Thanks for this very well timed video, I have just ordered the same Valve spring compressor and I was trying to work out from the pictures how it would work. This video answers my question 👍
@@lapulapupintado2892Your '87 Scirocco is alive because it's a VW from their absolute prime era. Those 16V engines are beasts both in terms of reliability and performance. What a car, take care of it.
Exactly correct💯% Old School Vdubs are bullet proof, no fancy electronics & fancy gadgets & fancy bells & whistles. Just all pure solid engine performance that you can maintain yourself, without the need for fancy expensive engine diagnostic machines.@@bmwm6cabrio06
Well vw did pay him to train to work on this specific model car for over a decade. Wanna see a real mechanic- watch someone who can fix any kind of car
I like how I delusionally tell myself in the first few minutes of the video that maybe one day I'd do this myself. Fast forward 10 minutes later and I'm like...."nah, never". I could never replace all the screws and bolts and remember where they all went successfully.
@@justintrapp6271 Word of advice, don't be scared! Almost all auto makers make their repair manuals available online through a pay system. VAG does a pretty good job IMO. You just need the proper tools for the job and Charles has wonderful videos on the tools needed to start being a DIY KING! Not only do you learn critical life lessons but make yourself valuable to your friends and family whenever they need help!
This is why i do 95% of work on my car myself. And although i don't own a VW, your videos Charles help a lot. It's never too much quality information you provide. Thank you!
@@Hawk7886 i didn't open the engine yet, but i did work such as dropping the differential, installing LSD, all services and maintenance, brakes, fluids, etc. Also did valve lifters on my old car. Tools are important, yeah... But patience and skill to fix a broken screw or similar is even more important.
@@Hawk7886 true. Broken valve spring takes a lot of patience and time, and doing the timing chain is probably the most critical part to do. But I'll give you another example of what i had to work on.... I had an adapter for a pressure sensor that broke off, and there was just the threaded part stuck in the block. That is literally just a hollow bolt that broke, but where and how is what took me several hours to remove safely. You can't drill it out, you can't pull it out... I ended up using a tiny cordless dremel and notching it so i could hammer a screwdriver bit in it and ratchet it out. I broke a torx bit, flat bit, several dremel disks. So yeah.... Just a bolt can be worse than slowly doing "normal" work
Also, should i note that to make sure nothing goes thru the hollow bolt while you're trying to extract it, you need to drop the oil pan so you could put something behind the hole? 🤡
Little difference if the other shop diagnosed it properly or not, they're not going to be doing repairs to that standard, irrespective and you can guarantee they wouldn't have all the VW specific kit. First class job sir
Watching this reminds me of why I draw the line at certain jobs. Besides the unique and sophisticated tools you need, there is just so much to know to do this stuff, and it's money well spent to pay a real pro. Great video, not a how to but fun to watch it all happen. I have a 2017 GTI we love. What a car! Great engine, great chasis, just an awesome car. Only 62,000 miles now.
Finally, a next-level MK7 video! These cars are getting older, but there are tons of them out there, so this kind of content is super helpful. It's smart to replace the corresponding rocker for the failed spring to avoid a 'pop-a-mole' scenario (where another part fails soon after). You could even upgrade to replacing the entire rocker and spring set for the head to be extra safe.
Was really interesting to see the troubleshooting process that ended with the broken valve spring. At about 80k my 2015 GTI had the same problem as it turned out. At the time my shop commented that they hadn't seen a broken valve spring prior to mine, so it's funny to see one be the culprit here! No major issues since and the car has almost 200k miles now.
Our company was situated next door to a national chain, and I often found myself wandering through their shop, chatting with the young mechanics and seeing what projects they were working on. During one of these visits, a young man proudly showed me his newly purchased Volkswagen. He mentioned that the seller had told him the engine was no good and needed to be replaced, so he opted for a salvage one. When I asked him what had caused the original engine to fail, his response puzzled me: "I don’t know; the seller just said it was no good." I suggested that perhaps it had been misdiagnosed, and something as simple as debris jammed in the flywheel could have been the issue. The moral of the story is to always seek a second opinion before committing to any major repairs or part replacements.
Dude do a video on putting together the media blaster, optimized for Direct Injection, that would do really well I think, even outside VW circles, most cars have that issue these days
Awesome video Charles. Charles helped me find a shop I can trust for my MK4 R32 when I nearly gave up a few months ago, I can’t thank him and the guys at Apex Tuning enough. Great advice, find a shop you can trust and it will make all the difference in taking care of your VW.
We had a piston skirt failure at 82,000km (that's 51,000 miles or so); the OE Mahle had developed a crack which then resulted in a failure and zero compression on #3. We replaced all 4 pistons and - while we were in there - did the whole timing chain malarkey. Not cheap, but we've done another 40,000km with no new issues... I wish we had a Humble Mechanic.
but is $4000 a good deal? you said they go for around $8k, but you have $1600 in parts alone not including labor. i'd say 10 hrs labor at $150 is about right so thats $3k total. $7k all-in. not a huge bargain, especially since it was a massive risk for the buyer! but still this one worked out and glad for that. once again you do such concise, detailed videos that arent overly dramatic and an hour long. subscribed.
I think it was a good deal because one he found that coolant leak before it became a problem and two the timing chains would have to be done soon anyway. So what would it cost just to replace the valve spring and give the car back.
Awesome video! Where were you the times I've had to pay some local hack to work on a ride and charged me for things I did NOT need? Hey, what goes around definitely comes back around... that's for sure. You're an honest person/mechanic... that alone is at an all-time premium these days. Thanks for being that way! And to repeat another responder to this vid: "Please make a video for your media blasting setup." Indeed... PLEASE do! And thanks ahead of time.
This exact scenario happened to me on my 17 MK7 SE. I was driving down the interstate at about 70 mph and the EPC light came on and power was drastically cut. I managed to pull off at the next exit and shut the engine off. I restarted hoping it was an electrical glitch and would reset itself. Same issue and still running rough. Had to Get Towed In (GTI) to the nearest VW dealer. Turns out no compression in cyl # 1 and when the oil pan was dropped it was filled with sparkly oil with lots of bits of metal. Broken valve spring with bits of spring everywhere. Engine was DOA. Fortunately I purchased an extended warranty and it covered the cost to furnish and install a new engine and turbo. Total cost was $17K with only a $250 deductible. Not sure what's going on with GTI valve springs on cyl 1, but the experience has shaken my confidence in VW.
You would be very lucky to find a mechanic anywhere with the ability of this guy. I live in Texas and over the years have dealt with at least 7-10 shops including dealerships that charged beaucoup bucks, but, never fixed the problem I took them in for. Instead, they hung parts on and repaired things other than what I took the vehicle in for. I'm a retired mechanic myself and ended up fixing the things myself, but, at 70 years old with limited tools and no lift, I would rather pay someone a REASONABLE amount to do the job. Unfortunately with the so called technicians in the shops today, it's nearly impossible so you're better off doing it yourself, or buying a different vehicle. Sad.
Yep...my 2006 Passat is a great car, but over the last three years it is death by a thousand cuts. Always serviced at VW and OEM stuff. More than frequent oil changes, etc., but the dealership is now pure evil. 14 year relationship means nothing anymore. Hopefully can keep the car for two more years without anything major, but will now look for an independent shop. I cannot believe the $170 an hour the dealership now charges. TH-cam has helped. When my driver side door switches took a crap, $300 at dealer. Did it myself for 35 bucks. It felt good. Over the years replaced control arms, links, timing belt, CAT, brakes (100,000 miles on them though). 3 cam followers, brake and coolant flushes, trans oil and filter, but I will never buy another VW again. I have literally paid for the car all over again. We even bought my wife's GTI from these clowns. Wife got nervous seeing my car needing something every other week, so we just sold her solidly maintained GTI and bought a Honda.
I have 3 vw dealers near me and i Don't trust any of them to do any repair past the oil change. Even the oil change I had two different dealer mess up on the washer for the oil drain not fit properly and had to take back. As much as I love VW, and had 3 of them so far, I'm gonna have to go back to Japanese car make. VW check engine light is such a traumatic experience.
You're exactly right. Unless you have access to a good indy shop, you have to DIY for cars like this. Flat rate has killed quality work most everywhere, and its not the mechanics' fault.
Another amazing video Charles I’m a Vw Audi trained tech since 1993 and have my own shop in the uk and just wanted to say the way you go through the work while making it thoroughly enjoyable is amazing, it’s a pleasure to watch and in a lot of cases learn new stuff too so thank you 👍
Really appreciate your attitude and thorough devotion. Your quality content, personal commitment, and style is truly priceless, and it is really enjoyable to learn from you. Props to you and your flim/editing team as well. Bravo. Keep it up. Please.
Great tutorial for those who dare try, Charles. I'm 38 with 21+ yrs in with the RCAF as an aero engr, the best aircraft techs I've seen in supervisory ranks probably equate to Humble Mechanic level. Competent, steady with a dash of goofy. I'll stick to old trusty VQ's, it all started with a VQ30DE on a 2000 Maxima SE I got in '06 while everyone else was F&F on the streets... now there's a 17 year old HR and an 11 year old VHR in the driveway, the latter checking in at 7.5 yrs of ownership & 196,300+ km.
I hope there’s some VW engineers watching this channel. There’s some great info on the shortcomings of these engine designs. For the money these vehicles cost new and the time VW has had to fix some of the simple issues, they really need to do better. I really love my Audi vehicles, but refuse to own one outside of leasing. My previous Audi (2020 A3) presented an issue on the first week of ownership. The vehicle had been worked on, on 4 different occasions and never was fixed. Ended up giving up, and it went back to Audi after 2 years with this issue. Very glad this was a new vehicle and i wasn’t paying out of pocket.
Yeah they're cars that you own out of passion. I've done literally everything to my 04 1.8T audi but open the engine (clutch, flywheel, axles, fuel pump, diverter valve, control arms, coilovers, pulleys, power steering pump snub mount, motor mounts ect) still the most fun small car I've ever had wouldn't trade it for anything
Nice job man, I recently found a Good Diesel Mac in my local area since I drive a TDI. Its on over 350 000Km and he just redid the head, valves, bearings and mains. I am eternally grateful to him, best part is it cost me less than $1000 to get done.
We're having body work on our Golf SEL MK6 6-sp diesel this month [salt belt stuff]. Vehicle paid off years ago. Achieve 53 mpg US extra urban, easily. Wishing you were a neighbour considering those torque to yield motor mount bolts are the collapse of VAG. I never performed any maintenance at a dealership that did not inventory on stretch mount bolts. Bought the lock down tools, Ross-Tech and shade tree peeps and never looked back. Your TH-cam was entertaining and oddly 100% correct. Thank you.
Watching this makes me feel like I could do the work myself. My mk6 has been in need of a head gasket for a month now and I can’t seem to get the mechanic to start the work. Thank you for all your information, it’s really helping me understand what’s actually going on in my engine, what caused the damage, and how to fix it.
It proves that the myth that VW's (and german cars in general) are reliable is just not true, I am amazed at the amount of work you had to perform, just to fix it! As someone else here has commented it's not a 'bargain' seems to me lots of people are being ripped off, thank fully the owner came to you! Great Job especially with the diagnosis!
Man you definitely make me miss the VW/Audi scene sometimes but then I watch a vid like this and see the plethora of specialty tools and one time use bolts and don't miss it one bit lol!
I did a brake job on my 2017 polo gti recently. Really did all my homework beforehand. But that was about all the stuck rotors and rusted solid bolts my nerves could take. Especially concidering doing this work to my only car in an afternoon on the weekend. Real work is a bit different to theory and i have huge respect for guys that take on engine stuff in a modern VW.
Most of the rust is at the bottom of the car, the exposed areas I wouldnt even worry about rust inside an engine bay of a 2017. I work on older stuff usually 07-09s and they are never rusty underhood.
With regards to the carbon cleaning tool - I used the Central Pneumatic/Harbor Freight media blaster, the N54 wand from ECS tuning, and the 034 Motorsports shop vac adapter. The media blaster needs a LITTLE modification (you have to enlarge the feed hole a smidge), but it works perfectly. Only downside is capacity. I usually have to refill the hopper 1x per cylinder
@@golfmaniac007 Not really - if you saw the size of the hopper of the media blaster I'm talking about (not the floor standing one; the one I have has the red plastic hopper on top) you'd see what I'm talking about. I think it takes about 3-4 cups to fill up the hopper
Your videos are awesome. I watched this thinking from the start it might be a valve spring. I went through the same diagnosis you did, but borrowed the pressure tester from AutoZone. I didn't even do the timing chain. It was an Audi A6 with the 3.2 and it took me 4 months from start to finish, but that was 30k miles ago. The car was only with $2k and the shop said it would likely be $2k to fix, so I did it myself. All those chains are at the back of the A6 so the originals are still going strong at 212k miles. Not much else to say other than thanks for your videos. They make me want to rebuild an engine. Maybe one day...
Great video as always Charles. Interesting how such a small repair takes so much time and effort. Also a good use of "While you're in there.". Ive got the same engine in my GLI, and absolutely love it. While I apprecite these very informative videos, I let the guys at DAP Repair do this for me. 😅
incredible content Charles. Can't help but see how much more complicated this is as compared to the EFI VW motors of 1990-2010 and how you need 33435564 special tools.
that slight bit of nervousness really never goes away when diving into the deep end of cars. currently trying to get rid of a nightmare 3.0 TDI, started out as a upper oilpan replacement which is a engine out job on the Amarok, got it back together and got low oil pressure under heavy load which ended up being the oil pickup which stupidly enough isn't available from VW they will sell it together with the oil pump though so yay replacing the oil pump which is getting the front cover and lower oil pan back off which surprise surprise has almost only one time use bolts. got it all back together again and must have mucked up the silicone for the lower oil pan because it was leaking from there, not a big deal a tube of silicone and new bolts for that, then test drive everything is going good heating up the gearbox fluid to check the level of that everything is fine, pull it back into the shop and oh no it's got yet another oil leak from either the valvecover or the small cover for the timing chain on the left bank. hopefully i can finally get rid of that nightmare car tomorrow.
WOW, I have always loved and admired the GTI model since the 80s, when I got my First set of wheels after college. Sadly, the GTI was always out of my $$ reach, but the hunger has not faded. It was very gratifying to see Humble get to the root of the problem and get if Fixed! A moral victory for us car guys everywhere. My deepest thanks to you, Humble Mechanic!
It's mind numbing to me the level of effort and expertise that goes into such a small fault like this. I know there's no way to make this any easier but it certainly explains why just about any fix on modern cars is at least $500. I'm guessing this one would be waaay higher than that though. Thanks for providing a wealth of information!
First, I am going to thank you for the many valuable lessons that I have learned from you. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have stopped at my second VW. I am now on #5. Next, I am going to attempt to return a grain of sand to the beach of information you have provided. When I put a pair of valve keepers back in place, I put a little dab of wheel bearing grease inside them first. This makes them stick to the valve stem long enough to get the assembly back together under spring tension without the keepers dropping away to some dark & hard to reach area.
If one valve spring broke, why would you trust the rest to not break sooner than later? How much time and $ would it add to replace all of them? A friend of mine gave me a ride home in one of these he had just bought. It seemed like a tight little car. I just saw you put in one half keeper. Was there another half I didn't see? You're a pro Charles! 😊😊
You could make a case for doing all of them for sure. I’ve never seen one fail, then have another one fail. I guess if we have another one fail, I’ll do a head off full rebuild. Luckily it’s a buddy’s car. We for sure put all the keepers in🤣
I have more confidence in your work on a VW than the actual deal, so many details wow, Great work keep it people need trust worthy mechanics #1 i would drive from Canada to have my car fixed :-)
I watched your videos to understand my Q5 better. I was able to to do some basic maintenance and repairs on it. It was my 4th VW Audit product. Unfortunately it got totaled and got a steal on the new Lexus Rz450e. Still keep on watching.
Good job, you know your VW stuff. It still irritates me that VAG uses all these one time use bolts, anaerobic sealant for the valve cover, all specialty tools etc., just to make extra money. Not to mention these weird issues, broken valve spring…. Any hoo, peace be upon you, ye humble mechanic.
@@nickpappas4133 "Most" Do Toyota/Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki use them? If not, they probably aren't necessary. If car and motorcycle engines have been made for 70+ years using reusable steel bolts going into aluminium, why do inconvenient single-use bolts need to be used now?
@@aygwm Is it part of VW moving from DIN bolts to ANSI ISO bolts? I don't get it though. If it's good enough for Honda to use the same part numbers for JIS bolts (Japanese Industrial Standards) for their cheapest motorcycle to their most expensive car for 4-5 decades, why does VW need to use different part numbers for bolts than the simple 10, 13, 17mm bolts of various length that they were using in the Beetle and Type 2 days? Are the advantages of ANSI ISO threads really so significant that it is worth changing the entire parts catalogue to inventory all these different types of bolts (now with Torx, E-Torx, Triple Square heads et cetera et cetera)?
@@TassieLorenzoyes, Toyota uses torque to yield bolts and RTV sealant, and so does Honda. Most automotive manufacturers have moved to RTV on the oil pan and other areas.
I love old vw/audis. I swaped the 80 quattro to golf mk3 16V gti and turbo charged it with an s2 turbo. But the more I watch your vids, the less I want to have these modern 1.8/2.0 tsi...
The good thing about them is that there really isn't a need for engine work on the 2.0s to be pushing 300-400hp. All you needs is a couple of boltons and a tune to make decent power. Anything more than 400 out of a GTI is basically useless because all you will be doing is understeering or spinning tires.
Love the video, a few year's back i got a mk5 jetta that overheated water mixed with the coolant for 900$, got all the parts i got the cilinder head to the machine shop to get it resurfaced put all back togheter and bum a nice car got a new happy life. I love to save vw from the yunk yard!
I am not a VW fan by any stretch of the imagination; But thanks to you, sir you have shed a brand new light on my Outlook of his car and this brand…. Thank you 👍🏼
Good old "While we're there". :D Also I think I have not seen more overcomplicated timing. Yeah! I rememeber. On the 3.0 TDI which is also from VW... Man, these guys know how to complicate work. :D
Hope u r having an Awesome day Charles. Thank you for sharing. Really enjoyed the deep dive in this one. If I leaned 5% of all this, I succeeded. This is the big leagues
I just finished a timing kit on a friends 2012 Tiguan, thanks to your video. When I finished the Block 093 measurement is now -.92 from -5.69. Is there a reset for this particular chain? or is it fine the way it sits?
Damn, I wish you were local because I'd want you to be the only mechanic working on my Alltrack, I've got a good shop that services my car but you know your stuff. Another great video!
"bestest engineers in the world" *highlight broken valve springs, camshafts snapped in half, nightmare electrical issues, recalls of randomly exploding airbags*
I have heard recently a few folks that have had 15 GTI's that had a bad valve spring. Is this a common problem? Is the coolant migration a common problem? What causes that. Overall, are these MK7 and MK7.5 GTI"s considered "Reliable" overall? I have a feeling there are allot of Toyota owners out there just laughing saying "I told you". Am I wrong?
Just stop to see this video by chance since I like mechanics and I do my engines , and car works in general...Not a fan of VW engines my self since I considered them over engineered But In the matters of your work dedication and excellent step on diagnostic finding the failure was great... I enjoyed a lot Sir! Excellent work! 🙏
@@dnxb1t It has 300,000 miles on it... No telling if the high performance GR Yaris will be as reliable. I think there were a few little recalls and small issues (some transmission/synchro troubles IIRC). These may have been fixed by the time the GR Corolla was released in North America. It would be fun if Charles did a video on disabling "Straight Line Running" in the VW steering module, which is meant to compensate for cambers and ruts and filter a lot of steering feel out, which should make the GTI's (or R or S3 etc) steering feel more like a GR Corolla and less VW numb.
Wow, the timing chain job is a lot of work! I did the timing belt and water pump on my FSI Mk5. That job was painful, but nowhere near this timing chain’s level
My son just had to have himself a 2018 Golf S. He's overseas so I get to take care of the car while he's gone. Started watching your channel but I doubt I will ever perform 1/4 of what you do but I am educating myself enough to know the car a bit in the event a dealer tries to get over on me. The Golf S is a fun little car but it should be had in a manual rather than the automatic. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
As always, great video. Unfortunately this engine is a complicated mess. Don’t get me wrong, watched all the way through, because your content is awesome
Love your channel and the way you explain things! I drive a 2017 SE GTI that is still purring along with 211,000 miles and hasn't spent a day in the shop yet, except for routine maintenance. I work in Mooresville so when something serious is needed I'll be calling your shop! Keep doing what you do and I will always be subscribed! :)
I love all the little details I catch watching one of these. Not even necessarily VW stuff either, just details like the screwdriver to verify the marks line up.
While I appreciate you as a person and the content you contribute to everyone, I can't help but be reminded, with every upload, of the irony behind 'German engineering. I will never own another Volkswagen.
UGH! Im sorry that first version was whack! All fixed and NOW you can enjoy the show HAHA. Thanks to everyone that pointed out the other issues.
I was wondering why it was taken down. Thank you for fixing the bugs. All the best mate
Haha I got to "and that's pretty much it for this episode" and then "this video doesn't exist anymore"
Thanks for this very well timed video, I have just ordered the same Valve spring compressor and I was trying to work out from the pictures how it would work. This video answers my question 👍
Please make a video for your media blasting setup ❤
I can now watch this without the anxiety of blaring loud ads. Thank you!
Dude you literally provide college level Volkswagen education through your TH-cam content. Thank you. My Touareg is alive because of you.
This is PhD stuff. Big leagues
Awesome I wish he could fix my daughters car same issue ;((
my 1987 Scirocco 16v is alive because of this guy.
@@lapulapupintado2892Your '87 Scirocco is alive because it's a VW from their absolute prime era. Those 16V engines are beasts both in terms of reliability and performance. What a car, take care of it.
Exactly correct💯% Old School Vdubs are bullet proof, no fancy electronics & fancy gadgets & fancy bells & whistles. Just all pure solid engine performance that you can maintain yourself, without the need for fancy expensive engine diagnostic machines.@@bmwm6cabrio06
The genius of this is that Charles makes it look so simple, when in reality, it took him years to accumulate this knowledge and finesse.
second nature to him. experience means everything.
And the specialty tools.
Wrong, Charles is an intern, he was hired 4 days ago, this is the first car he’s worked on
O really we all thought he just knew Volkswagen hey I just state the obvious just to get likes look at me!!!!
Well vw did pay him to train to work on this specific model car for over a decade.
Wanna see a real mechanic- watch someone who can fix any kind of car
I love how you're talking to me like I'm ever going to do this. Absolutely not.
I like how I delusionally tell myself in the first few minutes of the video that maybe one day I'd do this myself. Fast forward 10 minutes later and I'm like...."nah, never". I could never replace all the screws and bolts and remember where they all went successfully.
@@justintrapp6271 I feel like there's so many gotchas I wouldn't think of.
I'd do everything but the timing chain stuff.
@@justintrapp6271 Word of advice, don't be scared! Almost all auto makers make their repair manuals available online through a pay system. VAG does a pretty good job IMO. You just need the proper tools for the job and Charles has wonderful videos on the tools needed to start being a DIY KING! Not only do you learn critical life lessons but make yourself valuable to your friends and family whenever they need help!
@@justintrapp6271 LMFAOOO i had the exact thought process
This is why i do 95% of work on my car myself. And although i don't own a VW, your videos Charles help a lot. It's never too much quality information you provide. Thank you!
Are you doing a repair like this yourself? I don't have the special tools or the scantool needed, but kudos for you dude
@@Hawk7886 i didn't open the engine yet, but i did work such as dropping the differential, installing LSD, all services and maintenance, brakes, fluids, etc. Also did valve lifters on my old car. Tools are important, yeah... But patience and skill to fix a broken screw or similar is even more important.
@@rideepicdriveepic I get the sentiment, but a broken valve spring is not the same as extracting a screw
@@Hawk7886 true. Broken valve spring takes a lot of patience and time, and doing the timing chain is probably the most critical part to do. But I'll give you another example of what i had to work on.... I had an adapter for a pressure sensor that broke off, and there was just the threaded part stuck in the block. That is literally just a hollow bolt that broke, but where and how is what took me several hours to remove safely. You can't drill it out, you can't pull it out... I ended up using a tiny cordless dremel and notching it so i could hammer a screwdriver bit in it and ratchet it out. I broke a torx bit, flat bit, several dremel disks. So yeah.... Just a bolt can be worse than slowly doing "normal" work
Also, should i note that to make sure nothing goes thru the hollow bolt while you're trying to extract it, you need to drop the oil pan so you could put something behind the hole? 🤡
GTI owner here and your work here is impressive
Thanks!
Little difference if the other shop diagnosed it properly or not, they're not going to be doing repairs to that standard, irrespective and you can guarantee they wouldn't have all the VW specific kit. First class job sir
Watching this reminds me of why I draw the line at certain jobs. Besides the unique and sophisticated tools you need, there is just so much to know to do this stuff, and it's money well spent to pay a real pro. Great video, not a how to but fun to watch it all happen. I have a 2017 GTI we love. What a car! Great engine, great chasis, just an awesome car. Only 62,000 miles now.
Finally, a next-level MK7 video! These cars are getting older, but there are tons of them out there, so this kind of content is super helpful. It's smart to replace the corresponding rocker for the failed spring to avoid a 'pop-a-mole' scenario (where another part fails soon after). You could even upgrade to replacing the entire rocker and spring set for the head to be extra safe.
I remember replacing a broken valve spring job on a 1964 Ford Fairlane. I probably used a box-end wrench, a screwdriver and a pair of pliers.
Probably 50 years ago, I should add.
@@roscoe_tit's weird how things have changed so much in half a century while still staying the same
bet you chipped a tooth doing it too !
You are by far the best Veedubs technician I have seen in a while, and I'm from Johannesburg South Africa brother. Well done..
As a new MK7.5 owner, I massively appreciate your videos.
Was really interesting to see the troubleshooting process that ended with the broken valve spring. At about 80k my 2015 GTI had the same problem as it turned out. At the time my shop commented that they hadn't seen a broken valve spring prior to mine, so it's funny to see one be the culprit here! No major issues since and the car has almost 200k miles now.
Our company was situated next door to a national chain, and I often found myself wandering through their shop, chatting with the young mechanics and seeing what projects they were working on. During one of these visits, a young man proudly showed me his newly purchased Volkswagen. He mentioned that the seller had told him the engine was no good and needed to be replaced, so he opted for a salvage one. When I asked him what had caused the original engine to fail, his response puzzled me: "I don’t know; the seller just said it was no good." I suggested that perhaps it had been misdiagnosed, and something as simple as debris jammed in the flywheel could have been the issue. The moral of the story is to always seek a second opinion before committing to any major repairs or part replacements.
The walkthrough of reasoning for each step in the diagnosis is great. Very informative.
That's the cleanest $4000 MK7 GTI I've ever seen. Inside and out. Definitely worth it for your friend to take a chance on...
In my country even MK IV Gti cost 4000€ still 😂
@@Syntappiwhere are u from. I dont believe you
@@Moccalocca100 Finland. They’re crazy expensive here still.
@@Syntappi bruh why u say they cost €4000 then😂. I am from netherland snd they cost altleast 17k
@@Moccalocca100 mk iv gti costs 17k in the Netherlands? 😬
Dude do a video on putting together the media blaster, optimized for Direct Injection, that would do really well I think, even outside VW circles, most cars have that issue these days
Ye old harbor freight bonanza quest.
Awesome video Charles. Charles helped me find a shop I can trust for my MK4 R32 when I nearly gave up a few months ago, I can’t thank him and the guys at Apex Tuning enough. Great advice, find a shop you can trust and it will make all the difference in taking care of your VW.
We had a piston skirt failure at 82,000km (that's 51,000 miles or so); the OE Mahle had developed a crack which then resulted in a failure and zero compression on #3. We replaced all 4 pistons and - while we were in there - did the whole timing chain malarkey. Not cheap, but we've done another 40,000km with no new issues... I wish we had a Humble Mechanic.
but is $4000 a good deal? you said they go for around $8k, but you have $1600 in parts alone not including labor. i'd say 10 hrs labor at $150 is about right so thats $3k total. $7k all-in. not a huge bargain, especially since it was a massive risk for the buyer! but still this one worked out and glad for that. once again you do such concise, detailed videos that arent overly dramatic and an hour long. subscribed.
That true in the video the labor is not considered, to change the spring valve at 7 $ it has to dismount almost all the engine
I think it was a good deal because one he found that coolant leak before it became a problem and two the timing chains would have to be done soon anyway. So what would it cost just to replace the valve spring and give the car back.
Not saying you are wrong but you can also buy one for 8k a still drop 3k on it just to get it back to proper shape 😂
This blew my mind. H.M. knows stuff. A pleasure to be along for the ride. Like listening to jazz, baby! Can't play it but I can understand it.
Great video! Had a broken intake valve #2. 2011 vw GTI Mk6. The video helped me get through the job. Fired right up after the job was done.
Awesome video! Where were you the times I've had to pay some local hack to work on a ride and charged me for things I did NOT need? Hey, what goes around definitely comes back around... that's for sure. You're an honest person/mechanic... that alone is at an all-time premium these days. Thanks for being that way!
And to repeat another responder to this vid: "Please make a video for your media blasting setup." Indeed... PLEASE do! And thanks ahead of time.
This exact scenario happened to me on my 17 MK7 SE. I was driving down the interstate at about 70 mph and the EPC light came on and power was drastically cut. I managed to pull off at the next exit and shut the engine off. I restarted hoping it was an electrical glitch and would reset itself. Same issue and still running rough. Had to Get Towed In (GTI) to the nearest VW dealer. Turns out no compression in cyl # 1 and when the oil pan was dropped it was filled with sparkly oil with lots of bits of metal. Broken valve spring with bits of spring everywhere. Engine was DOA. Fortunately I purchased an extended warranty and it covered the cost to furnish and install a new engine and turbo. Total cost was $17K with only a $250 deductible. Not sure what's going on with GTI valve springs on cyl 1, but the experience has shaken my confidence in VW.
That wiper blade de-pinning tool trick is legendary
You would be very lucky to find a mechanic anywhere with the ability of this guy. I live in Texas and over the years have dealt with at least 7-10 shops including dealerships that charged beaucoup bucks, but, never fixed the problem I took them in for. Instead, they hung parts on and repaired things other than what I took the vehicle in for. I'm a retired mechanic myself and ended up fixing the things myself, but, at 70 years old with limited tools and no lift, I would rather pay someone a REASONABLE amount to do the job. Unfortunately with the so called technicians in the shops today, it's nearly impossible so you're better off doing it yourself, or buying a different vehicle. Sad.
Yep...my 2006 Passat is a great car, but over the last three years it is death by a thousand cuts. Always serviced at VW and OEM stuff. More than frequent oil changes, etc., but the dealership is now pure evil. 14 year relationship means nothing anymore. Hopefully can keep the car for two more years without anything major, but will now look for an independent shop. I cannot believe the $170 an hour the dealership now charges. TH-cam has helped. When my driver side door switches took a crap, $300 at dealer. Did it myself for 35 bucks. It felt good. Over the years replaced control arms, links, timing belt, CAT, brakes (100,000 miles on them though). 3 cam followers, brake and coolant flushes, trans oil and filter, but I will never buy another VW again. I have literally paid for the car all over again. We even bought my wife's GTI from these clowns. Wife got nervous seeing my car needing something every other week, so we just sold her solidly maintained GTI and bought a Honda.
We live in a world today where if you can't fix a problem then you are in trouble!!
I have 3 vw dealers near me and i Don't trust any of them to do any repair past the oil change. Even the oil change I had two different dealer mess up on the washer for the oil drain not fit properly and had to take back. As much as I love VW, and had 3 of them so far, I'm gonna have to go back to Japanese car make. VW check engine light is such a traumatic experience.
@@kleenk8good choice on the honda. You wont have 1% of the problems of that vw
You're exactly right. Unless you have access to a good indy shop, you have to DIY for cars like this. Flat rate has killed quality work most everywhere, and its not the mechanics' fault.
I adore the level of truth you have as a mechanic. I thank you for creating this channel. 👍
It's refreshing to see someone actually looking at the engine and trouble shooting it rather than just plugging in a code reader and calling it a day.
Refering Scotty Kilmer?
Your precision and your depth are super appreciated. You’ve got me hooked.
Thank you!
This without doubt Is probably one of the best videos I’ve seen in a long time.
Great to see you bring back some diagnostic and repair videos on the Golfs. I learned a lot from you taking care of my VWs.
Another amazing video Charles
I’m a Vw Audi trained tech since 1993 and have my own shop in the uk and just wanted to say the way you go through the work while making it thoroughly enjoyable is amazing, it’s a pleasure to watch and in a lot of cases learn new stuff too so thank you 👍
Very nice. Once again articulated in a manner even us novices appreciate and understand! God Bless You & Yours...
I’ve owned 3 VWs in my life - your videos made realize how much I miss the brand.
Really appreciate your attitude and thorough devotion. Your quality content, personal commitment, and style is truly priceless, and it is really enjoyable to learn from you. Props to you and your flim/editing team as well. Bravo. Keep it up. Please.
Thank you.
You seem like a great tech, wish you were in my neck of the woods. My 4motion SportWagen just passed 100,000 km and very happy so far 😊.
Great tutorial for those who dare try, Charles. I'm 38 with 21+ yrs in with the RCAF as an aero engr, the best aircraft techs I've seen in supervisory ranks probably equate to Humble Mechanic level. Competent, steady with a dash of goofy. I'll stick to old trusty VQ's, it all started with a VQ30DE on a 2000 Maxima SE I got in '06 while everyone else was F&F on the streets... now there's a 17 year old HR and an 11 year old VHR in the driveway, the latter checking in at 7.5 yrs of ownership & 196,300+ km.
I hope there’s some VW engineers watching this channel. There’s some great info on the shortcomings of these engine designs. For the money these vehicles cost new and the time VW has had to fix some of the simple issues, they really need to do better. I really love my Audi vehicles, but refuse to own one outside of leasing. My previous Audi (2020 A3) presented an issue on the first week of ownership. The vehicle had been worked on, on 4 different occasions and never was fixed. Ended up giving up, and it went back to Audi after 2 years with this issue. Very glad this was a new vehicle and i wasn’t paying out of pocket.
Yeah they're cars that you own out of passion. I've done literally everything to my 04 1.8T audi but open the engine (clutch, flywheel, axles, fuel pump, diverter valve, control arms, coilovers, pulleys, power steering pump snub mount, motor mounts ect) still the most fun small car I've ever had wouldn't trade it for anything
I’m a certified mechanic and love how u explained everything u make it seems extremely simple 😂😂 great job
Nice job man, I recently found a Good Diesel Mac in my local area since I drive a TDI. Its on over 350 000Km and he just redid the head, valves, bearings and mains. I am eternally grateful to him, best part is it cost me less than $1000 to get done.
I must add that I work on the parts of the car that I can understand but i tend to stay far from the internals of a Diesel.
A great deal, these days
We're having body work on our Golf SEL MK6 6-sp diesel this month [salt belt stuff]. Vehicle paid off years ago. Achieve 53 mpg US extra urban, easily. Wishing you were a neighbour considering those torque to yield motor mount bolts are the collapse of VAG. I never performed any maintenance at a dealership that did not inventory on stretch mount bolts. Bought the lock down tools, Ross-Tech and shade tree peeps and never looked back. Your TH-cam was entertaining and oddly 100% correct. Thank you.
Watching this makes me feel like I could do the work myself. My mk6 has been in need of a head gasket for a month now and I can’t seem to get the mechanic to start the work. Thank you for all your information, it’s really helping me understand what’s actually going on in my engine, what caused the damage, and how to fix it.
I still don't understand what caused the spring to break.
Weak overstressed material.. made in Germany..@@daveclark8337
@@daveclark8337just a fluke really. Anything is possible with cars and engines.
It proves that the myth that VW's (and german cars in general) are reliable is just not true, I am amazed at the amount of work you had to perform, just to fix it!
As someone else here has commented it's not a 'bargain' seems to me lots of people are being ripped off, thank fully the owner came to you! Great Job especially with the diagnosis!
Man you definitely make me miss the VW/Audi scene sometimes but then I watch a vid like this and see the plethora of specialty tools and one time use bolts and don't miss it one bit lol!
Charles, we missed you at the Chicago Auto Show this year! Keep doing your awesome work!
I did a brake job on my 2017 polo gti recently. Really did all my homework beforehand. But that was about all the stuck rotors and rusted solid bolts my nerves could take. Especially concidering doing this work to my only car in an afternoon on the weekend. Real work is a bit different to theory and i have huge respect for guys that take on engine stuff in a modern VW.
Most of the rust is at the bottom of the car, the exposed areas I wouldnt even worry about rust inside an engine bay of a 2017. I work on older stuff usually 07-09s and they are never rusty underhood.
With regards to the carbon cleaning tool - I used the Central Pneumatic/Harbor Freight media blaster, the N54 wand from ECS tuning, and the 034 Motorsports shop vac adapter. The media blaster needs a LITTLE modification (you have to enlarge the feed hole a smidge), but it works perfectly. Only downside is capacity. I usually have to refill the hopper 1x per cylinder
Isn't that an overkill to refill hopper 1x per cylinder?
@@golfmaniac007
Not really - if you saw the size of the hopper of the media blaster I'm talking about (not the floor standing one; the one I have has the red plastic hopper on top) you'd see what I'm talking about. I think it takes about 3-4 cups to fill up the hopper
Your videos are awesome. I watched this thinking from the start it might be a valve spring. I went through the same diagnosis you did, but borrowed the pressure tester from AutoZone. I didn't even do the timing chain. It was an Audi A6 with the 3.2 and it took me 4 months from start to finish, but that was 30k miles ago. The car was only with $2k and the shop said it would likely be $2k to fix, so I did it myself. All those chains are at the back of the A6 so the originals are still going strong at 212k miles.
Not much else to say other than thanks for your videos. They make me want to rebuild an engine. Maybe one day...
We definitely need a timing chain DIY!
Going through this right now with my MK6. Very cool to see all the work that goes into this fix.
This guy knows the job.
After watching this and taking detailed notes I am positive I might be able to change the battery.
Great video as always Charles. Interesting how such a small repair takes so much time and effort. Also a good use of "While you're in there.". Ive got the same engine in my GLI, and absolutely love it. While I apprecite these very informative videos, I let the guys at DAP Repair do this for me. 😅
incredible content Charles. Can't help but see how much more complicated this is as compared to the EFI VW motors of 1990-2010 and how you need 33435564 special tools.
that slight bit of nervousness really never goes away when diving into the deep end of cars. currently trying to get rid of a nightmare 3.0 TDI, started out as a upper oilpan replacement which is a engine out job on the Amarok, got it back together and got low oil pressure under heavy load which ended up being the oil pickup which stupidly enough isn't available from VW they will sell it together with the oil pump though so yay replacing the oil pump which is getting the front cover and lower oil pan back off which surprise surprise has almost only one time use bolts. got it all back together again and must have mucked up the silicone for the lower oil pan because it was leaking from there, not a big deal a tube of silicone and new bolts for that, then test drive everything is going good heating up the gearbox fluid to check the level of that everything is fine, pull it back into the shop and oh no it's got yet another oil leak from either the valvecover or the small cover for the timing chain on the left bank. hopefully i can finally get rid of that nightmare car tomorrow.
I'm convinced VWs will either survive like an old Toyota or be horrible until they finally slip timing and unalive themselves.
WOW, I have always loved and admired the GTI model since the 80s, when I got my First set of wheels after college. Sadly, the GTI was always out of my $$ reach, but the hunger has not faded.
It was very gratifying to see Humble get to the root of the problem and get if Fixed! A moral victory for us car guys everywhere. My deepest thanks to you, Humble Mechanic!
Glad to see the video is back up!
i watched the first one. it was just quiet... i had to turn the volume all the way up. it was fine. Love your videos.
Thank you!! I felt like it was not good enough. Especially after I had an ad blast me in the face. Ahha
The volume honestly didn't bother me one bit compared to the title ruining the mystery of what broke
Hahahha totally borked it
It's mind numbing to me the level of effort and expertise that goes into such a small fault like this. I know there's no way to make this any easier but it certainly explains why just about any fix on modern cars is at least $500. I'm guessing this one would be waaay higher than that though. Thanks for providing a wealth of information!
Wondered what happened to the first one. Great channel 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇬🇧
First, I am going to thank you for the many valuable lessons that I have learned from you. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have stopped at my second VW. I am now on #5. Next, I am going to attempt to return a grain of sand to the beach of information you have provided. When I put a pair of valve keepers back in place, I put a little dab of wheel bearing grease inside them first. This makes them stick to the valve stem long enough to get the assembly back together under spring tension without the keepers dropping away to some dark & hard to reach area.
Best Car Content Creator ever!!!!
🙏🙏🙏
Have to say the quality of the image and video it’s self is first rate, thanks from the UK.
If one valve spring broke, why would you trust the rest to not break sooner than later?
How much time and $ would it add to replace all of them?
A friend of mine gave me a ride home in one of these he had just bought. It seemed like a tight little car.
I just saw you put in one half keeper. Was there another half I didn't see?
You're a pro Charles! 😊😊
You could make a case for doing all of them for sure. I’ve never seen one fail, then have another one fail. I guess if we have another one fail, I’ll do a head off full rebuild. Luckily it’s a buddy’s car.
We for sure put all the keepers in🤣
@HumbleMechanic Thanks Charles. Ciao
I have more confidence in your work on a VW than the actual deal, so many details wow, Great work keep it people need trust worthy mechanics #1 i would drive from Canada to have my car fixed :-)
Awesome video as usual!
I watched your videos to understand my Q5 better. I was able to to do some basic maintenance and repairs on it. It was my 4th VW Audit product. Unfortunately it got totaled and got a steal on the new Lexus Rz450e. Still keep on watching.
Good job, you know your VW stuff. It still irritates me that VAG uses all these one time use bolts, anaerobic sealant for the valve cover, all specialty tools etc., just to make extra money. Not to mention these weird issues, broken valve spring…. Any hoo, peace be upon you, ye humble mechanic.
Welcome to the real world, most manufacturers today use torque to yield bolts and anaerobic sealant instead of gaskets plus their own specialty tools.
@@nickpappas4133 "Most" Do Toyota/Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki use them? If not, they probably aren't necessary. If car and motorcycle engines have been made for 70+ years using reusable steel bolts going into aluminium, why do inconvenient single-use bolts need to be used now?
Torque to yield bolts are great from an engineering perspective.
@@aygwm Is it part of VW moving from DIN bolts to ANSI ISO bolts? I don't get it though. If it's good enough for Honda to use the same part numbers for JIS bolts (Japanese Industrial Standards) for their cheapest motorcycle to their most expensive car for 4-5 decades, why does VW need to use different part numbers for bolts than the simple 10, 13, 17mm bolts of various length that they were using in the Beetle and Type 2 days?
Are the advantages of ANSI ISO threads really so significant that it is worth changing the entire parts catalogue to inventory all these different types of bolts (now with Torx, E-Torx, Triple Square heads et cetera et cetera)?
@@TassieLorenzoyes, Toyota uses torque to yield bolts and RTV sealant, and so does Honda. Most automotive manufacturers have moved to RTV on the oil pan and other areas.
Great Job, as a old fart who use to do repairs on the 60's-90's vehicles, I can tell that you are a very knowledgeable Mechanic...
I love old vw/audis. I swaped the 80 quattro to golf mk3 16V gti and turbo charged it with an s2 turbo. But the more I watch your vids, the less I want to have these modern 1.8/2.0 tsi...
The good thing about them is that there really isn't a need for engine work on the 2.0s to be pushing 300-400hp. All you needs is a couple of boltons and a tune to make decent power. Anything more than 400 out of a GTI is basically useless because all you will be doing is understeering or spinning tires.
Love the video, a few year's back i got a mk5 jetta that overheated water mixed with the coolant for 900$, got all the parts i got the cilinder head to the machine shop to get it resurfaced put all back togheter and bum a nice car got a new happy life.
I love to save vw from the yunk yard!
"old and busted/ new hotness" killed me 😂
I am not a VW fan by any stretch of the imagination; But thanks to you, sir you have shed a brand new light on my Outlook of his car and this brand…. Thank you 👍🏼
Good old "While we're there". :D Also I think I have not seen more overcomplicated timing. Yeah! I rememeber. On the 3.0 TDI which is also from VW... Man, these guys know how to complicate work. :D
After putting way too much money into my GTI last year, I need a friend like you. Or at least a garage and to follow your channel.
Another informative and entertaining video. I’ll stick with my mk4 & mk5 stuff. 1.8t & 2.0t fsi. Mk6 golf r too.
Hope u r having an Awesome day Charles. Thank you for sharing. Really enjoyed the deep dive in this one. If I leaned 5% of all this, I succeeded. This is the big leagues
I just finished a timing kit on a friends 2012 Tiguan, thanks to your video. When I finished the Block 093 measurement is now -.92 from -5.69. Is there a reset for this particular chain? or is it fine the way it sits?
Damn, I wish you were local because I'd want you to be the only mechanic working on my Alltrack, I've got a good shop that services my car but you know your stuff. Another great video!
"bestest engineers in the world" *highlight broken valve springs, camshafts snapped in half, nightmare electrical issues, recalls of randomly exploding airbags*
Don't forget crankwalk and dieselgate. I still love my Golf tho.
Great work. I needed to take it slow & watch twice to follow the steps properly. Great save.
The timing chain being a maintenance item pretty much negates any advantage of using a chain over a belt.
Man I wish I had a mechanic like you locally
I have heard recently a few folks that have had 15 GTI's that had a bad valve spring. Is this a common problem? Is the coolant migration a common problem? What causes that. Overall, are these MK7 and MK7.5 GTI"s considered "Reliable" overall? I have a feeling there are allot of Toyota owners out there just laughing saying "I told you". Am I wrong?
Just stop to see this video by chance since I like mechanics and I do my engines , and car works in general...Not a fan of VW engines my self since I considered them over engineered But In the matters of your work dedication and excellent step on diagnostic finding the failure was great... I enjoyed a lot Sir! Excellent work! 🙏
My Yaris has 301,000 miles
Never touched it!
Maybe you should drive it from time to time. 😂
@@dnxb1t It has 300,000 miles on it... No telling if the high performance GR Yaris will be as reliable. I think there were a few little recalls and small issues (some transmission/synchro troubles IIRC). These may have been fixed by the time the GR Corolla was released in North America. It would be fun if Charles did a video on disabling "Straight Line Running" in the VW steering module, which is meant to compensate for cambers and ruts and filter a lot of steering feel out, which should make the GTI's (or R or S3 etc) steering feel more like a GR Corolla and less VW numb.
Wow, the timing chain job is a lot of work! I did the timing belt and water pump on my FSI Mk5. That job was painful, but nowhere near this timing chain’s level
What would we do without you
My son just had to have himself a 2018 Golf S. He's overseas so I get to take care of the car while he's gone. Started watching your channel but I doubt I will ever perform 1/4 of what you do but I am educating myself enough to know the car a bit in the event a dealer tries to get over on me. The Golf S is a fun little car but it should be had in a manual rather than the automatic.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Unreasonably complicated timing gear design
As always, great video. Unfortunately this engine is a complicated mess. Don’t get me wrong, watched all the way through, because your content is awesome
Is it only me seeing the sad face here? 7:16
One word to Describe you.. excellent ethical mechanic!!
Love your channel and the way you explain things! I drive a 2017 SE GTI that is still purring along with 211,000 miles and hasn't spent a day in the shop yet, except for routine maintenance. I work in Mooresville so when something serious is needed I'll be calling your shop!
Keep doing what you do and I will always be subscribed! :)
🪬
I love all the little details I catch watching one of these. Not even necessarily VW stuff either, just details like the screwdriver to verify the marks line up.
Good job.
It’s rare that I sit through an entire video.
Not crazy or loud. Just right
Your diagnosis approach is mesmerising ,respekt
Thanks
Awesome video. Today I learned this is a job I would never attempt. Thank you!
While I appreciate you as a person and the content you contribute to everyone, I can't help but be reminded, with every upload, of the irony behind 'German engineering. I will never own another Volkswagen.