2023 Tiguan @ ~52,000 miles. I took mine to the dealer after getting low oil lights. I had no oil puddles, so I knew it was burning it somehow. They took a camera and did their tests and told me they are replacing the cylinder head.
Reviews of OEM Volkswagen cylinder head
48 votes
ended up going 350,000 miles before one of the heads blew
I've had my cylinder head replaced in June. About 3500 miles later, I see smoke coming from the exhaust again!
They replaced my engine head under the warranty no issues
My 21' had coolant in the cylinders and was burning oil pretty good up until 40k when they replaced the head gaskets....then it still was burning coolant and oil and they replaced the head two weeks later. Mines at 75k now and no further issues(knock on wood)
The new cylinder head fixed the smoking, I haven't had any issues since.
A second used head, this time from a 2017 model, was sourced and shipped for $600 ($500 for the head, $100 shipping) and was rebuilt by a head specialist. His bill was about $800 and included new exhaust valve guides, a valve job, milling/skimming the head, removing and replacing six oil plugs and thorough cleaning. Total cost for the rebuilt used head was $1,400, a relative bargain compared to the $4,000 VW wants for a bare new head.
as far as i have seen (quite a few but not hundreds) brazil heads are moderately cast with casting defects on the ports and in the valve train oil area german heads look to be cleaner and definately have the date stamps on them
The cross flow (ABA) has bigger ports, especially the intake side! I mean sided by side in my garage, instantly noticeably bigger, like it would take immense porting to get a PG to ABA size.
On the other hand, head was fully rebuilt. Previous owner(s) were probably changing oil every 50.000miles, with cheapest one available, which led to all sorts of gunk accumulating on valve guides, finally making it impossible for valves to shut completely. Resurfaced it, put in new valves, guides, seales... Set of gaskets and head bolts later, it fired up.
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What we know about OEM Volkswagen cylinder head
The brand is registered in Germany. Official website: https://www.volkswagen.de/.
In March 2026, PartReview has a mixed opinion of OEM Volkswagen cylinder head. PR Score — 68 out of 100, based on 15 reviews and 48 votes. 9 positive reviews, 3 neutral reviews, 3 negative reviews. Average rating — 3.6 (out of 5). Votes: 33 up, 15 down.
Users also evaluated the qualities of OEM Volkswagen cylinder head:
- Performance - car accelerates normally without feeling weak - rated positively. 3.6 points out of 5.
- Exhaust smoke - no white smoke from the tailpipe - rated positively. 4.1 points out of 5.
- No coolant smell - no sweet odor around the car - rated positively. 5 points out of 5.
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