

Gordon_Hose

If you drove it to the VW garage, then the chain couldn't have been broken.

Hintza

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/polo-iv-2002?section=bad

Excerpt:-

Lumpy running of early 1.2 Polos can be due to timing chain stretching and jumping a tooth. Unexplained problems with fuel systems of 1.2 petrol models that seem to overfuel sporadically for no apparent reason might be due to stretched timing chains.

Timing chains of 3-cylinder chain cam petrol engines are snapping, possibly because they need cleaner oil than VW anticipated with its service regime, or possibly because the wrong oil has been used. Timing chain tensioner problems on 2002-2003 1.2s, usually caused by not changing the oil and filter often enough. Cured on later engines by a more substantial tensioner. Total engine failures of 1.2s not unknown after as little as 5 years and 38,000 miles. (VAG changed the tensioner from 2003.) VITAL TO CHANGE THE OIL OF THIS ENGINE AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.

ddebski_us

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

If you drove it to the VW garage, then the chain couldn't have been broken.

They say that even thought the timing chain needs replacing, it is possible that I got it started, but now it won't start at all.

The EGR valve was under warranty as I had it fixed last November. The timing chain isn't as it is as old as the car, and the warranty has run out.

The car was subject to a full service in January when the oil was changed.

Don't really know what to do; I can't move the car as it won't start so don't see that I have a choice but to pay for it to be fixed?

xDx