Anyone with a 160 GT got the 'supercharge clutch squeak'?

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Hi all

I'm taking my car into VW tomorrow morning, to demonstrate to them the problem I'm having.

When driving at around 1500rpm, say 40mph for example, without my foot on the throttle at all, if I suddenly press the throttle quite sharply, there is a very audible squeal / squeak from the front of the car somewhere, inside the engine bay.

The car didn't do this when it was new and has only starting exhibiting this noise from around 2200 miles.

Has anyone else experienced this and taken their car back to VW because of it? What did VW say / do? I'd like to be armed with as much information as possible so that they don't fob me off or attempt a pointless repair, as when I went to the service desk to book it in, they claimed no knowledge of such a problem.

Thanks a lot.

[stevebracey]

Hi

Very well-known problem and VW ARE aware! A permanent fix is rumoured for late this year. I have the same car and am waiting for the problem to develop...it typically comes on at the same sort of mileage and any fix will NOT be permanent until VW modify the part in question.

I can't believe your dealer will have no knowledge...I think they will have some sort of service bulletin from VW. My understanding is that VW dealers have been instructed not to undertake repairs/replacements until the proper solution has been found. This has been covered before a few times on this and other VW forums so it is a very well-known problem.

Good luck!

Steve

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Thanks for the information.

I think I just wanted to tell them about it and make sure they're promptly notified, to avoid any potential avoidance through delay of notification.

Bet you they try and tell me that it's normal!

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Well I went for a drive with a technician and the problem was thankfully clearly audible.

He looked surprised and said that he wasn't aware of any other customers that had had this problem! He then said that he suspected the turbocharger waste valve, even though the problem exhibits around 1500 rpm .

Anyway they're going to dig around for a solution from H.O. and get back to me.

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Anyone with a 160GT will almost inevitably have this problem at some point so here's an update:

Engineer just called me.

VW are aware of the problem and there is no fix available yet.

It will not affect the performance of the car or lead to any other problems, so the only remaining course of action is to do nothing until VW come up with a solution. I expect that a mass recall will be avoided, due to the fact that this is not a safety issue. I suspect that only those customers that complain about the noise will be contacted once a fix is made available.

I'll let you know if there's anything further!

[Steve_D]

Call me a sceptic if you like but having been in the motor trade for years, I can always remember a benchmark when tuning a car for racing and that was to aim for 100bhp per litre. Now, I know things have improved over the years but wringing nearly 160 bhp from a 1400 engine in a road car seems to be pushing it a bit in my view and that's why , when I ordered my GT (still waiting), I specified the diesel engine. Personally, with the power they are getting from these engines, I can't see them giving a long service life. Only time will tell!

[mr gee]

Call me a sceptic if you like but having been in the motor trade for years, I can always remember a benchmark when tuning a car for racing and that was to aim for 100bhp per litre. Now, I know things have improved over the years but wringing nearly 160 bhp from a 1400 engine in a road car seems to be pushing it a bit in my view and that's why , when I ordered my GT (still waiting), I specified the diesel engine. Personally, with the power they are getting from these engines, I can't see them giving a long service life. Only time will tell!

I remember the 100bhp/litre rule of thumb too but I believe that is more applicable to a normally aspirated engine. In the case of the twin charger engine, as long as VW makes the engine bullet proof, it shouldn't be an issue.

Having said that, I suffer from the dreaded supercharger clutch squeak at 7000km. VW changed the clutch but it has re-emerged at 11000 km. I spoke to the service manger and he is puzzled as well since few of the Mk5 GTs have this problem.

I'm of the opinion that VW may have a bad batch of clutches or if it has changed the specs, made an engineering backstep somewhere.

Eagerly await the fix

[slowhand]

Anyone aware of a fix for this chirping yet?
I wish it did it on the over run rather than acceleration, at least then it would sound like a turbo rather than just a squeak.
In town I just rev it more so it does not happen, or at least it cant be heard.

[david25]

Put this into google translate;

http://www.michaelneuhaus.de/golf6/golf6-probleme.htm

You can also find more info on the forum, it doesnt look like there is any permanent fix. I had the problem with the MK5 and the MK6, although the MK6 has a softer, less frequent sound.

[mr gee]

I just had the supercharger clutch replaced (for the second time, under warranty) this time to the 'new' design assembly. about 1000km, hope it works