VW Polo timing chain nightmare!

BeenThroughItAll

Black_Eyeliner wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice about servicing. I suppose my point is that there is a known fault with timing chains EVEN WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED! So the fact that my car hasn't been serviced is neither here nor there.

Well it is, actually. You can't possibly prove that your timing chain would have stretched if you'd bothered to service the car. Neglecting servicing is an excellent way to ensure you'll damage an engine, and chain stretch is a classic manifestation of such.

Just ask any motorcyclist who cleans and lubricates their chain often how long it will last compared to the bloke who never bothers and wonders why he keeps on needing to buy new ones every few thousand miles.

You have zero chance of any goodwill from VW since you couldn't be bothered to even get the oil changed to schedule.

Expensive lesson.

force_ten

Black_Eyeliner wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice about servicing. I suppose my point is that there is a known fault with timing chains EVEN WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED! So the fact that my car hasn't been serviced is neither here nor there.

if the car had been serviced in line with the service schedule and had been kept within the dealer network then you may have had a case for good will

as it is you can say it is a known issue as much as you like but it will not get you anywhere and by not servicing the car you have given VW a get out of jail free card

Black_Eyeliner

I have found a local garage to replace it for £420, so things are not as horrific as they seemed.

I still won't be paying for a service plan in future.

BeenThroughItAll

Black_Eyeliner wrote: »

I have found a local garage to replace it for £420, so things are not as horrific as they seemed.

I still won't be paying for a service plan in future.

Jesus wept, some people just don't learn.

Who said anything about paying for a service plan? I don't pay for a service plan, but I still service my car.

Do us a favour will you, and when you sell your cars in the future, pop on and let us all know the reg number so we can all avoid it? Ta.

alankearn

I have used a suction pump on my VW PDI TD since I bought it new in 2002. At the time I also bought a very large socket to fit the filter holder cap, it takes me about 15/20 minutes to change the oil and filter, dead easy but you still get your hands dirty unless you wear rubber gloves.

Read up on suction pumps here

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=96647

Richard53

Suction pumps are very easy and convenient, but they don't get the sludge out of the bottom of the sump, so it's not a proper oil change in my view. The sump drain is at the very bottom of the sump for a reason.

BeenThroughItAll

Richard53 wrote: »

Suction pumps are very easy and convenient, but they don't get the sludge out of the bottom of the sump, so it's not a proper oil change in my view. The sump drain is at the very bottom of the sump for a reason.

And yet they've been used by main dealers for years. Mercedes recommend their use for all their vehicles and have done for a long time.

Let's also be honest - modern oils don't cause sludging and if you're not leaving it in there for 100K between changes, there shouldn't be that much crap floating about in the oil.

As I've said before, I've used extractors for years, and having removed sumps from vehicles I've been using them on post extraction, can categorically state there is no more oil left in the pan than if you'd used the sump plug - and I'll get more out with my extractor too, as I'll stick the fine nozzle into the oil cooler and vacuum out a load that the drain plug will leave behind.

peter12345678910

I let the oil drip for one hour, no mechanic would do that. Though Suction pumps are useful for PSF and brake and clutch fluids, which I do every year.

BeenThroughItAll

peter12345678910 wrote: »

I let the oil drip for one hour, no mechanic would do that. Though Suction pumps are useful for PSF and brake and clutch fluids, which I do every year.

You can let it drip for a week, I guarantee you'll not get much more out than you can with a decent extractor.

I have *actually* tested this theory and haven't bothered with sump plugs since except on the first oil drain I do when I buy a new car so I can check for debris in the oil. Other than that, every 6-8K I do an oil change and I do it with an extractor. Takes 10-15mins, and I could do it in a wedding suit on a lot of cars.

Quick, clean and tidy.

Another thing a lot of people forget when they come up with the 'sludge' and 'it leaves a load of oil in there' arguments is boats.

How do boat owners remove their sump plugs? Drill a hole in the keel?

No, they use an extractor, and have done for years, and it's not that easy to just pop a new engine in, and if there was that much risk by using an extractor, boats would constantly be needing new engines. If it were that bad an idea, people like Volvo wouldn't recommend it, they'd tell you to take the engine out every time it needed an oil change, and boat owners wouldn't stand for that.

ohreally

peter12345678910 wrote: »

I let the oil drip for one hour, no mechanic would do that.

Chase the dregs out with some fresh oil.