Catastrophic Engine Problems at 60k.

[Anthony1]

What do people know about this?​

Just came across this review on the interenet.

Honest John - Review: Volkswagen T5 California (2010 – 2015)​

Gruff engine, dashboard is more ‘van’ than Volkswagen car as is driving position, expensive and very much so with options, reports of catastrophic engine problems with 2.0BITD after 60k miles.

 

[WelshGas]

What do people know about this?​

Just came across this review on the interenet.

Honest John - Review: Volkswagen T5 California (2010 – 2015)​

Gruff engine, dashboard is more ‘van’ than Volkswagen car as is driving position, expensive and very much so with options, reports of catastrophic engine problems with 2.0BITD after 60k miles.

Old news. SOME 2010-2012 180 CFCA engines had a problem with excessive oil usage. Apparantly corrected MY 2013 but occasionally surfaces post 2012.
Tended to kick in around 60k miles and some California’s, that frequently do low annual mileages crop up occasionally with this problem.
There are a number of theories relating to why, EGR frequently mentioned.

I have a 2014, 180 now at a shade under 100,000 miles and 250 mls oil usage/20,000 miles.

Some reading.

Increased Oil Consumption Problem (2010 T5 Cali 180 bhp)

Hello All, I recently purchased a 2010 California from VW. It has covered 60,000 miles and is fitted with the 2.0 bi turbo 180 bhp engine. We have just returned from our first proper trip, we took in Italy and Germany on a 2,500 mile round trip. The van ran faultless apart from consuming...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Anthony1]

Old news. SOME 2010-2012 180 CFCA engines had a problem with excessive oil usage. Apparantly corrected MY 2013 but occasionally surfaces post 2012.
Tended to kick in around 60k miles and some California’s, that frequently do low annual mileages crop up occasionally with this problem.
There are a number of theories relating to why, EGR frequently mentioned.

I have a 2014, 180 now at a shade under 100,000 miles and 250 mls oil usage/20,000 miles.

Some reading.

Increased Oil Consumption Problem (2010 T5 Cali 180 bhp)

Hello All, I recently purchased a 2010 California from VW. It has covered 60,000 miles and is fitted with the 2.0 bi turbo 180 bhp engine. We have just returned from our first proper trip, we took in Italy and Germany on a 2,500 mile round trip. The van ran faultless apart from consuming...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Thank you.

I have a 2012 and just over 55,000 miles. Was a little concerned but my oil usage is not large and annual mileage is not to bad

 

[Odysseus]

Worth checking your oil cooler part number. If it ends with ‘D’ you’re running an updated version which should be ok.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vagophile]

If you can't see it, take a photo, like this:

 

[Anthony1]

Worth checking your oil cooler part number. If it ends with ‘D’ you’re running an updated version which should be ok.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Worth checking your oil cooler part number. If it ends with ‘D’ you’re running an updated version which should be ok.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you - I was about to ask where it was, then I opened the response and there it was.

Looks like I could be in trouble.

 

[Vagophile]

This doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with your engine. if you are concerned, there are a lot of threads relating to checking oil for contaminants to check for wear etc. The usual giveaway is excess oil consumption, by which time it's too late.
First step if you are worried would be analysis of the oil. I'm sure others will give the benefit of their experience.

 

[Anthony1]

This doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with your engine. if you are concerned, there are a lot of threads relating to checking oil for contaminants to check for wear etc. The usual giveaway is excess oil consumption, by which time it's too late.
First step if you are worried would be analysis of the oil. I'm sure others will give the benefit of their experience.

Thank you

 

[clarinetbcn]

Worth checking your oil cooler part number. If it ends with ‘D’ you’re running an updated version which should be ok.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you mean EGR cooler?

 

[Vagophile]

If you want to know more search 180 EGR, lots of info.

 

[LRGS253]

60K is pretty good. My mates was a gonner at 40K and VW were not interested.

 

[KGCali]

Thank you - I was about to ask where it was, then I opened the response and there it was.

Looks like I could be in trouble.

View attachment 76099

You have a few options with the 180BITDI if you're not already using excessive oil ...

1. Pay VW about £1,950 to replace the EGR Cooler with a 'D' version.
2. Pay a local garage about £995 to replace the EGR Cooler with the latest Pierburg version, same as VW EGR just won't have a VW sticker. Retro Resus can do this.
3. Get the EGR coded out, blanked and engine remapped for about £450 from a local performance garage. Retro Resus can do this.
4. Fit a Tafmet emulator kit for about £120 that blanks of the EGR pipes so no aluminium particles can enter the engine. Buy on eBay.
5. Leave the EGR as it is and pray it doesn't damage the engine ... about £7-8,000 for a new engine.

It's not all doom & gloom, MANY of the 180 BITDI engines have no issues at all but if you start using more oil look at the above options. You can also have a compression test and get a Millers Oil Analysis done for peace of mind.

Most of all enjoy it, the 180BITDI engine is a great workhorse when working well.

 

[TrevEC]

I had a fantastic 2012 180 tdi california and the numerous posts about this topic scared me to death. In fact, there is so much scaremongering that I know it would be hard to sell one (certainly in my experience) on this site of ours (I didn't get one offer and was given a much higher price in part ex!)! Obviously some of the issues are real, but immensely exaggerated in my opinion if you act sensibly. Clearly a £7k bill is to be avoided.
Anyway, my insurance specifically covered the EGR valve and consequential damage - a good thing to look for in your policy. I had my van covered continuously after the VW warranty ran out (I think it was £300 a year with Warranty Direct).
I used virtually no engine oil and the engine performance was fantastic. In fact I can't remember having to top it up between services. I was getting about 35 ish to the gallon too. It had done 36000 miles. I was very happy - but so much continuous adverse publicity on the site that I was still uneasy. I asked a local VW mechanic if he could check the piston pressure and oil and he thought I was nuts to do this to a vehicle that was running so well. So we gave that a miss.
So I checked with VW about all the recalls and maintenance on the vehicle and they confirmed that the EGR valve had been changed after it failed when the vehicle was only two years old. This is the reason I guess I had no trouble, but it does show the EGR valve is an issue. This added £1000 to my trade in value.
The advice from KG Cali above is first class, but I'd add that getting the appropriate Warranty Insurance for an expensive, older vehicle and checking the maintenance history, is very important too. Hats off to my VW dealer (Sinclair) in Cardiff on this one.
Driving an Ocean now and discovering all the new lights and invertor and improvements made on an already fabulous vehicle.
Trevor

 

[Traveller1977]

Old news. SOME 2010-2012 180 CFCA engines had a problem with excessive oil usage. Apparantly corrected MY 2013 but occasionally surfaces post 2012.
Tended to kick in around 60k miles and some California’s, that frequently do low annual mileages crop up occasionally with this problem.
There are a number of theories relating to why, EGR frequently mentioned.

I have a 2014, 180 now at a shade under 100,000 miles and 250 mls oil usage/20,000 miles.

Some reading.

Increased Oil Consumption Problem (2010 T5 Cali 180 bhp)

Hello All, I recently purchased a 2010 California from VW. It has covered 60,000 miles and is fitted with the 2.0 bi turbo 180 bhp engine. We have just returned from our first proper trip, we took in Italy and Germany on a 2,500 mile round trip. The van ran faultless apart from consuming...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Hi all. Currently in Switzerland and just lost power on autoroute. Blue smoke, full of oil day before, no warning lights, no oil light, now looks like blown engine. Anyone had any luck with claiming this via VW in any way or any idea on cost to fix? Been burning oil for a few years now so regularly checked oil but running out in 300miles from full????

 

[WelshGas]

Hi all. Currently in Switzerland and just lost power on autoroute. Blue smoke, full of oil day before, no warning lights, no oil light, now looks like blown engine. Anyone had any luck with claiming this via VW in any way or any idea on cost to fix? Been burning oil for a few years now so regularly checked oil but running out in 300miles from full????

There is a VW TPI relating to the CFCA engine manufactured 2011-2012 with a list of involved engine numbers. Depending on the age of your vehicle , a possible chance with some legal representation.
If it is not on the list then the likelihood is VW will not be interested.
The likelihood is cylinder damage from breakdown of the EGR cooler. Now is the EGR at fault or is something else damaging the EGR? That is the question and no one has proved that the EGR is the sole cause and VW have not accepted any responsibility, ALSO not every vehicle is affected, by a significant margin.
The fact that you have been running the vehicle burning oil for a number of years, I’m afraid, gives VW another reason to refuse any claim.

You have 3 options, New Engine, 2nd hand engine or rebuilt/refurbished engine. You will be looking at anything from £10,000 to £3000 for a 2nd hand runner. There might be additional costs relating to DPF and Turbos if they are damaged.

Not good news I’m afraid.

 

[Perfectos]

It’s not just early year T5.1 that are affected as some would have you believe

https://www.t6forum.com/threads/engine-oil-usage-180ps-bi-tdi.38588/

Search results for query: 180 bi

www.t6forum.com

 

[KGCali]

Unfortunately I've now had to replace my engine due to the EGR issue. All was fine until I noticed higher oil consumption over the past 6 months at around 110,000 miles but the engine was feeling strong and no smoke but suddenly the oil consumption went to 1 litre plus every 1,000 miles. More details here ...
Post in thread 'Losing oil somewhere?' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/losing-oil-somewhere.43211/post-623334

 

[B J G]

Unfortunately I've now had to replace my engine due to the EGR issue. All was fine until I noticed higher oil consumption over the past 6 months at around 110,000 miles but the engine was feeling strong and no smoke but suddenly the oil consumption went to 1 litre plus every 1,000 miles. More details here ...
Post in thread 'Losing oil somewhere?' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/losing-oil-somewhere.43211/post-623334

Just an aside

Not so long ago getting 100,000 miles life out of an engine was deemed as good to exceptional and now we seem to categorise anything less as a Manufacturers fault for which they should be liable.

How times/attitudes change.

 

[Vagophile]

+https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/engine-replacement.31891/post-621223
I have been following various posts with interest as I suspect that my engine is about to say goodbye.
I posted about this, in particular with questions about the VW TPI in relation to my engine number. Can anyone enlighten me?
@KGCali, can you give a resume of what you had replace and costs involved?
Edit @KGCali, I have now checked out your post, I should have done so before asking the above.

 

[B J G]

This Business comes up on forums as the go to place for engine problems.

Home - Retro Resus

www.retroresus.com

 

[KGCali]

Just an aside

Not so long ago getting 100,000 miles life out of an engine was deemed as good to exceptional and now we seem to categorise anything less as a Manufacturers fault for which they should be liable.

How times/attitudes change.

I disagree, a fully serviced and well maintained diesel engine should be good for at least 300k miles. Turbos and ancillary parts may wear sooner as that's just general maintenance on high milage units but the core engine should last. If the EGR hadn't dumped aluminium into the engine it would have been fine, just a shame VW won't admit to the issue. With my age of vehicle (2010) and the high mileage I didn't expect any contribution back from VW so I simply purchased a new engine from a third party without any grief.

 

[KGCali]

This Business comes up on forums as the go to place for engine problems.

Home - Retro Resus

www.retroresus.com

They are an excellent team

 

[B J G]

I disagree, a fully serviced and well maintained diesel engine should be good for at least 300k miles. Turbos and ancillary parts may wear sooner as that's just general maintenance on high milage units but the core engine should last. If the EGR hadn't dumped aluminium into the engine it would have been fine, just a shame VW won't admit to the issue. With my age of vehicle (2010) and the high mileage I didn't expect any contribution back from VW so I simply purchased a new engine from a third party without any grief.

It would appear that our definition of 'not so long ago' differs as mine is last century.

 

[KGCali]

It would appear that our definition of 'not so long ago' differs as mine is last century.

Same here, had diesels for over 40 years, my old 1980's BMW 520i had over 250,000 miles on it when I sold it and was still running perfectly. Mind you the electrics were crap

 

[soulstyledevon]

Hi all. Currently in Switzerland and just lost power on autoroute. Blue smoke, full of oil day before, no warning lights, no oil light, now looks like blown engine. Anyone had any luck with claiming this via VW in any way or any idea on cost to fix? Been burning oil for a few years now so regularly checked oil but running out in 300miles from full????

I had a breakdown last year coming home from Switzerland.
Thankfully, it was just a blown turbo. £4k replacement.
The initial garage reported no oil, but i can't confirm how accurate their assessment was.
12 months before the incident, i had noticed the van using a bit more oil but not as much as others have stated. Needed topping up every 3/4ish months.
In contrast to my previous Cali 2.0 140bhp. It never used a drop. The only time oil was added, was at the annual service...

Frustrating.