Elring Garage FM – Episode 1: EA888 – "The Golf GTI Engine". Really a masterpiece?

00:00:00: Welcome to a new episode of the Elring Garage Podcast.

00:00:03: Today we will speak about a very popular engine, the Volkswagen EA888.

00:00:11: Is this a masterpiece, or maybe only a high-volume engine?

00:00:15: Florian!

00:00:16: We'll see. Maybe it's both.

00:00:18: Let's figure it out together.

00:00:20: This is Elring Garage FM.

00:00:22: Facts and myths for everyone who lives and breathes engines.

00:00:26: We take what the workshop believes, and we take it apart.

00:00:29: No fluff, no marketing.

00:01:02: Production started in 2007 with Generation 1.

00:01:05: And you were asking: is it the best engine they ever built?

00:01:09: Is it a masterpiece?

00:01:11: It didn't start as a masterpiece.

00:01:12: Generation 1 had some issues.

00:01:14: We'll talk about that later. Then they started with Generation 2 and 3, which were already the rebuilt engines.

00:01:24: So they improved a lot of the issues they had with the first generation. And Generation 2 was also the first one ready for the Euro 6 emission standard.

00:01:34: I think in general it was designed to be a long-term engine, with potential for development in the future – new emission standards, new fuel consumption limits, new taxes, new rules and regulations.

00:01:52: So they had a lot of development potential in this engine.

00:01:57: There were issues with this engine, especially in Generation 1 and 2.

00:02:00: Before we talk about issues, I think we also have to mention the volume in the market, because this is a high-volume engine.

00:02:11: Back in the days there was another very popular engine from Volkswagen.

00:02:16: Yes, from what I know that's the Type 1 engine – the air-cooled boxer engine, known from the Beetle, for example, or the T1 bus.

00:02:25: Popular engine, popular cars, but way older than the EA888.

00:02:30: And they're both roughly in the same range.

00:02:31: I don't know exactly which one is the most-built engine, but there are roughly 20 million units produced over the whole production life. Even if we talk about big car companies and big engines, 20 million is a lot.

00:02:51: That's a huge number, even when talking about high runners.

00:02:54: And that's comparable to the EA888 today.

00:02:58: It's roughly the same figure, I think.

00:03:02: In terms of quantity, yes. But it's not that different in another way either.

00:03:07: Both are what I call world engines.

00:03:10: The Type 1 was built in Brazil and Germany.

00:03:13: It was used worldwide, and it's the same with the EA888.

00:03:17: They're built in Asia, China, Europe, Mexico, for example.

00:03:25: So yes, it's also a world engine in worldwide use.

00:03:30: Different engines for different cars.

00:03:32: Exactly. And you mentioned different cars – it's not only the Volkswagen Golf GTI, MK5, 6, 7, however you want to name it.

00:03:43: It's used in different brands.

00:03:45: Different brands, of course – the complete Volkswagen Group, VAG, as we call it.

00:03:52: It's used in Skoda, Audi, SEAT.

00:03:56: It's used all over the whole company.

00:03:59: That's for sure.

00:04:00: So they started, as you said, in 2007?

00:04:04: 2007, exactly.

00:04:05: With the first generation.

00:04:07: But before that there was another engine, the EA113.

00:04:12: The EA113 is known as the 2.0 TFSI engine. That was the predecessor of the EA888.

00:04:21: Also a very well-known, common engine. And that's what the EA888 replaced.

00:04:28: So the development of the EA888 Generation 1 is based on the EA113 engine.

00:04:35: They changed some things, but I think this was also one of the first engines built with a chain drive for the camshaft and the crankshaft.

00:04:48: The EA113 – there were some versions available with timing chains as well, but mostly they were built with a timing belt.

00:04:55: And yes, the EA888 is the first in this row working exclusively with a timing chain system.

00:05:04: This was more or less the first step in the direction where they moved away from the belt.

00:05:09: They only went for the timing chain.

00:05:12: That was a good point.

00:05:15: So what do you think about Generation 1?

00:05:17: How long does it last?

00:05:18: When did they change to Generation 2, and what are the pros and cons of that engine?

00:05:26: Gen 1 was running until roughly 2012, depending on which car it was built in.

00:05:33: There were several issues with the timing chain, for example.

00:05:36: It was the first engine they built with a timing chain.

00:05:40: It's common to have issues like that in the automotive world – some other companies had the same struggle.

00:05:48: So there were problems with the tensioners: when oil pressure dropped, the chain wasn't tensioned anymore.

00:05:55: Every time you start the engine you lose chain tension, which leads to lengthening of the chain, and at some point the chain jumps.

00:06:08: That leads to complete engine failure, because the pistons will hit the valves.

00:06:16: Every mechanic knows that's the worst case.

00:06:18: That's what you don't want. And it's not a roller chain but a toothed chain, which I think is the worse option compared to a roller or standard chain.

00:06:31: Of course.

00:06:32: If the timing isn't set correctly, it will destroy your engine.

00:06:37: Exactly.

00:06:38: That's why you have to keep an eye on it.

00:06:40: Whether you work on belts or chains, it doesn't matter – everything has to be aligned correctly.

00:06:47: That's very important.

00:06:49: Otherwise it leads to much deeper damage.

00:06:54: But of course there's a learning curve regarding what was good about these engines.

00:07:00: Then they came up with Generation 2.

00:07:11: Another thing they learned from Generation 1: they had issues with the piston rings – the last oil control ring on the piston. For less friction inside the engine

00:07:20: they made it very small and very fragile, and at some point it filled up with soot and dirt, so this ring couldn't work properly.

00:07:33: At some point the engine wasn't able to remove the oil from the cylinder wall, so oil was pumped into the combustion chamber and burned.

00:07:46: That leads to oil consumption of one to two litres per thousand kilometres, which is a lot.

00:07:53: If you think about a service interval of ten thousand kilometres, that's up to twenty litres of oil, which doesn't sound like much at first,

00:08:02: but if you add it up it's a lot of oil that you need to refill.

00:08:07: And of course that was something they redesigned in Generation 2 as well,

00:08:12: to reduce that.

00:08:13: I know this personally, because my father had exactly that engine in his car. He was refilling oil almost like refuelling at the petrol station.

00:08:25: I said, hey, what's going on?

00:08:26: He said, yeah, I don't know, but it uses a lot. And in the end it's carbon build-up, more or less clogging the oil control ring on the piston. The hole design was also wrong, because everything gets blocked and then the oil can't drain back from behind the ring.

00:08:51: Then the oil passes down the cylinder walls. And I think there was one period where Audi and Volkswagen handled it under warranty, but beyond a certain mileage or age they said no.

00:09:12: It was a goodwill offer, let's say, but in the end it was very expensive.

00:09:17: What does the whole job involve?

00:09:19: Of course you have to tear the complete engine down, remove everything, so in the end you're left with the block and all the parts.

00:09:25: So yes, it's a rebuild.

00:09:28: And the parts themselves aren't dramatic.

00:09:32: It's the labour cost.

00:09:35: A lot of labour.

00:09:35: And of course you can do other things at the same time, like the timing chain or the head gasket.

00:09:40: You can check your valves as well,

00:09:41: because if you burn a lot of oil it produces a lot of soot. It's a gas engine, but at some point, if you burn a lot of engine oil, it acts like a diesel engine and produces a lot of soot inside the engine, which is bad for the intake valves or the PCV valve.

00:10:01: Also for the intake manifold.

00:10:03: We have throttle bodies inside – everything in the intake or exhaust system will get dirty and full of soot just from burning that amount.

00:10:18: That's true.

00:10:18: And I think there was another topic:

00:10:22: you get increased internal pressure in the engine, because the combustion gases blow by the pistons and increase the pressure inside the crankcase.

00:10:37: In the end, oil – like anything – searches for the weakest point in a system.

00:10:45: And the weakest points also drive the development of new sealing technology.

00:10:52: What we focused on at that time was mainly the oil seals.

00:10:57: Crankshaft seal, rear and front, mostly the rear one, because the surface is bigger.

00:11:02: So the pressure had an easier job pushing out the sealing lip of the PTFE oil seal.

00:11:10: That could lead to a massive oil leak,

00:11:13: because if the oil gets pushed out of the engine by this blow-by gas – and there's a PCV valve which is needed to separate the oil from the air coming out of the engine – and again, if there's a lot of soot from this blow-by gas, the PCV valve will clog at some point, so the engine can't breathe anymore.

00:11:35: And as you said, the weakest point is the oil seal, and it blows out the PTFE sealing lip.

00:11:45: To clarify: PCV means positive crankcase ventilation valve.

00:11:51: So this is also something new

00:11:53: that came up with these kinds of engines.

00:11:57: In the beginning they had some struggles with the valve

00:12:03: working correctly over the mileage.

00:12:06: There's also elastomer material inside, which has a high influence on how long it lasts, because fuel quality around the world is completely different.

00:12:18: Yes, there's a big difference in quality, and this also has a high influence on the lifetime of a PCV valve.

00:12:29: And what does it do? Can you explain that a bit?

00:12:31: It allows the air inside the crankcase to get out of the engine.

00:12:37: Normally you did that in the past just with a blow-by hose from the crankcase into the air intake, for example, and it takes the air back into the engine.

00:12:48: In the end it burns everything that wants to come out of the engine block.

00:12:53: And due to higher emission standards, you don't want to burn the oil that's in the air.

00:13:00: So you have to clean the air of the oil.

00:13:03: Separate the oil from the air.

00:13:08: The oil goes back into the oil sump and the air goes through the intake manifold.

00:13:13: Exactly, and nowadays there are more functions inside.

00:13:16: There are separators, because the rotation of the crankshaft mixes up air and oil, and then you have these oil fumes moving around.

00:13:29: There are meshes inside that separate this, or a cyclone filter, something like that.

00:13:34: A lot of integrated functions nowadays. Some of the PCV valves are serviceable – you can open them up and replace parts, or clean them.

00:13:45: Cleaning is a bit difficult, because on that kind of part it's sometimes integrated into the valve cover, sometimes separate.

00:13:53: I think on the EA888 it's sometimes separate.

00:13:57: Exactly. And there's the possibility to open it up

00:14:00: and inspect whether it works.

00:14:03: You can change the membrane, of course, but often you can't clean the cyclone filter or the meshes inside.

00:14:12: Once it's clogged, it's clogged.

00:14:13: So yes, it's a good idea to fit a new one to be sure.

00:14:17: And it can lead to engine failures in the end.

00:14:19: So if your engine light is on in the dashboard,

00:14:25: it could be a clogged PCV valve.

00:14:27: That's maybe not your first thought – that something is just clogged

00:14:33: and the air isn't able to get out of the engine block.

00:14:36: Exactly. It's also possible that fault codes come up.

00:14:41: The idle isn't running constantly anymore,

00:14:46: let's say something like that.

00:14:48: But these are also symptoms of a PCV valve fault.

00:14:52: Let's go back to Generation 2.

00:14:54: There were also some people out there

00:14:57: who complained about the PTFE seal and found their own solutions for it.

00:15:06: They made their own solution:

00:15:09: they replaced the crankshaft seal with a self-made aluminium housing and a classic oil seal with a spring inside.

00:15:22: So the classic design with a spring, because they said, OK, that works. But there's often a reason why it's not used –

00:15:36: why you can't use an older technology on a modern engine.

00:15:38: And that brings us to the emission regulations.

00:15:45: Generation 1 was set up for Euro 5, and starting with Generation 2 it's set up for Euro 6.

00:15:54: This is also the reason why we should clarify: what does that mean, Euro 5, Euro 6?

00:16:04: The goal was to reduce CO2 emissions.

00:16:08: Exactly, in general the goal is to reduce CO2 emissions.

00:16:12: With these engines it's a bit more, but mostly, in terms of gas engines, it's about CO2.

00:16:18: And CO2 depends on the fuel you consume.

00:16:22: The more fuel your engine consumes, the more CO2 it produces.

00:16:29: You can do several things.

00:16:30: You can have a better transmission, you can have smaller tyres, you can put more air in the tyres, you can have a more aerodynamic design – but you also start inside the engine.

00:16:40: If there's friction in it, you need more power just to turn the engine itself.

00:16:47: The easier it turns, the better, because it needs less fuel in the end.

00:16:52: Coming back to the oil seal: the old-school design works, yes,

00:16:58: but you have a lot of pressure on the crankshaft that you have to turn against.

00:17:03: And it's easier with a PTFE seal, for example.

00:17:05: PTFE seals are easier to turn, so you have less internal friction just running the engine, and this is one reason why it's used here.

00:17:19: To reduce friction?

00:17:20: Yes.

00:17:21: At the same time they made, for example, smaller bearings for the crankshaft, and smaller bearings for the camshaft as well, I think.

00:17:31: So they reduced all the surfaces where you can have friction, which on the one hand is good if it works,

00:17:43: and on the other hand is bad if it doesn't.

00:17:43: You'll have higher wear if your oil isn't perfect.

00:17:46: So it's a balance, to reduce the internal effort

00:17:52: to turn the engine.

00:17:55: That's what Euro 6 makes necessary.

00:17:59: Exactly, and that's how you reach the next level.

00:18:02: I think Generation 3 was also Euro 6?

00:18:07: Yes, it's also Euro 6.

00:18:08: OK.

00:18:10: And I'm not sure whether it's ready for Euro 7.

00:18:11: Euro 7 means, more or less, a gasoline particulate filter and even more reduction of CO2 emissions.

00:18:22: OK.

00:18:22: But before we go further – we're still on Generation 2. There was also an innovation: they had variable valve lift on the exhaust camshaft for the first time.

00:18:37: Yes, that's it.

00:18:39: I think it was already there for the intake.

00:18:41: So what does it mean?

00:18:43: If you have a fixed connection between your crankshaft and your camshaft, you can't change the opening and closing of your valves relative to the engine position.

00:19:00: If you have variable valve timing, you're able to open a little earlier or later, to get more air in, to get it out later, things like that.

00:19:11: That was done for the exhaust side on this engine for the first time.

00:19:15: Exactly. That's what came up with this kind of engine.

00:19:20: OK, so we have a conclusion:

00:19:23: the piston rings weren't really OK.

00:19:27: The overpressure inside the engine can lead to leakage at the oil seals, for example.

00:19:33: The PCV valve is also a critical point.

00:19:37: So if we look at Generation 3 now – is this the masterpiece?

00:19:43: So far it looks like it's not bad at all.

00:19:47: I think that's the good thing

00:19:49: they did in the past.

00:19:50: They saw a problem, they solved it, and then they moved on and said, OK, there's another issue we can optimise.

00:19:57: And Generation 3, as far as I know, is a very stable engine.

00:20:03: You also see a lot of tuners fitting bigger turbochargers, getting more horsepower out of this engine.

00:20:11: So it seems to be a very durable engine.

00:20:13: From what we know now, it's not that old – maybe six years, something like that.

00:20:18: But six years is a good age to say: if there's no issue in the first six years, you may end up with no issues in the next six years.

00:20:25: So from what it looks like, the VW engineers did a good job on this engine.

00:20:35: It's good.

00:20:35: You said six years – so when did they start building Generation 3?

00:20:41: 2020.

00:20:42: So that's fairly recent.

00:20:44: Six years, that's true.

00:20:46: And the first thing they changed and introduced is the exhaust manifold integrated into the head.

00:20:52: I think there were also concerns: you can't integrate a manifold into a head?

00:20:58: It wouldn't be positive, because the ports are more or less limited, especially if you want to get more performance out of the engine – tuning, whatever.

00:21:11: And there were also concerns from that part of the audience that said, now we have big trouble and can't improve anything.

00:21:20: But what do you think about it?

00:21:25: The integrated exhaust manifold –

00:21:29: there was a lot of talk about that in the past. I think Renault came up earlier with that style of design, because of the thermal management of the engine.

00:21:44: So if you imagine you have a cylinder head

00:21:48: and an exhaust manifold:

00:21:50: the exhaust manifold gets very hot, because the exhaust gases go up to nine hundred, maybe a thousand degrees if you push the engine. And the head is water-cooled, maybe at a hundred degrees, maybe a hundred and twenty.

00:22:04: It's a huge temperature difference, and now you put this exhaust gas temperature into your head.

00:22:10: Some of the earlier engines, as I said, for example at Renault, had problems with thermal management.

00:22:16: They got very hot.

00:22:18: They burned their valve stem seals, for example, and everything comes down to the decision on thermal management.

00:22:26: If you can manage the heat in the head, it will work. And if you can't, it will break at some point.

00:22:35: And as it seems, they did a good job, because there's special thermal management on this engine. They don't pump from cylinder one to cylinder four, but from the left to the right side, which is a shorter way. You can get more coolant through the engine.

00:22:59: Is it right or wrong that the exhaust manifold is also water-cooled,

00:23:06: being in the head?

00:23:07: In the end, as part of the head, it's all aluminium.

00:23:11: It's not specially water-cooled, but it's part of your head.

00:23:15: That's one beneficial thing.

00:23:18: And of course there are more reasons for it.

00:23:25: You can fit this into smaller cars, because you don't need the exhaust manifold.

00:23:32: You mount the turbocharger directly to the head, which saves space and gives you more options for locating the engine in the engine bay.

00:23:44: You can use it in smaller engines or in cars with less space.

00:23:48: Or you can fit more of the environmentally required parts – gasoline particulate filters, PCV valves, whatever is necessary for the new standards.

00:23:59: So you have more space in the end.

00:24:01: Whether it's easier for the mechanic,

00:24:04: I don't know,

00:24:04: because there's no space at all.

00:24:06: They use every centimetre.

00:24:10: But

00:24:12: it's maybe easier to work on as well, because there's no exhaust manifold – it's just one pipe going out of the turbocharger.

00:24:24: I would say so. And now you mention a good point.

00:24:27: This is also why we're doing this kind of podcast for our audience:

00:24:31: it's the workshop guys working on these engines.

00:24:34: They want to learn something, especially about this engine.

00:24:37: This is German engineering, by the way.

00:24:45: They thought about everything, but some things are tough to do.

00:24:52: The engine has three chains inside.

00:24:57: It's a bit confusing to put together, because the oil pump is chain-driven, and then the balancer shafts are driven by another chain, and these three chains all have to run on one gear.

00:25:16: And that gear is connected in a special way, and you really have to find the right position, otherwise you'll destroy the fixation point.

00:25:26: So as I said: German engineering. It works,

00:25:29: of course,

00:25:30: but if you have to replace this inside the engine bay, I think you won't like German cars anymore.

00:25:37: Challenging. And again, the timing chain was designed not to be serviced.

00:25:46: So in this case there's no fixed service interval saying every sixty thousand kilometres or whatever

00:25:53: you need to change the chain.

00:25:57: In terms of the developer, they say maybe never, or at least lifetime.

00:26:04: On the other hand, if you have to do it once, yes, there's less space.

00:26:08: But even if you do a timing belt job on those engines in those cars, you don't have more space.

00:26:14: So it's not a pro and it's not a con.

00:26:18: At least what I think is a good thing: they have three chains.

00:26:21: They don't use two chains and one belt, which is a good thing, because there's nothing that can dissolve in the oil and cause other problems that you don't need.

00:26:39: OK, all right.

00:26:40: Another thing they introduced with the Gen 3 engines is dual injection.

00:26:47: That was also a first in Generation 3.

00:26:54: That's also worth mentioning. And as you said: masterpiece, yes or no?

00:27:02: I think if you talk to a younger mechanic, they'll say that's not a bad engine.

00:27:12: You can do a lot with this engine.

00:27:15: It's a very durable engine.

00:27:18: If you talk to an older mechanic who knows the old 1.8T engines from VW, they might say there's too much plastic.

00:27:32: But in terms of new regulations, Euro 6, all the new standards you need to fulfil, I think it's close.

00:27:43: It's pretty good.

00:27:43: There are also some parts on it – if we look at it from the sealing technology side.

00:27:52: You said plastic. Yes, plastic.

00:27:55: They use plastic in some places, but they still have a valve cover made of metal against the head.

00:28:03: And if we look at the engine, from the design side we have a sturdy cast iron block.

00:28:12: This is also one of the reasons why the engine is still very popular, because people like to increase the power, and the potential of that engine isn't limited by the block.

00:28:31: The head is made of aluminium, so it's a lightweight part, which makes sense – as I mentioned, the valve cover is made of the same material.

00:28:39: And the lower part isn't really a bed plate,

00:28:47: but a separate part made of aluminium.

00:28:53: They have a plastic oil pan, or it can be a metal oil pan.

00:28:57: I think both versions are out there, depending on the generation.

00:29:03: Exactly.

00:29:04: The plastic parts are located where it's necessary and makes sense, and it saves weight.

00:29:13: And if you save weight, again we talk about Euro 6 and lower CO2 emissions.

00:29:17: A lighter engine is better for CO2 emissions.

00:29:22: You use plastic to save weight, especially for the timing cover.

00:29:28: It's made of plastic and it's a very iconic part of this engine.

00:29:30: If you see it, you know: that's an EA888.

00:29:41: I think that wasn't the case in earlier days.

00:29:47: That's true.

00:29:48: But you said plastic on the timing cover –

00:29:50: that's the upper part.

00:29:52: It's the upper part, yes.

00:29:55: The lower part is made of metal and has an integrated oil seal.

00:29:58: In the end it's a modern design that a lot of companies use.

00:30:03: So you have easy access.

00:30:06: If you want to work on your chain, you open this one and everything is ready – you can remove the chain or work on the sprockets.

00:30:16: That's the good thing.

00:30:16: The bad thing is: if the front crankshaft oil seal is leaking, you have to remove the whole part, because it's one part.

00:30:22: It's the same on the other side, the gearbox side.

00:30:27: You have this integrated oil seal, which in general is a good idea.

00:30:32: But if something is leaking, you need to remove all the parts, which may be more expensive than just replacing a classic oil seal.

00:30:40: And when you remove the whole part, we recommend replacing it, because it's made of metal, and depending on where the engine runs in the world,

00:30:50: metal often causes rust problems, especially in the lower area.

00:30:58: It's fixed and sealed with RTV. If you want to remove it and keep the condition as it is,

00:31:09: that's challenging. Removing this timing cover – so, not the valve cover, the timing cover –

00:31:17: isn't easy.

00:31:17: You bend it in one spot or another.

00:31:20: That's one thing.

00:31:21: And especially here in our studio, the engine is mounted on a table, so it's very easy.

00:31:26: You can walk around it and work easily.

00:31:28: But again, as you said before: if you have this engine mounted in the car, there's no space, and you have to get in there with a cutter, a knife, maybe a screwdriver or whatever.

00:31:42: You'll end up with a bent cover.

00:31:46: Maybe you can bend it back, but do you want to live with that?

00:31:50: Maybe it'll seal in the end.

00:31:54: We recommend fitting a new one, especially because the oil seal has the same mileage as the engine.

00:32:03: In the end you may have a new chain,

00:32:05: everything fine inside, and then the oil seal leaks and you have to remove it again.

00:32:10: So: do the job once, do the job right.

00:32:13: That's what we recommend, so that part should be changed.

00:32:17: Coming to your point as an expert in product management: we also have different sets for that engine.

00:32:25: And in this set the oil seal is included, as you see, for example in the crankcase set for the lower part.

00:32:32: There is one option, if you like: you can only change the oil seals.

00:32:36: Our recommendation, of course, is to change the complete cover.

00:32:41: Why do we offer something like this?

00:32:44: Because it's possible, and the OE tells us what you need.

00:32:47: If you have to remove the pulley for another job, for example, or if it's leaking, you can do this, and it's a smaller job.

00:33:00: It's cheaper in the end, also for the customer.

00:33:01: If it's just the oil seal leaking, you can change only that oil seal.

00:33:06: But we have to see what's necessary.

00:33:11: And I can tell you, from seeing different regions – if we go into Eastern Europe,

00:33:17: they don't want to spend money on the cover.

00:33:20: They're happy with just the seal.

00:33:23: It's a mindset thing. If you go to the US or somewhere else,

00:33:28: they want the complete full set for the engine, everything included.

00:33:33: If we go into other regions, what can I tell you –

00:33:36: they'd like to buy a single valve stem seal.

00:33:41: Sometimes it's hard to believe, but sometimes the cover is more expensive than the labour of the person fitting it.

00:33:49: And then you can say, maybe I just want a new oil seal, I think that's enough.

00:33:54: So go for it, because that's the most expensive part of the repair.

00:33:58: And I know that's not the case in Germany.

00:33:59: In Germany, parts are a necessary evil, because the person doing the labour is the most expensive part of the work.

00:34:12: In this case, in Europe, I think, as you said, they'll say do it the whole way, so everything is fresh and new.

00:34:23: Exactly.

00:34:24: And that's also why we have different options in our product range.

00:34:29: Because often people ask us why we offer single gaskets, or complete sets, and so on.

00:34:39: This is what we have to think about – that's your daily job, making sense of what's available.

00:34:47: Of course.

00:34:47: And thinking back again to the older mechanic: every OE had a set for each engine, and you could buy it from the OE.

00:35:00: That was a very common standard – head set, lower set.

00:35:06: Nowadays it's not common for most OEs.

00:35:11: Maybe they have an upper set.

00:35:12: Mostly they have no lower set, and if they have one, it's very sparsely equipped – only the most necessary parts are included.

00:35:21: And a lot of engines or OEs don't offer any kits at all.

00:35:26: That's our job in product management: to check for which engine codes,

00:35:31: for which engines, which years, sometimes which cars.

00:35:34: Sometimes it depends on whether you have an automatic or a manual transmission.

00:35:40: Then it's a different kit. And we go through all the engines, all the cars, and see which set is necessary for this specific engine.

00:35:47: Maybe one already fits, so we can connect it in the catalogue.

00:35:51: If not, we build a new one to offer to our customer.

00:35:58: So, Florian, perfect.

00:35:59: But to close the case, there's one generation left – Generation 4 of the EA888, with injection pressure increased to three hundred and fifty bar.

00:36:18: So they really increased the pressure.

00:36:18: They also integrated the OPF system, because, as you said, Euro 7 is the next point.

00:36:27: And they modified the ECU system.

00:36:31: They have the Simos ECU systems nowadays on these engines.

00:36:38: So it's the latest generation, the newest on the market.

00:36:43: What do you think about it?

00:36:46: It's Euro 7.

00:36:47: It's like what we saw with the diesel engines.

00:36:52: I think the point where we had the best engine is already gone. GPF, OPF – gasoline particulate filters.

00:37:01: It's getting worse again, because five years ago, if you had a diesel engine,

00:37:07: you had to take care of the DPF, take care of the SCR – a lot of extra equipment on your engine that needs to be serviced and worked on.

00:37:17: And the gas engine didn't have that.

00:37:19: We only had a catalytic converter,

00:37:23: and it's easy, because you don't have to fill in any liquid or service anything.

00:37:27: There's nothing to regenerate, at least nothing you'd notice.

00:37:33: And now we've got this OPF.

00:37:34: It can break, and it also affects the engine.

00:37:41: You need more temperature in the engine. All of these things are good for the environment.

00:37:50: The question is: is it good for the life cycle, for the life of the engine?

00:37:54: And I don't think so.

00:37:55: So maybe we already had the peak, and now it's

00:38:03: not getting better. I don't want to say it's getting worse, but it's not better in the end.

00:38:10: So as a conclusion: Generation 3 is the masterpiece.

00:38:21: That's exactly the sweet spot.

00:38:21: If you look at this family of engines, I'd say go for Generation 3.

00:38:26: You have the best solution.

00:38:30: What else did we find?

00:38:32: We have a fun fact about the EA888. What does the triple eight stand for?

00:38:41: From what I know, the eight in general

00:38:45: is a symbol of luck in China, and triple eight is a lot of luck.

00:38:51: Sometimes you see people out there with the eight on their number plates, which stands for a lot of luck.

00:38:58: And I think, looking back from Generation 1 to Generation 3, they had a lot of luck.

00:39:05: They built a lot of engines, sold a lot of engines, and in the end it's a very durable engine.

00:39:10: So maybe they had a good feeling when choosing this name for the EA888.

00:39:19: And now I've come to the conclusion: the best would be an EA888 in a Volkswagen Golf Mk8.

00:39:29: But I think the Mk8 has Generation 4?

00:39:31: Yes, so maybe we'll see.

00:39:34: Maybe Generation 4 does a better job than I thought.

00:39:37: Let's find out.

00:39:39: We learned a lot about the EA888 today.

00:39:42: It was interesting even for me.

00:39:45: For me it was perfect.

00:39:47: Thank you for sharing your insights on the EA888.

00:39:53: And now it's over to you: if you want to know more about that engine, if you want to learn more,

00:39:59: or if you have questions for us, leave them in the comments.

00:40:05: We'll take care of it.

00:40:07: See you next time!

00:40:13: Thanks for listening.

00:40:14: If you liked it, hit follow and join us next time.

00:40:17: Drop your questions and your own myths in the comments – the best one becomes an episode.

00:40:21: Until then: keep them running.