Four years together. All breakdowns Tiguan.
A post about all the breakdowns in 4 years of ownership. It will be helpful to someone! So. Bought the car new. That is, I ordered it for myself! Ordered everything to the max, that at the time could be ordered with a Tiguan! Wanted the R-line, but at that time (February 2011) aero was not imported to Ukraine((( I ordered everything: Panorama, Dynaudio, KeyLess, camera, xenon, park assist. Did not take: RNS, leather (I do not like the leather, eventually decided to sew the interior alcantara, which I did), adaptive suspension and electric towbar. Parker, I do not need, with leather everything is clear, and from the rest the dealer discouraged me: they say the navigation for the Ukraine is very crude (this year I did put RNS, in the end more negative emotions than positive). DSG in my car was no more! I had to buy automatic. And thank my balls! The advantages of navigation-so-so, very much to my liking, loading stereo for 30 seconds at every startup, instead of 2 seconds as in the RCD 510-it really bothers me! from the adaptive suspension driver discouraged OD with the words: “no effect from it, but when it breaks, then how the hell will the replacement of all parts …”. Listened. Did not order (in principle, I regret that I have not set, they say a good thing!) Car price – $ 48000. With the discount, it cost me $ 43000 So. Now a brief history of all the failures and mishaps: 1- after a month of use does not work conditioner! A corrugated tube of refrigerant jumped out of the holder and rubbed against the pulley. Advised not to drive the car as the refrigerant contains compressor grease. Drove for 2 weeks with the air conditioner off. Got it done under warranty! 2 – After about a year the steering wheel buttons stopped working – broke the steering column cable! Fixed under warranty! 2a – The panorama started squeaking badly! Lubricated. Enough for a couple of days, then squeaked again, each day more and more. With the roof still went in 6 times a year, was enough for a couple of days! Then, after 1.5 years of such suffering, I got mad and called the head office of VW Ukraine. They took the complaint. Director general of VW South Ukraine came to my dealer… I was invited for another auto inspection and was asked to leave the car for a day. After that, the roof stopped creaking for a year, I did not open it once this year, I was afraid of repeating this damn problem! Really annoyed me with that squeak. Everything was fine until I decided to cover the ceiling with alcantara! Dismantled, reassembled the ceiling and then hello! It squeaked again! 3- After about 2 years they replaced the rear front left arm silent. Under warranty! The roof is still squeaking. 4- Exactly the day the warranty expired ( 3 years ) I started hearing a squeaking noise under the hood when the air conditioner was running! The air conditioner compressor was broken. Since I had the problem before (half a year before I had already noticed the noise and told the dealer, just when they changed the silent), then they replaced the compressor under warranty! Yay! I think the reason for the breakdown might have been the fact that I drove, almost a month, without lubrication. The roof still won’t stop squeaking. In 4th year of usage, after warranty expired, once, while driving with family to do some shopping, suddenly engine got defensive- did not let crank more than 3000 rpm and EPC error showed up. I went to the dealer. I got my car back, but the problem did not go away! The problem only appeared when: you press the accelerator pedal (no matter how much/how much), sharply release it and immediately sharply re-press the pedal.
Immediately you get EPC on the dashboard and the engine goes into protection, and the box does not shift to higher gears. Treatment: stop on the side of the road, shut off the engine, start again and all is well! Had not been able to go to the dealer for a couple of months. Already got the hang of it! But once, when overtaking a long truck on the highway, it seemed that the car on the opposite side of the road going faster than I originally imagined, and I already went to overtake … I let go of the gas pedal. Figuring out that the oncoming car was still far away and I was already being overtaken by other overtakers, I suddenly applied the gas pedal, so I could overtake the long truck and then bam! EPC and the engine stopped! It was too late to go back, the place was taken! I was good, I was experienced, so I immediately shifted to manual and changed gear at 3000 rpm to overtake the truck. I overtook the lorry and drove it to the side of the road. My knees were shaking afterwards. The driver of the truck thought … well …, not good he thought of me … My passenger did not have time to be frightened and understand what happened! And thank God for that! Anyway, the reason was the pedal wiring! OD said they tightened all the pins last time. Apparently it did not help! Replacement-160$ The connections turned out to be gold plated! About the same time they finally fixed the squeak in the roof for me! 6- same silent again! Replacement of the rubber itself, no lever-$40 7- three and a half years. Coolant pump! The OD said the cost of $500. Were sent. ! A day later called back, invited to come in. I accepted the invitation. – “We can change the pump on a coupler!” – “What the fuck is that?” After a short story about how VW supports VW owners even after the warranty and all sorts of other blah, blah, blah…, blah…, asked for my service book! Said to call back in a few days with results. Called back! Germans did it! From me to pay 25% of the cost of replacement! VW will pay the rest! Funny!))) I’m in the mood for some tuning! Goodbye coolant! And cool thing was! I even had no time to remember the name! And most importantly, it really works! Then replacement of gearbox, turbine and half of the car… Breakdowns: the roof creaks again – still struggling! Silent again – still the same silent! But no longer torn, it was spinning in the arm. Replaced by a TT one. But other than that, all is well with the car! I am happy! And after tune-ups, happy even more! 8- A couple of days ago, the steering cable blew again! Fixed it for $350! – “Holy shit, their prices!” But I’m on a business trip and my wife has no time to deal with it. Had to change it at the dealer! PS I ended up having to pay $40 for the silent and $160 for the pedal wiring and $350 for the loop replacement. That was it! P.S.2 very happy with the car! Everything about it is good! Especially: adaptive xenon, with side lighting in the turns, adaptive rearview camera, the dynamics of the car in general, comfort, music, build quality! Of the minuses: just one-a very boring inside! Too simple they made it inside! And outside it does not shine! All the same, the budget option! And still there is an opinion: everything touched by the hand of our TD, and in general a person from my country, will definitely still, at least once, break! И! I WILL NEVER TAKE PANORAMA AGAIN! It is useless! Only children sitting in the back, when they are bored: “Daddy open!”, – “and now close!” – “Hee, hee, hee. “Nah, close it. “I can’t even see the fucking panoramic roof. Who to buy it for, or what to buy it for? That’s the kind of car it was:
What to expect from a used Volkswagen Tiguan for 700,000 rubles
Volkswagen is traditionally considered one of the most favorite brands among Russian motorists. The legendary models from the 90s after the Soviet “Zhiguli” seemed to our drivers to be the benchmark of reliability and ergonomics. In the 2000’s, the domestic market was already oversaturated with various brands, but even during this abundance German brand continued to confidently hold ground and sell in thousands of copies. The magazine “Dvuzhok” together with a specialized service station “Dilizhans” decided to find out what problems you should expect from one of the best selling crossovers of its time.
Engine
Volkswagen Tiguan installed three engines – and all turbocharged. Gasoline 1.4TSI and 2.0TSI, as well as diesel 2.0TDI.
The most problematic was the two-liter gasoline engine. First of all the chain of timing has appeared to be the weakest element, which because of specific construction and a drive quickly gets worn out and stretched. 100-120 thousand kilometers and the whole mechanism has to be replaced. Carelessness or aggressive driving can lead to chain slipping, overbent valves and expensive repair of cylinder head.
Another trouble of the engine, especially on pre-2012 cars, is oil leakage. In neglected cases the engine can consume a monstrous amount – a liter per a few hundred kilometers. The problem is a design miscalculation when creating piston rings, due to which the oil is sucked in in large quantities, gets caked and clogs all the ducts, after which the consumption increases even more. The result – replacement of the piston with an upgraded one.
By the way, the first signal may be the turbine failure. The turbocharger itself on all Volkswagen engines is quite reliable, but its bearings will not withstand oil starvation for a long time. If the turbine or crankshaft bearings have failed, get ready to disassemble the engine as well.
The main reason of problems with the base 1.4TSI engine is wrong exploitation. Many people used rather tractive engine, as they say, on all money. Full throttle on unheated car and other aggressive driving from low revolutions in no small crossover led to detonation and premature wear of many parts. Actually, the engine also failed to avoid problems with the timing chain.
Hello to all fans of chip tuning. Forced TSI engines are prone to piston failure due to metal fatigue. Above the end of the piston pin sometimes a piece just falls out along with the rings and the motor loses compression.
The best of the Tiguan’s engines is the 2.0-liter diesel. The crossover has already received an upgraded EA189 series engine, and therefore many long-standing problems have been avoided. Prior to 2009, a balancer shaft version was available, where oil pump failure occurs. If the case is skipped, oil pressure drops with all the consequences. After 2009, versions of the motor with swashplates went on, which can actually wedge over time. So at least once in 100,000 km they should be cleaned or replaced.
Special attention should be given to the popular chip tuning of TSI and TDI turbo engines. As has already been said motor 2.0 in general is better not to subject to forcing – breaks pistons. The 1.8TSI engine is less critical to this procedure, but other units of the car, not designed for the increased load, such as transmission, may suffer. That is why for such procedure you need a very profound knowledge and competent specialists. There were many cases, when a car came to service station with a crooked “chip” and a mass of problems, including engine destruction.
Transmission
The basic 6-speed “mechanics” is rather reliable. Sometimes in frost there are difficulties with shifting from first to second gear. The problem disappears if you let the car warm up. The 2,0-liter motors (both with a diesel and petrol) are equipped with reliable 6-speed “automatic device”. Of course, there are jerks in automatic transmission, but the problem is almost always solved with regular change of oil and reprogramming of “automatic”. In more complex, but quite rare cases it may be necessary to replace the valve block in the box.
The restyled cars from 2011 are also equipped with a DSG-6 robotized transmission. The main feature and problem with this unit is a single oil circuit on the clutch and transmission itself, which causes friction wear products to fall into the main compartment. And, of course, the oil in such a box needs to be changed more often than it is written in the regulations.
In all-wheel drive Volkswagen Tiguan with Haldex clutch often fails the pump and control unit, which is in the clutch and therefore not changed separately. Most often about such a malfunction say extraneous mechanical sounds on the turns. Otherwise, the clutch is considered very reliable.
Suspension
Suspension is fully independent: the traditional “McPherson” in front and “multilever” in back. In the zone of vulnerability here get, in general, standard for the Russian operation details: rack stabilizer, silent-blocks, which, by the way, can be replaced separately from the arm, hub bearings. Shock absorbers and thrust bearings do not last very long. All these may require replacement in the interval from 50 to 80 thousand kilometers. Many owners treat the suspension tenderness by installing tires with a high profile, which better absorb road imperfections. Rear suspension is quite strong, many of the parts survive at least 100 thousand km.
Electrics
Alas, the total economy on costs has not passed Volkswagen. If to clean up the wiring in a 30-year-old Audi 80, we shall see brilliant copper wires. And if we take a 10-year-old car of the same brand – we’ll find oxidized, or even just black wire. This means it’s made of recycled copper with additives, or the quality of the insulation is so bad that it leaks moisture. The service experts of Dilijans often encounter rotting wires of the whole VAG lineup, and Tiguan is not an exception.
The main problem is in the wiring between the body and the engine, as it is not wrapped with electrical tape. Thus, there is a constant vibration of wires and friction inside the harness, which eventually leads to a variety of troubles on the electrical side.
Also a fairly common problem is with the electronics control box. It is not uncommon for the system to malfunction when it reports that half of the bulbs are burned out and they are intact, or vice versa. Very often such a problem occurs during the transition from positive to negative temperatures.
Body
The corrosion resistance of the Volkswaen Tiguan is at a decent level. Signs of corrosion, most likely, indicate a body repair. In addition, the places of dirt accumulation very actively provoke rust. It also appears on the trunk door edge due to the peculiarities of aerodynamics. The owners also complain of the sagging hood mat, which was once replaced under the warranty, but the problem is still relevant. A very specific feature is the brittle metal of the accelerator pedal, which in severe winters can crack, and the pedal – fall off when you sharply press.
Interior
Often the owners of Tiguan complain about the fabric of the seats, which wears out very quickly and after a fairly short period of time already looks strongly frayed. More often than not, the second owner received the interior with the driver’s seat already retightened under warranty. Plastic in the Volkswagen Tiguan is very soft, which is good for tactile sensations, but has a negative impact on its durability – rather deep scratches sometimes appear even with the slightest touch.
