april 2020, your video from may 2015 is still very helpful. MANY THANKS!

awesome , love the straight shooting talk!

I believe I dodged a bullet bc of watching this video. Subscriber here: my Mk6 Gti was making a rattling sound upon cold start. Hmm, sounds like the chain..took it in, and, yup, waaay out. Big bill, but I believe I saved my engine. Whew! Thanks!

Currently car shopping, and was drooling at the 2012 tiguan prices. In fact, the prices were SO good, I felt like I was missing something....a quick google took me to tons of failed timing chain tensioner thread on vwvortex, mostly who got little to no support from vw. Thank you for this video, SO much, you saved me from buying a car that has a "common" major point of failure that the manufacturer does not seem to want to issue a recall for.

What is sad is other sites claim the Audi is the 3rd most reliable vehicle. No way. 25 trips to the dealer and towed 6 times in 4 years is obsene. They lied to us for 3 years about oiling. Finally stepped up and fixed the rods, pistons and rings. After 3 trips to the dealer for 3 check engine lights, magically after we got out of warranty, this happens... Now we have to decide whether to scrap a $55k car for $5k. They project a $7k to $14k bill to fix this problem. Sell your Audi and get a reliable car which the manufacturer doesn't lie about oiling and other failures like this and they don't stand behind.

Love your videos!! Feel like you're my best friend!! Got done with my intake manifold thanks to you!!! You're super human!! Thnx for these vids!!!

Apex Tuning talked to me about this just last week and sent me the link to this video. Thanks for the explanation!

Thanks for the video. My powertain warranty is up next month, and I've been considering replacing it- I think you've persuaded me to do it. I've done quite a few timing belts, so I think I can do it as l long as I have a good diy and that washer.

Having mine replaced tommorow as well as stage 2 being ready to go finally 😜😜 mk6 gti I just hit 120k with her. Got the major service done yesterday and will have everything else done tommorow!

Thumbs-up! I'd really like to see, and appreciate, a similar discussion regarding the FSI timing chain tensioner.

Thanks for your videos! I preventatively replaced the tensioners on my 2011 CC at 87K miles. Cost me $1700, but the 'slapping' noise on cold starts, and the grinding, 'gurgling' sounds in slow traffic are gone. Drives like a different car. Thanks for the useful info!

I'm in process to add k04 with intercooler. gonna go ahead and do this too. thanks for vid

Great help cheers dude.

Thanks for this information. Same problem i am experiencing in 1.8Tsi skoda superb. Rattling when accelerating and few times when put in drive i.e. vehicle just into transmission and starts moving i can see oil pressure light flashing for a moment and dissappears as RPM raises. It seems timing chain is loose and power lost momentarily to drive oil pump belt. Currently i stopped using car now to avoid any other damage.

The videos are always helpful and informative. The most annoying part of it all is it worth getting and keeping these cars. Seems like all things German are just a crap shoot. Nothing more inspiring then hearing about all the different parts and things that can go wrong with VW's. Yet we keep buying these cars. Though no car is perfect, I'm considering therapy, in hopes of understanding why I have a gti and a cc. Both 2.0t with tsi. Anything else, would seem better then owning a VW again. As always Charles thanks for helping me question my sanity as well as try to keep them running. I miss my 03 Jetta 1.8t.

Are there any replacement parts for a 1.4 tsi engine, which could develop the same problem?

Thank you for making this video. You kept mentioning CCTA 2.0tsi engine but I thought it affects all 2.0tsi engines including CBFA. Thanks

I love these video's! As a technician (from the Netherlands) i know a lot about the stuff you talk about, but for those that don't, maybe it would be nice to see more of where the parts are on the car. Or if a failed part almost every time makes a certain noise, that you can record or film it? So more in depth pictures/video's of where the parts are and how they look on the car. Looking forward to the next uploads!

thanks for making this video. I just had this problem on my 09 CC last week. How much damage can this cause to the engine. full replacement or it can still be rebuilt? Thanks for your input.

Good video, just starting to watch some of them, I have a 2013 cc with 59k miles on it, have not had any issues at all with this car ..... if i want to do any preventive maintenance on my car should i do the tensioner, how do i know if the tensioner i have is a good one or bad one? and any other things i should have done while its in the shop?

please include a link to video with tools needed to get the job done. I have 2010 CC that does not start. I bought a repair manual and in the process of slowly getting to the chain and surrounding parts. I also would appreciate a narrative of setting the timing of the car. I did notice one notch on the exhaust side but not on the intake.

Your videos are awesome! Great job! We bought an 07 Passat from a customer with a failed tensioner/bent valves. Head reworked, new valves. My tech (and myself) did not know about the non-indexed crank pulley (crazy!!)...and, as you mentioned in the video took 7+? times to correct..I'm curious the faults you received. We have have no timing rationality faults, but misfires on all four with freeze frame data showing they are all set at the same time. The misfires occur when recorded at 754rpm, but are noticeable, and repeatable up to about 2K, even when not moving, and just holding RPM. After 2K, it runs awesome. I'm guessing we messed up the timing. Would love your thoughts. Thanks, Scott, Marin Motorsports.

You great man thanks

I can confirm that Humble Mechanic is 100% correct. If you do not know for sure, inspect your timing chain tensioner ASAP. The tensioner fails just like he describes. Replace that old style tensioner before catastrophic engine damage occurs without any notification or advance signs of failure.

Nice video. How about warning "oil pressure low shut off engine". I noticed lots of people have this problem. I changed oil pressure sensor in my car, changed oil etc. Still same warning. Do you have any experience with that?

Great video, can I get the tensioner replaced at the dealer as preventative maintenance? How much would it cost approx? I am afraid to drive my car its approaching 90k miles.

Hey Charles, I just had my intake manifold cleaned of cabon deposits. My mechanic (VW enthusiast) pulled the plug to check out my 2012 GTI's tensioner - it's the latest version, but he said that it was ~75% extended. He said that after another 30k miles or so, I might need to consider a new timing chain. What I want to know is, is it possible for the timing chain to NOT get more and more slack? Can it maybe just stretch to a certain distance, and then be fine for the life of the car? Or is it pretty typical that once you've noticed any stretching, it's going to stretch over time until all the tension the tensioner can provide is used up?

do you recommend replacing the campaign bridge at the same time? my Passat has 79k.

Charles, is there a DIY on how to install the tensioner pre failure. I want to due this as insurance to prevent failure. I have searched without finding anything to give me an idea if I need any extra pieces besides the tool you have shown and the tensioner itself. Thanks in advance

Hi I noticed that in most of the replies you mentioned that the CCTA engine is mostly affected, I have an A3 1.8 tfsi CDAA, what are the chances that these engine might also be affected by the tensioner because the exterior of the engines are basically the same? Thanks.

Would you recommend the ECS Ultimate Timing Chain kit or should I just go with the OEM kit? I just have a bad Timming Chain Tensioner that makes noise when idle not when driving or giving gas.

Have you heard this problem on the gen 3 ea888? I'm considering buying a 2012 Audi A3 with the tsi. but may go with a 14 gli with the newer engine if this is really as common as some people say. any thoughts?

i was on the website but im not sure whats the best kit to replece the chain tensioner

I just bought a 2013 cc 2.0t tsi its the CBFA. The engine build date on it is 5/24/12 im going to be checking the part number soon, but im wondering if there was a time frame as to when this part was switched to the k part number on the CC's

I'm getting a intermediate knocking and almost a slapping noise around the valve cover on a 2.0T FSI. Likely the tensioner?

I have a question for you. I'm in the middle of this job on my Audi. is there supposed to be a gasket between the cam bridge and cylinder head. Or is it just a bare metal to metal surface? or a coating of gasket maker.

Charles, a great video. I would like to understand all of the failure modes for the timing chain tensioner failures. I also wish there was a way to know which version I have. My 2012 Tiguan is approaching 70K miles and at low rpm and under load, I hear a sound similar to a high frequency spark-knock from the passenger's side. I wonder if I am hearing the tensioner on its way out?

help...i'm looking for some advice as the timing chain tensioner failed on my 2010 vw tiguan causing catastrophic engine failure...what is my best way to proceed...new engine, used, re-built any other options...?

I have the exact same problem you mentioned car didn't want to start. I have a 2010 Volkswagen CC. The mechanic replace the time chain and Tensioner. After that was done he said there is no pressure coming from the intake so he is assuming its a Bent Valve or we have to change the whole head. He made it seem like I am going to spend a lot of money to fix it, where he has to send it to a machine shop but he was very keen to offer to buy my car from me. What should i do?

ok, so my audi 2.0t jumped timing at idle. my question is what is the best way to test for bent valves. I have already taken apart a compression Guage and forced compressed air into each cylinder with the timing chain removed. I heard no air escaping from the engine through either the intake nor exhaust. would you consider this adequate? thanks

have a 2009 jetta tsi , how do I find the VIDEO DIY , to replace the timing chain tensioner ?

HumbleMechanic, I have a 01 Audi A4 1.8T. We recently rebuilt the engine and we did not remove the head, after the engine was installed and timing set. We cranked the engine and no start. After further investigation we saw the timing for the camshaft sprocket was very off, we tried to set the timing that the sprocket would not move past one quarter turn. We removed the head cover and noticed the camshaft chain only jumps once and it locks, the timing can not be set since this is not turning. Ant input would be greatly appreciated.

Great video. I have a suggestion. Instead of the mirror put your phone on video and hold it up there with the flashlight on. Even use a selfie stick and snap some pics.

i have a 2016 Golf GTI should I be good?

how do i know by looking at PCV if it is going bad as a preventative measure on my 2011 audi avant A4 2.0?

What can I get the timing kits you mentioned for an 09 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T

My tensioner shot apart when I was taking it out and inside of it was a small plack plastic piece on the spring that is inside the plunger. My question is does that piece face the front or back of the plunger?

Hi everyone. Does the engine usually lock up on the 2.0tsi if the valves got bent. I have very very minimal movement when I try to bar the engine over by hand. In process of removing timing cover.

Well my wife's 2014 GLI just had the tensioner fail....96k miles. I serviced the car per the manufacturer's guidelines. I have done several timing belt jobs on VWs, did the chains on my old 02 VR6 wagon, and have done several cam replacements on diesels. I have my wife's engine/trans out of the car at this time. For me personally, it makes this job a TON easier and since it's the first I've done I wanted to have it out in the open. I've bought the tools from Deutsche Auto for the chain job and will also buy the parts when I get the head off and decide to rebuild it or buy a new one (My gut says buy new....). Couple of questions.... The injectors are really giving me a fit to get them out. Any trick? I saw a different tool for removing the balancer and holding the gearset in place other than the plastic donut in the kit I have. How difficult is the balancer pulley to remove w/o upsetting the chain gearset? Anything I should look for with the turbo just to check it over? Man the intake is gunked up! Will carb spray/cleaner have any ill effects on anything on the intake? I plan of taking the TB off before decarbonizing. Thanks for you videos. They have been educational and fun to watch. Dave

The dealership confirmed that my tensioner did fail. At the time of dropping off the car at the dealership the car still started and drove. I am out of warranty so I need to decided if I just swap the engine or try to fix the issue and hope there isn't major damage. If my car is still able to start (it does hesitate to start) and drive (with a really crap idle) is it more likely the time is just off slightly and the pistons didn't actually hit any valves?

Mine failed on 2012 Gti at 46k miles .. Bent valves and damaged pistons. My aftermarket warranty paid for a new engine so I was lucky.. now I have a new engine .. bill was $7200 from dealer ..

If I have the older version, should I go ahead and change it? My cc has 115k miles on it.

Does a Audi A3 8PA 1.8 TFSI BZB engine suffer the same issue or it has an updated tensioner?

Do you have a link on replacing the tensioner as diy? I have the old versions tensioner but it does not look like a DIY job. It looks like you need a specialty tool to remove a bearing and you need to support the engine from above?

I'm having a rattle from my 1.2tsi Golf 6 and it sounds like its the timing chain, but after a bit of driving it goes away and sounds as it should? Would this still be a tensioner?

i'm going through with this DIY. I'm going to deutsche auto parts for the basic kit. Is this all i need? Do i require the 15 bolts for the new cover and the crankshaft holder? Or is the simple circular part that comes with the kit all I need? Thanks

Hey Charles +humblemechanic , we don't hear as much about the failure-prone cam bridge screen on the Audi 2.0 tfsi CDN/whatever engines. What's the story and why not just remove the screen and the ball and reinstall the bridge?

Hey I have a 2009 VW cc 2.0 tsi, my VW started but sounded really ruff then cut off, it’s tossing a P0012 code, any idea where to start, I was thinking Variable Valve Timing Control

I have a 2010 jetta 2.0t. It has about 95k miles atm. Apex recomended replacing the timing chain tensioner along with one of the gaskets. They want 1500 for the job. The car is only worth maybe 6 or 7k at best, but ive done some ecu tuning and i just love the car.....Any advice on wether i should drop all this money on an older car? Also i have a pretty significant oil leak from the rear main seal which is another 1100. Thanks for any help

Hi what year Tiguan did they improve this part that I wouldnt have to worry about? How would I know of my Tiguan has the new improved tensioner that doesnt need to be replaced as part of maintenance? Thanks

I have a 2006 audi a4 2.0 TFSI and I changed the timing belt w tensioners and the tensioner w timing chain of the camshafts. Everything worked fine. I drove the car for about two weeks and then it shuts off while I was driving and it didn't start and the pistons had no compression. I opened it up and found out that the chain of the camshafts was a couple of teeth off. Do you have any idea what caused this? Thanks

ok this is bugging me and this is my first golf gti and my first timing chain so I really dont know much about it yet but I have been looking every where to look this up but im really interested in finding out how I would do the timing on my mk6

Does this apply to the 1.4 tsi engine? Am having a crankshaft and camshaft position correlation fault code, plus I noticed that at idle before the check engine light Came on, the consumption was at 0.6 liters/ hour now it’s at 0.9l/h. Any advice is highly welcomed

How big would say the spring was on side this part

HumbleMechanic I love your videos! Thank you so much. I need your advice. I have a 2012 VW beetle 2.0 turbo. I am getting a P0341 code. One technician is telling me to replace the N205 valve the other is telling me the timing is off and I need to replace( timing chain, tensioner , and cam shaft) you can imagine how expensive that may be without warranty. The car is running just fine but kind of sounds like a loud lawn mover. Thank you; wish you had a shop in Miami.

Is this common with the 1.8t too?

Can the chain tensioner fail and not have bent valves? I checked my cyclinder head and surprisingly none of the valves are bent and the pistons don’t look like they made impact. But my intake camshaft seems broken.

I have tiguan 2.0 tsa ccta and i want to know if i have to change the oil transmission at 60000 km knowing car maudacturer does not prescribed. Thank you

hey man im sure its been asked a million times but either way im skimming through the forums and videos trying to find the p/n for the most recent updated tensioner? lol i just want to be 100 percent. i just read the thread that the cc guy made when he didn't use the tool lol so im just trying to cross all my t's and dot all my i's. thanks.

whats the tensioner for the cam chain called?

HumbleMechanic, how do I find out the latest revision of this Tensioner? it's for a 2010 Audi Q5 Quattro 2.0 TFSI.

so 2014 gti ccta should have the k tensioner. i see qe have a tsb about cold start rattle being normal yet could the tensioner yet be failing or backing off or is the oil pressure drip down normal? wonder if i should inspect anything

Ok I got a check engine light that came on but my car does run just doesn't want to go past 60 so had it checked and was told it was misfiring and that the code came back Intake camshaft position timing- Over-Advanced (Bank 1) Cylinder 4 misfire Detected So I was wondering if it could just be the Tensioner or something more?

great video, can you tell me where the crank sensor is located on 2020 vw cc 2.0turbo, I can't find him myself

Is shaking when cold a symptom of timing chain failure? We have a 2012 Audi A4 wagon and it shakes when cold

Does the latest generation of the EA888 have this issue as well?

I have a 2014 Audi A4 with about 60K miles. Trying to figure out if this is something I need to replace sooner than later, and what version of the tensioner I have.

hey man. very cool and informative video. I just purchased the timing chain kit from Deutsche Auto Parts. My car stalls at very low speeds and the EPC goes on for like two seconds when that happens. and then I get a p0341 code camsahft position sensor A circuit range/Performance bank 1 or Single Sensor. I replace that sensor but is still giving me that code. FYI when the car is cold works perfect. but once it gets warm the issue shows up. I'm guessing maybe could be the chain? or the tensioner is not applying enough tension? I just bought the car it is a 2011 audi a4 2.0 t. could you give me some ideas about it? thanks!

How tight the timing chain should be? My ATV chain is TIGHT! cant feel any slack at all. maybe too tight? dont know if need to mess around with the tensioner

I have a 2017 tiguan and i see 5.07 deg on intake with vcds, is that really timing chain stretch or it can be a bad guide? Or tensioner?

Hey Charles, my wife and I are looking at buying a CPO 2012 Tiguan SEL and I've heard this is an issue to consider... Car has 40k on it.

my car when creeping in first does a little bit of ticking then starts to sputter then says engine fault and throws a camshaft position code. I have a 2009 gti with the tsi ccta engine. any idea what that could be? replaced the camshaft position sensor already

Are 2.0 TFSI engines also affected?

Hello There. I have a few questions. I am looking to get an 09-15 Audi A5. I am scared of the 2.0T Engine. Since I can’t tell if the major engine repair has been done. Is there a way to tell without spending hundreds of dollars if the tensioner or chain has been replaced? For those model years with that engine, I think it was the chain that was recalled ?

Is there a specific length that the “06K109467K” is extended before you need to replace it?

Off topic sort of. But does the 2.5 5 cylinder use similar chain tensioner? And how many generations are there of the 2.5 5 cylinder? Can you update a first gen to the most current Audi parts?

I have a 09 passat 2.0t it has a check engine light for crankshaft/cam shaft and a slight ticking on passenger side of the engine what shoul I do and how long do i have

Charles, So I've got a 2009 TSI Passat with 127K. I just found this video. I'm considering doing this myself. Would you need pulley holding tool T10355 to hold the pulley while loosening bolt? no videos mention holding pulley with tool and deutsche kit doesn't include one

I have a 2014 GEN3 GLI, the car sounds like it wants to start but doesn’t. I’ve changed battery and I’ve changed the camshaft sensor cause I had got that code from vehicle I got rid of the check engine light but car still doesn’t start could it be tensioner?

im currently checking mines out and my tensioner looks to be the old style but there is no slack or anything, all of the engine shut off symptons and wont crank now, i did notice i have broken behind the actual chain could this be the cause of my failure?

Hello. I'm looking to your videos, trying to solve my audi a4 2009 problem. My weather pump start leaking, I bought a new one and Installed, but te mechanic said the gear that moves the water pump us not turning. Any idea of what this could be??

Hey so 20 minute ago my 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T shut off on me at an intersection. It started it up had it towed home. I just got home and it starts up fine but it’s making a rattling sound and has a cyl 1 misfire code. Swapped coils and it still says cyl 1. Is this symptom of a timing chain issue? Also cranks just fine not freely so leads to me believe that valves were not damaged.

Seat Ibiza 1.2TSI from 2011, not completely died, yellow engine lamp is on, and noise from the chain, ~18.000 miles. What are the chances the engine has survived?

Hi, just bought our 2012 Tiguan as a 2nd owner. I've recently found out from VW that my Timing Chain has failed causing internal damage to engine. I was given a $11,200 before tax quote to get my car running again. My warranty just expired 9mos ago with 70,000kms. I am devastated and not sure how to go about this problem as I am out warranty. Any advice? Thanks

Changed mine preventatively for $1500. Great peace of mind though!

Hi I’ve watched many of your videos and all of those are very informative and a great help for a weekend warrior like me. I just bought a Tiguan TSi 2011 with 180k kms. After watching this video I’m trying to rule out if my timing tensioner is the issue why during cold start and the engine is at fast idle I can hear the timing chain which is very noticeable. When you hear it you would say something is wrong. It will only last about 30 secs once it’s not on fast isle anymore and goes down to normal rpm about 750 it sounds perfect and no annoying sound of chain can be hear. Oil level is at max level and last service was at 173k kms. I don’t have the special tools you’ve mentioned that’s why i can’t make a crack of this. Any thoughts of this issue? Is it just a tensioner or the chain might have stretched to its max limit. Cheers and keep doing great videos that are really helpful to other even though we aren’t the one repairing it but at least knowledge wise we are aware of the issues are. A new sub from the land down under. Thank you

I was getting random codes on my 2011 gti. I have owned it from new, only 49000 miles. Serviced to the book. Took it to the dealer they said it was the timing chain. $1800 later still the same problem. Then they said it was the ecu. $1600 later still the same problems. VW of America told me to take it to a different dealer. These guys seem to know what they are doing. They diagnosed a bad wiring harness and a failing water pump. This is going to cost $1700+ . To say I'm not impressed is an understatement. I'm hoping to pick the car up this weekend. VW have had the car two months.

Hi Charles, my 2012 GTI's engine keeps shutting off every few weeks while getting onto throttle after a corner, and it throws a "P0341 - Camshaft Pos.Sensor Circ. Range/Performance" code. I've replaced that sensor and it still happens, is the P0341 code a symptom of a faulty Timing Chain Tensioner? Thank you so much, I love your channel, it's so helpful even in June of 2020. Have a great day.

2012 VW GTI, bought used at 98,000, now has 112k. First VW so we're learning about this timing chain failure the hard way. Two weeks prior to the impact, the engine set a code for a missfire on #2. Diagnosis was worn plugs. Put new plugs in, but it was still a bit burbly on cold start. Then the valves hit. Spent $5,500 to have the head repaired... now the engine sets a code for a misfire on #1. Shop says that compression is 90psi on #1 and this goes up to 130 when they squirt some oil in the cylinder. I can't believe the rings now failed. Thoughts? Advice?

what about the 1.4 tsi? does it have the same chain problems as the 2.0?