VAG 2.0 TFSI Engines

Following my post a few weeks back regarding the purchase of an Audi A6 2.0 tfsi which I purchased.

Lovely car to drive and so far oil consumption has been fine though I’ve only done 500 miles since purchase !

My only gripe is the noise the engine makes – sounds like a diesel ! Having read up now this is common on these engines. One cure is changing the tensioner on the small chain at rear of engine ( 3-4 hours work plus parts which aren’t cheap) on YouTube plenty of videos and they all sound the same. Had my trusty mechanic have a listen and he said it’s normal fsi engines all sound the same ! Tapety !

What’s your experiences ?

These engines are in

Seat
Skoda
Vw
Audi

As I drive quite a lot of VAG cars, most with Diesel engines, including an A6 Avente 2.0 TDi and a Golf 1.6 TDi Bluemotion today, considering just how quiet those cars were, I really wouldn’t worry about a TFSi sounding vaguely like them; the Audi in particular was a lovely quiet car to drive, 2013 with 68472 miles on the clock, it just needed a good valeting.
It certainly wouldn’t bother me, providing the servicing was fully up to date.

Just for the record TFSI is a petrol engine !!

Oooff bad sign. I change cars pdq…

We know 🙂

Kryton57 – Member

Oooff bad sign. I change cars pdq…

Said the man that owned an Alfa for a week…

…BMW was nice though 😀

OP try different viscosity oil

using 5/30 as recommended for the engine

Yes, they sound terrible at idle. I thought the noise was partly due to the injectors. But the sound get worse with wear to a cam chain and tensioner. I ran mine for 50k miles like this.

I ran mine for 50k miles like this.

and then ?

Traded it in. Quick look at the online MOT history says it’s still going, it’s now on 107k.

Try high quality 0/30 or 40?

a

llpaul – Member

Traded it in. Quick look at the online MOT history says it’s still going, it’s now on 107k.

what was it ?

A golf.

I’ve got that engine in my A5. It’s not the quietest at idle but I’ve had no major issues with it in 60k miles. Having said that, a £5 part of a plastic manifold snapped which resulted in having to replace the whole bloody thing at £600!! Seems pretty quiet once it’s moving and oil consumption is not great but it only takes a 5l bottle over the space of a year or so (although this is only 10k per annum) which is only about £30.

My s3 sounded like a diesel on start up from new… no problems bar 17 to 20 mpg…

Said the man that owned an Alfa for a week…

8 months but close.

A colleague at work has the 1.4. Also sounds rubbish at tickover but has a clean bill of health and goes well.

I remember the 1.8 S3 sounded like a tractor.

It’s a VAG. High qaulity stuff

If you’re talking about the car at idle at a stand still. Its probably just because of the the low idle speed(revs) that these engines are set at. This is just set like that to be fuel efficient but it does sound a little rough(tractory). Uping the idle speed would make it sound nicer but just use more fuel and achieve very little. Same with changing tensioner alot of money to achieve very little.

Just for the record TFSI is a petrol engine !!

No shit, Sherlock!
Putting the wrong fuel in a car will cost me £250, and a very stern ticking off from my employers, I am perfectly aware of the difference.
As it happens, I have an A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSi to drive from Newport, Wales to Exeter, so I’ll be listening to the engine with great interest.

I’ve got a 2.0 FSI in a mk5 golf; the first gen FSI engine, and it’s always sounded rattly. No problems 110k later and it sound fine at pace.

It wasn’t for your benefit as I guessed you work for VW
Let us know what the 1.4 sounds like !

Had two Leon’s with the 2.0 TFSI engine. First one was the EA113 engine and sounded like a Transit van pretty much from new. No mechanical issues with the engine though in the 5 years I had it bar a coil pack. It did like a bit of oil though. Second one uses the EA888 engine and is much quieter and also uses less oil. It has needed a manifold change though

I had one in a golf, no problems in a hard 30k miles of ownership but never did sound brilliant.

My mk2 Octavia vRS sounded like that in the 2 years and ~25k miles I had it. They all seem to – loads of mk5 Golf GTIs I’ve looked at do as well.

Nowt to worry about.

They all sound like that. Don’t worry about it.

The more I read about modern VAG cars the less I want one. To be honest I wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole. 5l of oil a year? Are you kidding me? We’re currently driving a 54 plate Mazda 6 which uses precisely nothing and the Focus we had before it used precisely nothing in 75,000 miles too. Personally I think that oil usage simply unacceptable in any car.

It may be that they have lean burn engines, so effectively they are running a diesel cycle.

Had a 56 plate GTI with this engine for 8 years and not had any issues. Doesn’t use any oil and has been perfectly reliable.

Yes, it sounds a bit like a diesel at tickover, especially with the bonnet open.

The more I read about modern VAG cars the less I want one. To be honest I wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole. 5l of oil a year? Are you kidding me? We’re currently driving a 54 plate Mazda 6 which uses precisely nothing …

My ’03 1.8T didn’t use any oil until about 95k when I started having to top it up between annual services. The dealer told me that the newer 2.0 petrol used more oil because they were made a bit “looser” to improve fuel consumption. I’ve no idea if that is true.

My 2008 S3 (2.0 TFSI) does sound a bit diesel on idle. As far as oil consumption goes I have to top up with a litre of oil about every 10 months or so (approx. 7000 miles). That’s with a stage 1 remap which may or may not make a difference. Had a 2000 1.8T A4 which used a bit less. Both engines are superb in my opinion.

Thanks for all replies

Guess I’ll just have to get used to a petrol tractor!

I have the newer 2.0 tsi in my 16 plate Octavia and it’s very quiet.

My mate has a golf gti with the tfsi engine and that is far noisier at idle than mine.

Both are still very quiet on the move.

unfitgeezer – Member
It wasn’t for your benefit as I guessed you work for VW
Let us know what the 1.4 sounds like !

Me? God no! I’m an agency driver for BCA Logistics, I basically get given a car to inspect, then drive to whatever location it’s required, I pick up from private individuals, dealers, companies, and deliver to various auction sites and dealers; this morning I dropped off a Golf Estate, picked up and delivered the Audi A3, and I’ve got a Kia Picanto parked out front that I picked up from a community care company in St Austell, and I’m driving it up to Coventry tomorrow.
Kindly insert your own joke here… 😉
I do get a fair number of VAG cars, but I get a lot of Vauxhall, Nissan, Ford, Hyundai as well as Mercedes and BMW, even light commercial, builders trucks, ex RN LDV mini-buses, all kinds of stuff, keeps things interesting.
Its all fleet, lease and Motability vehicles, that are being returned for auction, or that have been sold, and are then being delivered to the dealer who’s bought the car.
The A3 TFSi I drove this morning was a really nice drive, and seemed very quiet, 65 plate, 15,200 on the clock, it was very cold when I picked it up at 09.15, but it didn’t seem to have a noticeable diesel-like rattle on start-up, and it ran very quiet, I even turned off the radio and the a/c, but the engine was drowned by the tyre noise.
I do particularly like VAG cars, and Mercs, something about the way they’re laid out, seating, driving position, just feels natural to me, in a way that BMW cars don’t quite.
The C63 AMG I had for an hour or so tops the list so far.

Friend has it in his works A5, doesn’t sound too bad, but the sound deadening is good and my car is a shed in comparison. They do about 30k a year in their works vehicles. Got a fleet of VAG tfsi cars as they are on loan from an oil company investigating the engines oil consumption (plus some other oil r&d).

I have a 2.0tfsi engine my A3 – AXX code engine so transverse not longitudinal located. Used to sound awful until I changed the cam chain and tensioner at 120000 miles. I did it myself in an afternoon. Not too difficult a job, several guides online, it does require a tool to lock the cams in position and to undo the exhaust cam sprocket. Available on ebay for 30quid I think. Cam chain kit cost 200 quid approx off ebay. Much improved power delivery and economy after. Approx 5mpg. Now on 165000 miles and counting..

I remember the 1.8 S3 sounded like a tractor.

Must have been something wrong. I had one for nearly 50k miles and 4 years and it was pretty quiet. A little tappity – but quietly so.

My Golf 1.4 TSI sounds tappety when cold, always has done (had it from new). Not sure if that helps or not.

Done 50k in our 1.4 TFSI A1 here.

They do sound gutteral, I like it. Little pocket rocket.

It has never used a drop of oil and I am a bit fastidious in checking. Main dealer serviced with std oil and filters. Oil just starts to go off-gold with combution product before an oil change is due. But then I’m also pretty fastidious about letting the engine warm up before I load it.

I have heard some of the other capacity TFSI units were fitted with slightly undersize piston rings, which leads to oil consumption issues and wear.

This is a video – but more for the sound of engine
After 8 mile journey home

Engine