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Engine code

BAD engine faults.

Listed as: 1.6 FSI, 1.6. The faults belong to this engine code. They do not apply to every car with that name.

petrol

fuel

1598 cc

displacement

81 kW (110 HP)

power

4 fault write-ups. 2 important.

Before you buy

Known faults

2 important faults

expensive2

The high pressure fuel pump is driven by the camshaft through a cam follower. The early version got a flat follower (the `BAG` is the most affected), and it can wear through from as little as 60,000 km; if it holes, the camshaft lobe is damaged too, and the repair jumps to many times the cost. The later `BLF` got a roller follower, where it is rarer. Symptoms are hesitation, loss of power, hard starting, and a low fuel pressure fault code.

What to check

  • Ask whether the cam follower has ever been inspected: this is a routine check, and many people skip it
  • When cold, watch whether it cranks longer than usual
  • With a code reader look for fuel pressure faults
1 more steps in the write-up

With direct injection the fuel does not wash the intake valves: the petrol goes into the cylinder, not behind the valve. The oil mist and soot arriving through the EGR and the crankcase ventilation therefore build up on the valve stem and head, and from 80,000 to 100,000 km they restrict the flow. Symptoms are hesitation, loss of power, a rough cold start and misfire. It is not a part failure: it is a consequence of the design, and therefore it comes back. Cleaning (walnut or dry ice blasting) helps for a few tens of thousands of kilometres.

What to check

  • After a cold start watch the idle: rough running and shaking point to coked valves
  • Under load at low revs watch for hesitation
  • With a code reader look for per cylinder misfire (P0300 to P0304)
1 more steps in the write-up

comfort2

The G62 sensor tells the engine control unit how hot the coolant is. If it is faulty, the control unit thinks a warm engine is cold, and runs it rich: hard warm or cold starting, a rough idle, markedly increased fuel consumption, and a dash temperature gauge that jumps around or never reaches its usual reading. The part is cheap and can be replaced in half an hour: the trouble is that many people do not recognise it and replace an injector or a lambda sensor instead. If the fault persists, the rich mixture can destroy the catalytic converter too.

What to check

  • Warm it up and watch the dash temperature gauge: the needle should sit steadily at the middle reading, not jump around
  • Watch a cold start, then a warm start after twenty minutes standing
  • With a code reader look for the 17664 / P1256 code in the engine control unit
2 more steps in the write-up

From the late nineties to around 2006, petrol engines used a secondary air pump to blow fresh air into the exhaust on a cold start, so the catalytic converter reaches operating temperature faster. The impeller of the pump rusts or its bearing seizes, soot clogs the combination valve (N112), and the rubber hoses crack. The control unit then stores the `P0411` code. It barely affects driving, but the engine warning light is on, and the emissions test can fail because of it, and the roadworthiness test with it.

What to check

  • After a cold start watch for 30 to 60 seconds: can you hear the pump droning from the engine bay
  • Check whether the engine warning light is on, and have it read out: P0411 (VAG code 16795) points to this system
  • Ask when the last emissions test was, and whether it passed first time
2 more steps in the write-up

Engine code

Factory data

Factory data

Engine family
—
Fuel
petrol
Displacement
1598 cc
Power
81 kW (110 HP)
Production
—

Generations

Which models it is fitted to

2 generations.

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms