EA 888 gen 3 possibly the most reliable engine?

[Jonnymk7.5]

I had American, other German, Japanese cars. All burned some engine oil. My GTI doesn't burn any. Even with 123k miles. No other issues.

 

[mrmatto]

No. It's a good engine, but it's far from the most reliable. Water pump, fuel injectors (newer 7.5's), intake valve buildup, and PCV are just a few notable areas that often require attention..

A lot of modern engines are very good and incredibly reliable.

 

[CaptainRatty]

It’s hard for a DI turbo four cylinder to be categorized as “most reliable” compared to everything else on the market. There’s just a lot going on there to potentially fail.

 

[Jonnymk7.5]

None of these issues.

 

[Coachdrives]

Mine is a 2018 with only 34,500 miles and well maintained and I've had 2 injectors, coils, spark plugs, and thermostat housing replaced. Thankfully all under warranty. But I've had plenty of cars never have any of those issues within 100k.

I will say this is my first German and DI turbo combo car ever and I've grown to really like this car and because I bought it CPO, I still have over 3 years and 50k warranty remaining which makes me like it even more.

But....most reliable engine? I don't think so .

 

[ReadTheBook]

My 2017 Sport lost its engine at 37000 miles after also having several thermostat housings, leaking cam cover, and a ticking tim not convinced was the HPFP or injectors.

I had a JB4 installed at two different periods of time for about 3500 miles each time, so 7000 “tuned” miles.

Also had tons of other little issues with the car including getting hit twice. Sold the car off and currently daily an MK4 R32, but sometimes really miss my MK7.

 

[Jonnymk7.5]

I guess my 18 GTI is a good one. Bought new. Never abused it. Stock. Mostly highway miles. Flawless. I wonder about the carbon buildup though. Idles smooth still.

 

[D.Gage]

My 2017 that I bought brand new had 72,000 miles when I traded it in. It was APR 93 tuned for 30,000+ miles and BEAT ON every single day within an inch of its life. It never once left me stranded or even had a single mechanical failure. It was such a good car and motor combination that i purchased a ’23 Atlas with the 2.0

 

[jay745]

Lol this is the first I'm hearing of this engine being reliable

 

[tigeo]

It's a good powerplant and handles power adds great for many people. Seems like the common failures are somewhat minor - water pump/thermostat is the main one. Then you have outliers - I mean I had my timing chain tensioner bolts snap that caused some damage at ~75K on the EA888 gen 3 1.8. When is the last time you heard about MK7 having that issue?

 

[GTI Jake]

130k on mine, tuned since new (currently is38).

It’s been incredibly reliable (windshield washer pump, coil pack & PVC) we’re all it’s ever “needed”.

I let it warm up & cool down properly, but it gets street, track & drag strip “abused” without any drama.

Recently it had a hiccup with what I’m assuming was a door switch issue, where the LPFP didn’t prime resulting in a few crank no starts before it fired up (and has been fine for over 1k miles since).

It might not be the MOST reliable, but if you shrink that to a fun car list I’m sure it’s near the top.

 

[Gray_Panther]

I think the key is 93 octane gas, oil changes every 7k or less, and let the engine warm up before beating on it.

But mine is at 68k and you never know what can happen tomorrow. I think only the high mileage people are qualified to answer that question from the OP.

 

[tigeo]

I think the key is 93 octane gas, oil changes every 7k or less, and let the engine warm up before beating on it.

But mine is at 68k and you never know what can happen tomorrow. I think only the high mileage people are qualified to answer that question from the OP.

I don't see how 93 in a car that can safely run 87 has any influence here. As long as the fuel meets the Top Tier additive specifications.

 

[kevinkar]

All cars are a crapshoot. Some last with no maintenance or care at all and others follow the owner's manual to the letter and second but fail for some stupid reason. While Consumer Reports provide data on surveys of issues and state what cars are more reliable than others in a macro sort of way, each one of us individually can't say one way or the other if any car is reliable or not.

My Camaro Z/28 had no real issues for 19 years until the water pump finally failed in spite of it having a transmission issue in the first year. My Corvette was in fantastic shape but had several chronic issues over the 6 years or so I owned it. The '18 R so far seems to be healthy with no real issues. Is it reliable? Over the last 4+ years, yes. But I can't say with any certainty if the engine is truly one of the most reliable. Searching the forums seem to indicate maybe not.

 

[Gray_Panther]

I don't see how 93 in a car that can safely run 87 has any influence here. As long as the fuel meets the Top Tier additive specifications.

You are probably right tbh.
But I am a firm believer that German cars should run on 91/93 octane gas. Just the way I grew up I guess