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Volkswagen Caddy 1.2 TSI 105hp Comfortline common faults.

2010–2015, MPV, petrol, 105 HP.

The fault list covers: CBZB engine, MQ200, MQ250 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

6 fault write-ups. 4 important. 3 recalls.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

4 important faults

critical1

1.2 / 1.4 TSI (EA111): timing chain and chain tensioner

critical

A few seconds of chain rattle on a cold start, later a permanent noise; the chain stretches and the tensioner does not hold it. If the chain jumps, the engine is badly damaged inside, and the repair is a rebuild. The tensioner is driven by oil pressure, so it does not hold with the engine stopped: a car left rolling in gear is the typical trigger for the chain jumping.

between 65,000 and 100,000 km

What to check

  • Start it cold, and in the first 2 to 3 seconds watch for the rattle from the chain side
  • Ask whether the chain and the tensioner have been replaced, and ask for the invoice
  • Check the oil change history in the service book: stretched intervals speed up the wear
1 more steps in the write-up

expensive3

MQ200 / MQ250 manual gearbox: differential bearing and synchros

expensive

The light, magnesium cased MQ200 and the MQ250, sized for higher torque, are the most widespread manual gearboxes in the transverse engine VAG models. Both have the same two weak points, and both depend on use.

Show the rest

The first is the differential bearing: as it wears you first get a droning, then a whine from the thrust bearings of the output shaft. Left alone, the planetary shaft can fail and in extreme cases punch through the gearbox casing: from then on it is not a repair but a replacement.

The second is the synchros: they can start crunching at around 50,000 km with aggressive driving. This type does not like dumping the clutch or slipping it, and on a used car that is exactly what you have to listen for.

above 50,000 km

What to check

  • On the test drive with the window down, listen to the gearbox both off and on the throttle: droning or whining is suspect
  • Shift up and down quickly, especially into 2nd and 3rd: crunching means synchro wear
  • Try engaging 1st and reverse when cold: resistance here means wear
2 more steps in the write-up

FSI direct injection: intake valve coking

expensive

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

Heater matrix and radiator leak

expensive

The two weak points of the cooling system are the radiator and the heater matrix. The latter is inside the cabin: if it leaks, you get a sweet antifreeze smell, the windscreen mists up greasily from inside, and damp stays under the passenger side carpet. The damp goes unnoticed for a long time under the floor covering. And replacing the heater matrix means stripping the dashboard.

What to check

  • Turn the heating to maximum and smell it: a sweet smell means antifreeze
  • Check whether the inside of the windscreen mists up greasily while heating
  • Feel the passenger side carpet in the footwell, at the edges too
2 more steps in the write-up

cheap repair2

Rear leaf spring and trailing arm bush fatigue

cheap repair

The Caddy has leaf springs at the back, because it was designed to carry loads, and that is exactly the part that tires from the way it is used. The sign of a tired spring is that the back of the car sits down even unladen (the rear wheel "sinks" into the arch), and a dull clonking or knocking is audible from the rear over bumps. The spring mount and the trailing arm bushes make the same noise. On a heavily loaded fleet car it is effectively a wear item; and a tired rear suspension wears the tyre unevenly too.

What to check

  • Put it on level ground and measure the arch height on the left and right: a difference points to a tired spring
  • Check whether the back sits down unladen: a low rear against the original means a tired spring
  • Go slowly over a speed hump with the window open and listen for the clonk from the rear
2 more steps in the write-up

Sliding door: wear of the lower roller and the guide rail

cheap repair

The Caddy sliding door is opened many times a day, and the lower roller carries the weight of the door. That is what wears first: the door is hard to start moving, it grinds, it sticks halfway, and finally it "drops". The door gap visibly differs at the top and the bottom. If the mounting of the guide rail works loose, the door presses against the body, and a rub mark is left on the paint. If the roller is not replaced, the hinge and the bodywork are damaged too. On a version with a sliding door on both sides, check both.

What to check

  • Open and close the sliding door several times, fully and slowly: both binding and grinding are signs
  • Lift the door while it is open: vertical play shows wear of the lower roller
  • Look at the door gap at the top and the bottom: a difference means the door has dropped
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Volkswagen Caddy 1.2 TSI 105hp Comfortline

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Official recall3 recallsShow

The manufacturer fixes these for free at a franchised dealer. Ask with the VIN whether it was done.

Most recent: 7 October 2026

SR/02935/26Safety recallInjuries7 October 2026 · EU Safety Gate

Moisture ingress could lead to corrosion of a steering rack bolt, which may result in a fracture of the bolt and a loss of steering capability, increasing the risk of accidents. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: 07/10/2026

We could not check this: model year. The authority's notice

A12/0300/17Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

If mechanical damage occurs to the varnish layer of the gas tank, it could lead to the outer shell of the gas tank no longer having the required corrosion protection. With ongoing corrosion over an extended period of time, the residual wall thickness of the gas tank could become too low and the gas tank could burst.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

We could not check this: model year. The authority's notice

A12/0909/17Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

The earth connection of the ABS/ESP system may be interrupted as a result of thermomechanical overload. This would lead to the failure of the ABS/ESP system and the risk of an accident.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

We could not check this: model year. The authority's notice

Engine and transmission

1 engines · 2 transmissions

CBZB · 1.2 TFSI

77 kW (105 HP) · petrol

MQ200 · 5- or 6-speed manual

manual · 5–6 speed

Torque limit200 Nm
MakerVolkswagen

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one transmission is possible. The gear count does not tell them apart. The code is on the side of the transmission.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Comfortline
Body
MPV
Fuel
petrol
Transmission
manual
Engine size
1197 cc
Power
77 kW (105 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2010–2015

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Engine oil and oil filter

    • LongLife30,000 km or 2 years(valid only with LongLife-approved oil)
    • 15,000 km or 1 year

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Coolant (antifreeze) change

    • first: 193,000 km or 10 years, then 97,000 km or 5 years(G13 / G12++: first change at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 60,000 miles or 5 years)

  • Spark plugs, petrol

    • 60,000 km or 6 years
All III.5 versions

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