, for about 2 weeks everytime id start my gli in the am, the car would drive fine and then at the first light would start shaking and sligtly idling up and down and after that the car would be fine for the rest of the day. last Saturday, however, I left the house and stopped at a gas station. when I came back out 2 min later, the EPC light was on and CEL was flashing, from previous experience with the EPC light, I turned off the car and started tried again after 3 min, no CEL or EPC light and the car was normal till Sunday morning. started the car, check engine was on and it stayed on till I dropped it off at the dealership yesterday. I got codes P0300, 01, 02, 03, 04. Day two at the dealership, just got a text saying they’re having a vw tech come in tomorrow to take a look at my girl because they can’t come up with anything 
Be patient, they will probably find what is wrong with it.
Possible causes: Faulty spark plug (s) Faulty ignition coil (s) Clogged or faulty fuel injector (s) Intake air leak Fuel injectors harness is open or shorted Fuel Injectors circuit poor electrical connection Ignition coils harness is open or shorted Ignition coils circuit poor electrical connection Insufficient cylinders compression Incorrect fuel pressure
Read more: https://www.engine-codes.com/p0300_volkswagen.html
I know I’m just so impatient, because I hate driving an automatic their guess yesterday morning was either something with the fuel system or a stretched timing chain, but both are fine I guess. hoping to hear from them today 
If the timing chain is fine and it did not jump a tooth, then I’d start suspecting electricals.
… especially since it’s a German car.
lot of truth to this…my father-in-law and I were working on his 01 Golf when it wouldn’t crank and ended up replacing the starter, ICM, plugs, and wires (probably needs a fuel pump in the next 6 months too…). Learned a bunch of useful hands-on info about working with electrical systems, though!
My father in law used to work with German-engineered machining equipment. He describes them as the most precisely engineered hunks of stupid on the planet.
German engineers tend to think of the way they would use something, and then assume that everyone else will use it in exactly the same way and so they fail to build in fail-safes or redundancies to keep things from going wrong when people naturally do something the engineer did not predict.
My mom got herself her dream car several years ago. A brand new BMW. She had the audacity to connect a cell phone that was not on the pre-approved cell phone list. It crashed the cell phone module because the engineers simply couldn’t fathom that someone wouldn’t use exactly the phones they would use, which would have prompted them to at minimum include code that rejected connections from phones not on the list.
… And because apparently they decided it was a good idea to daisy-chain the entire center console electronic stack, when the cell phone module crashed, so did everything else. Radio, nav screen, etc. Just… Mind-bogglingly stupid electrical design.
I had my amplifier replaced not too long ago, and the car spent over a week at the shop because they couldn’t figure that one either, and I know they ended up replacing lots of wires and stuff so I wonder if maybe someone messed something up then but we’ll see 
I swear she hates me… ever since I started looking at other cars she’s been acting crazy 
Ok so my service advisor just texted me saying they’ll be replacing the timing chain… god i dont know what’s changed since yesterday…
My guess is either they discovered that it actually did stretch, or they discovered that it jumped a tooth, and as long as they’re in there they might as well put a new one in.
He said the chain tensioner is all the way extended which is what caused the timing chain to stretch 
I mean I’m pretty sure everyone is familiar with vws timing chain problems, but I thought it wouldn’t happen for at least another 20k 
That type of arrogant engineering design is… MEGA stupid!
The timing chain is what synchronizes the valves to the pistons, so it has to work correctly. Your symptoms could certainly be caused by that. What changed is probably that they removed the timing covers and observed the situation. They also probably rotated the engine (by hand) and verified by looking that the timing marks showing the relationship b/t the pistons and valves were not properly aligned. A timing chain job is usually pretty expensive, did they give you a quote? I’d guess in the $1000 vicinity, parts and labor. Maybe more than that.
There’s several things that can cause a timing chain to stretch – such as rapid changes in engine rpms – but the most common is not keeping on top of the manufacturer’s routine maintenance schedule, especially on the oil and filter changes. Ask any bicycle enthusiast what causes their bicycle chain to stretch. They’ll tell you the same thing, not keeping the chain clean & well oiled. Suggest to ask you shop for some guidance on what to do and when to do it for future for oil and filter changes, as part of getting your Jetta back on the road. The good news here is the problem was caught before the timing chain broke. That’s often an “new engine” event if that happens. Sorry for the big repair bill, but on the plus side, it could have been worse. Best of luck.
Isn’t it covered under vws powertrain warranty? I’m pretty sure he would’ve had said something if it wasnt… and i know all that, and yes I drive a little crazy but also take care of her, always service at the dealership, she’s still a baby though, just getting her 4th oil change
You never told us what model year and how many miles, so who knows? 
Lol that’s right, I got 2016 GLI, 40k miles
After just two years of use and only 40k miles, this should definitely be covered by the Powertrain Warranty… IF you can prove that the oil was consistently changed on schedule, and that the correct specification/viscosity of oil was used.
If the car was serviced by the dealership, they will have this information in their computer system. If it was serviced at a facility other than the dealership, bring your maintenance receipts to the dealer’s service department to prove that the car was properly serviced.
Thanks, I should be fine then since I only get stuff done at the dealership 
Be prepared to ask about the warranty if you are presented with a bill. I’m not saying they will not do the work under warranty, just to be ready to ask why not and have your explanation of why it should be ready. Many full new car warranties expire at 36,000 miles, but powertrain warranties often go to 100,000 miles. I don’t know what yours is, but IMO it should be covered.
I believe that 2016 VWs came with a 5 year/60k mile Powertrain Warranty.
If the dealership claims that a timing chain problem is not covered, then the OP needs to complain to VW at the corporate level.
I agree, but the dealer is just repeating what VW tells them to say.