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Hello, appreciate any advice from the field...
After recently having timing chain service done at 110k mi., my Touareg developed a slight stumble/flutter at idle. One cold start after a long highway ride, and a hard "miss" emerged with flashing CEL resulting in a rough ride at any RPM/speed.
I drove it home limping and replaced all coils which took care of the misfire & CEL. The same slight flutter was still present at idle, but the test drive was smooth. After about a week and a couple hundred miles the CEL came back on and the engine started misfiring again, less severely than before the coils were replaced, and only occasionally.
Took it to the VW dealer because it was due for an oil change (the problem was mainly an annoyance) and they did plugs, fuel filter, and other general maintenance items (over $2k) and they gave it back to me with the CEL on full-time. I sent it back to them and they spent a few days troubleshooting with VW of America assisting. Finally came back to me with a diagnosis that cylinder #1 is misfiring and shows low compression (they said 70 PSI). They didn't scope it or anything, said an engine swap was probably my only option--said it could be a failed ring or piston and VW doesn't supply those parts for repair. They offered me about $2k trade-in value which I declined.
I took the Touareg to a reputable independent VW/Audi garage--the one who did the timing chain--and they reported compression 'a little low' in cyl #1. They think it's due to carbon deposits on the intake valve(s). Didn't scope it or do any comprehensive diagnostics. They said they didn't think a new engine was necessary. Recommend dropping the engine and cleaning the valves (~$3k job). I asked about fuel additives, etc., and though they don't think it will work they said I should try it before committing to an expensive job. They mentioned Techron over alternatives like Seafoam based on reputation. I ran one bottle of Techron through the fuel system so far, cleared the misfire code with VAG COM, and the CEL still occasionally appears/disappears a couple hundred miles later.
Other details: have been running regular grade fuel, dealer-maintained w/oil changes on recommended schedule, has mainly been used for long weekend drives until a few months ago when we started using it for daily commutes ~30mi each way. Prior to this, the CEL was never lit in the 5 years that I've owned the vehicle.
Thanks.
After recently having timing chain service done at 110k mi., my Touareg developed a slight stumble/flutter at idle. One cold start after a long highway ride, and a hard "miss" emerged with flashing CEL resulting in a rough ride at any RPM/speed.
I drove it home limping and replaced all coils which took care of the misfire & CEL. The same slight flutter was still present at idle, but the test drive was smooth. After about a week and a couple hundred miles the CEL came back on and the engine started misfiring again, less severely than before the coils were replaced, and only occasionally.
Took it to the VW dealer because it was due for an oil change (the problem was mainly an annoyance) and they did plugs, fuel filter, and other general maintenance items (over $2k) and they gave it back to me with the CEL on full-time. I sent it back to them and they spent a few days troubleshooting with VW of America assisting. Finally came back to me with a diagnosis that cylinder #1 is misfiring and shows low compression (they said 70 PSI). They didn't scope it or anything, said an engine swap was probably my only option--said it could be a failed ring or piston and VW doesn't supply those parts for repair. They offered me about $2k trade-in value which I declined.
I took the Touareg to a reputable independent VW/Audi garage--the one who did the timing chain--and they reported compression 'a little low' in cyl #1. They think it's due to carbon deposits on the intake valve(s). Didn't scope it or do any comprehensive diagnostics. They said they didn't think a new engine was necessary. Recommend dropping the engine and cleaning the valves (~$3k job). I asked about fuel additives, etc., and though they don't think it will work they said I should try it before committing to an expensive job. They mentioned Techron over alternatives like Seafoam based on reputation. I ran one bottle of Techron through the fuel system so far, cleared the misfire code with VAG COM, and the CEL still occasionally appears/disappears a couple hundred miles later.
Other details: have been running regular grade fuel, dealer-maintained w/oil changes on recommended schedule, has mainly been used for long weekend drives until a few months ago when we started using it for daily commutes ~30mi each way. Prior to this, the CEL was never lit in the 5 years that I've owned the vehicle.
Thanks.
