# Timing Chain TSB for 2012 Beetles



## plex03 (Nov 10, 2011)

Anyone had issues with this yet?

Make : VOLKSWAGEN Model : BEETLE Year : 2012
Manufacturer : Volkswagen of America, Inc. 
Service Bulletin Number : TB-15-12-01 Date of Bulletin : JUL 23, 2012
NHTSA Item Number : 10045560 
Component : ENGINE
Summary :
VOLKSWAGEN: ALL MODELS EXPERIENCE THE TIMING CHAIN SLIPPING, RATTLING NOISES OF THE ENGINE AFTER STARTING, AND ENGINE FAILS TO START. 2008-13 ALL MODELS. *PE


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## Dscot8r!2 (Dec 18, 2012)

plex03 said:


> Anyone had issues with this yet?
> 
> Make : VOLKSWAGEN Model : BEETLE Year : 2012
> Manufacturer : Volkswagen of America, Inc.
> ...


Um, no, but I am making a call right now. Anything regarding timing chain is not something to let slide. Thank you for mentioning. 10000000000000000 internet points for you. :wave:


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## Chris659 (Nov 16, 2012)

I get a rattling noise after initially starting the car but goes away after 10 seconds or so. Depends on how cold it is it seems. Colder outside it is the longer the noise is there. Don't know if its the same sound referred to above or not...


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

I get the same thing after initial start and I drive it about 100 feet and it rattles and tries to shut down. It does it twice within about a quarter mile and then wont do it the rest of the day, no matter how many times it you park it and restart it. I get a light that flashes RPC and Check Engine. Are you getting anything like that?


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## plex03 (Nov 10, 2011)

BugzLife said:


> I get the same thing after initial start and I drive it about 100 feet and it rattles and tries to shut down. It does it twice within about a quarter mile and then wont do it the rest of the day, no matter how many times it you park it and restart it. I get a light that flashes RPC and Check Engine. Are you getting anything like that?


You sound like you're a perfect candidate for that TSB. I'd be on my way to the dealer ASAP. 

TIP: Take a copy of the TSB info with you to show to the Service Dept.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

I took mine to them yesterday, they are already workin' on it.


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## PooLeArMor (Aug 13, 2008)

how long does the TSB gonna take to fix ??


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## Babie (Jul 22, 2012)

BugzLife said:


> I took mine to them yesterday, they are already workin' on it.


Did you have a failed start and what are they doing?

If there is a TC problem, it would only be for a very few cars. This engine has been in their cars for a while now. 

Again, a quality issue with a vendor.


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## Babie (Jul 22, 2012)

Chris659 said:


> I get a rattling noise after initially starting the car but goes away after 10 seconds or so. Depends on how cold it is it seems. Colder outside it is the longer the noise is there. Don't know if its the same sound referred to above or not...


Normal from what I have been told. I think if it failed to start, I would be concerned.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Which engine is this for, TSI? 

posted by Tapatalk


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## Chris659 (Nov 16, 2012)

drtechy said:


> Which engine is this for, TSI?
> 
> posted by Tapatalk


Doesn't seem to say... Just all models 08-13


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Chris659 said:


> Doesn't seem to say... Just all models 08-13


Yea I've already emailed my contact at the dealership to find out what's going on


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## NickSarazen (Dec 16, 2012)

BugzLife said:


> I get the same thing after initial start and I drive it about 100 feet and it rattles and tries to shut down. It does it twice within about a quarter mile and then wont do it the rest of the day, no matter how many times it you park it and restart it. I get a light that flashes RPC and Check Engine. Are you getting anything like that?


Are you driving a Turbo Beetle with a TSI or a 2.5?


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

I dont know how much faith I would put in some of those bulletins. In 2008 the engine was a 1.8 and a totally different design. Not saying that it aint true...but the biggest problem they had in the 1.8 turbo was the water pump cracking. This one has everyone doin' a "Peoples Eyebrow". Sittin' in the driveway I gassed it to about 4k and it idled up and back down smooth as silk. When I backed out onto the street, at about 15-20mph all hell broke loose. It did it about 4 times within a quarter mile and then hit the interstate and it was like a brand new car. They havent given me a firm answer on whats happening yet but when they do Ill be sure to post it.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

NickSarazen said:


> Are you driving a Turbo Beetle with a TSI or a 2.5?


I have a 2012 TSI with less than 3k miles on it.


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## NickSarazen (Dec 16, 2012)

BugzLife said:


> I have a 2012 TSI with less than 3k miles on it.


Wow. Did you have any of these problems before you hit the 2k mile mark, or did you just start to hear and see these things happening now?


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

NickSarazen said:


> Wow. Did you have any of these problems before you hit the 2k mile mark, or did you just start to hear and see these things happening now?


Outside of the whole "window" thing, this was the first problem Ive had at all and it just started 3 days ago.


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## Front Runner (Nov 29, 2012)

plex03 said:


> Anyone had issues with this yet?
> 
> Make : VOLKSWAGEN Model : BEETLE Year : 2012
> Manufacturer : Volkswagen of America, Inc.
> ...




Thanks for the heads up!!!! Many props to you.....


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## NickSarazen (Dec 16, 2012)

drtechy said:


> Yea I've already emailed my contact at the dealership to find out what's going on


Very curious to hear what your dealership contact has to say about the issue. Hoping this affected very few cars! I have no signs of it yet, I just passed the 2k miles mark.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

NickSarazen said:


> Very curious to hear what your dealership contact has to say about the issue. Hoping this affected very few cars! I have no signs of it yet, I just passed the 2k miles mark.


Me too, I'm sure I'll hear back by tomorrow. I have almost 16k miles on mine and have no issues so I'm assuming I'm not affected but I guess we'll see. 

posted by Tapatalk


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## GaryD87 (Apr 9, 2011)

No issues here. Hope it doesn't happen to me :-(


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## Babie (Jul 22, 2012)

Is this a TDI or Turbo


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

Ok...just got the Beetle back and this was their prognoses, after they drove it and was able to hear what I was hearing, they started searching for the problem. They removed all of the components that were in line with the turbo. Turns out, they were unaware that VW had changed the 2.0tsi engine from belt timing to chain timing and found the tensioners needed tightening. And this part should only be applied to the TSI engine, they also found that in 3k miles the engine had burned 2 quarts of oil which apparently was the reason for chattering, shut down, and starting failure...the engine was dry. I dont know if it was just mine, but all TSI owners might wanna keep a check on their oil...just in case. Anyways as you know, a turbo engine will burn slightly more oil than a non turbo. So I asked the service manager, "if this is true, should the turbo engine still have an oil change at 10k miles or should it be sooner?" He said, "do you want my opinion or VW's?" He said "I have a turbo VW with 138K on it and never had a problem, I change the oil every 5k miles." He decided to do two 5k mile oil changes instead of 10k, on the house. So far so good, no rattle, no loss of compression. So we will see what happens 5k miles from now. So all TSI owners just keep that in the back of your mind and keep an eye on your oil.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Wait a minute, they didn't know the TSI was chain driven over the old FSI belt driven motor? You need to change dealerships immediately, that's unacceptable in my eyes.

posted by Tapatalk


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

Sad thing is, thats the best one outta the 3 in the tri-cities. Do you remember when I said they didnt know about the cornering lights? Hopefully I wont need the service dept again.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

BugzLife said:


> Sad thing is, thats the best one outta the 3 in the tri-cities. Do you remember when I said they didnt know about the cornering lights? Hopefully I wont need the service dept again.


Oh yea forgot about that. Geez, I feel ya though, I hate bringing my car in for anything.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

I have almost thought about doin' what your doin' and say to hell with the warranty and just MOD the crap out of it!


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

BugzLife said:


> I have almost thought about doin' what your doin' and say to hell with the warranty and just MOD the crap out of it!


Lol, its a disease 

posted by Tapatalk


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## Carbon Steel (Sep 6, 2010)

Sounds like they are more in the dark than i am about the engine. But they did adjust the tension on the chain, correct, so obviously they know (???) how to do the work. this is the same engine in several cars, turbo cars, why they wouldn't be aware of the chain vs belt, unless there is something i am missing.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

I think we are all missing sumthin' that we should be informed of.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

While she was in there they fixed the seat recall too...still not 100% sure what that was about.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

So I heard back from my dealer. I'll preface this by saying I've never been told something like this from my dealership before. They have always been super cool about getting around the whole "modified" thing to get recalls and TSB's fixed. With that being said, they said that there are no specific VIN ranges on this yet, but were told that if a customer experiences those issues to run through those timing chain checks. Then they went on to say, unfortunately due to your modifications VW will not cover checking/replacing this for you. I felt like saying, how the **** would VW know of my modifications? But I have a feeling they were covering themselves in writing, because later on in the email they went on to say we can talk in person later about anything else. So who knows, I have to go to get my window switch fixed, when I do I'll talk in person to them about it. 

So in any case, if you are stock go ahead and get this checked out. If you're modded, hopefully you have cool people at the dealership who won't tell VW you are modded.


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## Chris659 (Nov 16, 2012)

BugzLife said:


> While she was in there they fixed the seat recall too...still not 100% sure what that was about.


I just had mine in for this earlier this week... All it is for to make sure the passenger airbag knows when and when not to deploy. It wasnt always registering if someone was sitting there or not. It's only for those with the leather sport seats from what I was told.

I think all they do is scan the computer. No parts change from what I was told.


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## plex03 (Nov 10, 2011)

drtechy said:


> I felt like saying, how the **** would VW know of my modifications?


Remember, there was a recall early on for the Beetles to update the stock ECU because they weren't holding error codes correctly. Unfortunately, this also included the modded ECU detection software. I know yours is modded way past the ECU and CAI/exhaust (clutch, intercooler) but with this software they can at least tell your ECU was modded. 

Maybe that's what they're referring to. 

That being said, APR will flash it back to completely Original Stock Only. Some places will do it for free and others won't. 

After service you can always go back and have the APR software reloaded since its assigned to your VIN.


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## plex03 (Nov 10, 2011)

One final note on this recall...

I too emailed the service guy I deal with at the dealer and he said while it is a legit TSB, they've had absolutely zero instances as of yet.


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## VWtechguy (Nov 5, 2012)

This is not a recall or a product update. It is a TSB for all 2.0t TSI engines in all models if the following condition sets faults for the cam timing and knocksensor plus the noise and no start issue. I haven't seen one yet but there is always a first for everything. If your in the L.A. Area and you think your going to have issues with a modified car I can help. I know the laws set by the Federal Trade commision says we can not decline warranty repairs on a modified car unless we can prove the mods caused the issue. 

So basiclly I know mods won't hurt the chain tensioner. Leave me a PM if you have any questions. Not every car is going to need this repair also so demanding a repair without the problem I won't be able to help.


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## plex03 (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks for the info, VWtechguy.


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## Front Runner (Nov 29, 2012)

VWtechguy said:


> This is not a recall or a product update. It is a TSB for all 2.0t TSI engines in all models if the following condition sets faults for the cam timing and knocksensor plus the noise and no start issue. I haven't seen one yet but there is always a first for everything. If your in the L.A. Area and you think your going to have issues with a modified car I can help. I know the laws set by the Federal Trade commision says we can not decline warranty repairs on a modified car unless we can prove the mods caused the issue.
> 
> So basiclly I know mods won't hurt the chain tensioner. Leave me a PM if you have any questions. Not every car is going to need this repair also so demanding a repair without the problem I won't be able to help.


VWTG,

Thanks for the info! Because there is a difference between a TSB and a recall. I'll wait and see if I have problems. If not, I have them check when I do my first service. :thumbup:


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

It's good to know that if needed we can load our cars onto a train with flat bed cars at 
specific pick-up points going from the east coast to the left coast, much like one of those
military vehicle transport trains used by U.S. Army, and then have them returned the same
way after they're worked on out in L.A.. If enough of us load up the train, our cost short be
kept to a minimal with no wear and tear realized. I'm hoping 'The Cadenza Man' can start
getting this 'iron horse, wagon train like' form of transport coordinated.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

plex03 said:


> Thanks for the info, VWtechguy.


x2


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## Chris659 (Nov 16, 2012)

I would just ask any dealer to show how the mods in questions effected the issue... Moss magnusson act... As stated above, they cannot decline the warranty until proven otherwise. Thankfully my dealer is ok with mods (even though I haven't touched the motor yet)


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## vimal2vw (Mar 1, 2013)

*same issue*

I didn't use the suv for a week and now seeing the this problem. The car is doing rough idling and rpms jumps and makes noise. At slow speed also i see similar issue and makes loud noise.
feels like something is blocking the engine to run freely and it is increasing the rpm and makes a loud noise and then back to normal rpm and it starts again for the next cycle.
what can cause this friction to the smooth running of the engine?
i see few oil splashed at the back of the engine - more towards the passenger side from the timing belt cover. 
i don't have any mods to my tiguan, all stock.


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## vimal2vw (Mar 1, 2013)

*resolved*

i took the tiguan to dealer and i spent $600 and the issue is resolved.
They changed this part - oil separator - 06H 103 495AC

following are the symptom before the problem
- acceleration is sluggish
- engine feels heavy while running - i mean more friction
- less mpg - i was getting only 20mpg, i sed to get 25mpg in tiguan

when the issue happened
- more noise from the engine and the sound frequency i not matching to the engine speed
- oil leaks


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## Obnoxiousblue (Oct 31, 2006)

Does this apply to 2013's and 2.5's?


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## E36BMW (Nov 11, 1999)

Obnoxiousblue said:


> Does this apply to 2013's and 2.5's?


Only for 2.0T TSI engines


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