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Facing engine oil leak issue on my 2014 Volkswagen Polo TSI

My car has completed 1.05 lakh km & I've had zero expense on it apart from the regular maintenance.

BHPian kp.2008 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi folks,

I left my Black VW Polo GT TSI (2014) for the 1.05L kms service at VW Bangalore North yesterday. During the inspection, we noticed an engine oil leak under the bonnet (images attached). The SA said he'd get it examined. Today, I've received a quote from him that multiple parts (totaling 37k + 10k labor) have to be replaced (list attached here). This seems like they are doing trial-and-error rather than a proper RCA to understand the reason and recommend the correct fix. Request the experts on the forum to help me.

I've had zero expense on this car apart from the regular maintenance - had a gearbox failure at 42K kms, but that was covered under warranty.

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say about the matter:

It seems that this oil leak is not very fast-paced but it has been seeping for a long. It's extremely difficult to pinpoint what exactly it could be simply by looking at the underbody because oil has splattered all over the place. The S.A has cunningly billed you for almost every probable seal that can leak oil.

My suggestion is to clean the entire mess up first and make sure there's no oil residue left behind. Fill fresh, new oil in, put a new oil filter and drive around for about 50-60km. Then check again. You will be able to figure out exactly where the oil is coming from instead of doing guesswork. All oil seals on an engine don't leak at the same time.

  • If the leak magically stops, it's your oil filter O-ring that was leaking which was remedied when you changed the filter.
  • If the oil is seeping out from the perimeter of the oil sump, it's the oil sump gasket that's at fault. Change it with all the bolts.
  • If the oil is seeping from the area where the engine meets the gearbox body, it's the rear main oil seal (crankshaft seal on the flywheel side) that is the culprit.
  • If the oil is leaking from the driver side engine area (near the serpentine belts), it's the crankshaft seal on the crankshaft pulley side that is bad.
  • If the oil is seeping from the timing chain covers, it's the seals on those which are the culprit. I am not sure if the 1.2 TSI uses a rubber gasket there or a gasket maker (sealant such as Anabond). I believe it is the latter, but it's better to check once.

Another thing you need to look into is why your thermostat housing is being replaced. I don't think it has anything to do with the oil leaks.

This approach might seem cumbersome, but it's better to be doubly sure and then attempt to fix this issue. From the images at least, I am finding it extremely difficult to pinpoint the origin of the leak.

Here's what BHPian SPIKE ARRESTOR had to say about the matter:

I noticed the spare part costs to be a bit on the higher side, I may be wrong as I'm not aware of spare part prices of VW cars, is this estimate taken from their spare parts database? To me, it looks inflated.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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