Volkswagen Caddy Engine Problems

The VW 1.4 TSI engine uses a cam-chain rather than a rubber toothed belt which needs periodic replacement. As such, the cam-chain should last the life of the engine (and the rest of the car) but experience with this engine suggests that is not always the case and some early versions of this engine have required cam-chain replacement. The incidence of this seems a bit random, with no real pattern emerging with some cars going on to record normal mileages with no cam-chain problems.

The car you’re looking at, however, is a later version, so should be less prone to this. But even so, make sure the car has a perfect service record as poor maintenance can shorten the life of the cam-chain.

VW has already come to the party by covering 70 percent of the repairs. That's on a car that is six years old and well out of warranty. I don't think you've got much of a case for more than you've already received.

It’s very likely to be a sensor problem. If the sensor in question starts to send false information to the car’s computer, the engine can do all sort of weird things. I’ve even heard of things like exhaust gas temperature senders on this make and model being mixed up during a DPF service with all sorts of problems as a result.

Beyond that a high idle can be the result of a fuel injector problem or even a vacuum leak through a split or missing rubber hose. Even the turbocharger’s trunking – if it becomes split or damaged – can cause this sort of problem, but usually the drama would be a permanent one until the problem was fixed. The intermittent nature of your problem has computer or sensor written all over it. A full electronic scan of the vehicle should be your first step. There’s a very good chance the onboard computer already has a pretty good idea of what’s wrong. You just need to ask it.