Ouch! Big repair (Timing System/Cam Phasers)

[Abbott Martin]

Well my car started sounding rough over the past several months and few thousand miles (at approx 66K miles now). I figured it was due to carbon buildup or bad plugs/coils. Changed out the plugs and it started sound both better and worse than before…almost like a tractor engine at idle & certain RPMs. Took it into the shop. Looks like it needs replacement of the entire timing chain system and cam phasers. While this is a bit of a bummer, the good news is:
1. The majority of the $3900 bill is being covered by my aftermarket warranty (eat that naysayers hah!)
2. They will already be in the engine so the cost of cleaning out the carbon should be less than it would have been otherwise.
3. These repairs should add many more years (and miles) of life for the engine/vehicle.

Will update once I get the car back in a few days. Something felt off, started worrying it would never be normal again. Sometimes it’s nice to realize it was an actual issue and to know once again it will be a joy to drive the car!

 

[jimlloyd40]

Well my car started sounding rough over the past several months and few thousand miles (at approx 66K miles now). I figured it was due to carbon buildup or bad plugs/coils. Changed out the plugs and it started sound both better and worse than before…almost like a tractor engine at idle & certain RPMs. Took it into the shop. Looks like it needs replacement of the entire timing chain system and cam phasers. While this is a bit of a bummer, the good news is:
1. The majority of the $3900 bill is being covered by my aftermarket warranty (eat that naysayers hah!)
2. They will already be in the engine so the cost of cleaning out the carbon should be less than it would have been otherwise.
3. These repairs should add many more years (and miles) of life for the engine/vehicle.

Will update once I get the car back in a few days. Something felt off, started worrying it would never be normal again. Sometimes it’s nice to realize it was an actual issue and to know once again it will be a joy to drive the car!

Congratulations. It's great when the system works like it's supposed to.

 

[Abbott Martin]

Fid

Congratulations. It's great when the system works like it's supposed to.

Fidelity Platinum 72K/72MO Warranty:
$2,600
$7,300 paid with 40K/30 MO. remaining:
PRICELESS

 

[Abbott Martin]

Wow, it’s nice to remember how the car is supposed to be running! I wonder if this is becoming a common issue on aging Mk7s.

 

[Daks]

Why did they have to change the cams themselves?

 

[Abbott Martin]

Why did they have to change the cams themselves?

I’m unsure what caused this issue. Maybe they got damaged when the engine went out of timing?

 

[Escape Hatch]

Whenever I hear ungodly noises I push the clutch in to make sure all is good.

 

[Diggs24]

Whenever I hear ungodly noises I push the pedal down further to teach it a lesson.

 

[rowdyzombie]

I thought the timing chain setup was all fixed on this engine. 66k miles is hardly a long time for chains. Did something unusual happen to make it fail?

 

[Diggs24]

I thought the timing chain setup was all fixed on this engine. 66k miles is hardly a long time for chains. Did something unusual happen to make it fail?

One or a few failures doesn’t make it a common issue. Things fail. It’s unfortunate.

 

[Abbott Martin]

Whenever I hear ungodly noises I push the pedal down further to teach it a lesson.

Right? Like scratching an itch.

 

[Abbott Martin]

I thought the timing chain setup was all fixed on this engine. 66k miles is hardly a long time for chains. Did something unusual happen to make it fail?

It was improved around 2015-16. Surprised me too as I’d never heard of timing chain failure on the Mk7. This was a big concern on my Mk6 as it got up there in miles and one of the reasons why I sold it (plus wanting a reason for an upgrade).