Your 2.0 TDI has a factory weak point.

Not every 2.0 TDI has the same design, and each design needs a different solution. Here's how to find your design without needing any technical expertise.

1. Assess your situation

   Is the engine still running and you want to be proactive? Is there a warning sign like the oil pressure light or a rattling noise? Or is the engine already open for other work? This only determines urgency, not the solution.

2. Identify your vehicle

   Via the HSN and TSN from your vehicle registration document (Part I), via make, model, and engine, or via the engine code. Your full vehicle list is further down this page.

3. View your recommendation

   Based on your engine, you'll see which design is installed and which solution fits. If two designs are possible, we'll say so honestly and check it for you.

All three designs share the same sore point: the oil pump drive is underdesigned. How this shows up and what helps against it differ, though. The engine code (MKB) is in the service book and on the sticker on the timing belt cover.

Design 1

EA189 with balancer shaft module

How to recognize it

The classic EA189 from model years around 2008 to 2015. The oil pump sits on the balancer shaft module (AWM), the assembly at the bottom of the engine that turns two shafts to offset vibration. The oil pump is driven via a small hex drive pin.

What wears out

The hex drive pin is undersized. It wears down, develops play, and can eventually start slipping. If the oil pump drive fails, oil pressure drops, and low oil pressure increases wear throughout the whole engine.

Engine codes

Typical EA189 engine codes. If you're unsure, the full vehicle list below or the check via HSN and TSN will help.

The solution

The reinforced drive pin fixes the most common cause of failure for €89. The oil pump and module stay in the vehicle. If you want to put the issue behind you for good, the conversion kit replaces the entire module with a directly driven high-performance oil pump.

Design 2

EA189 with timing-belt oil pump (chain conversion)

How to recognize it

This EA189 variant has no balancer shaft module and no hex drive pin. The oil pump is driven by its own timing belt that runs in the oil. So there's no drive pin to replace here.

What wears out

The oil pump's timing belt becomes porous over time. Worn-off material can clog the oil pump's suction line. This also leads to falling oil pressure, just via a different route than with the drive pin.

Engine codes

This variant is most reliably identified via make, model, and engine, because no official KBA numbers are listed for it.

The solution

There's deliberately no drive-pin solution here, because technically no drive pin is installed. The chain conversion replaces the failure-prone oil pump timing belt with a low-maintenance chain drive.

Design 3

EA288

How to recognize it

The successor to the EA189, mostly fitted from around 2012 onward. In the EA288 too, a chain or belt drives the oil pump, and here too this drive is the weak point.

What wears out

As with the EA189, the oil pump drive suffers over time. The result is the same: oil pressure can drop, and low oil pressure means more wear.

Engine codes

The EA288 comes as a 1.6 and a 2.0 TDI. The check via HSN and TSN or the vehicle list below will tell you which variant you have.

The solution

The chain conversion for the EA288 replaces the failure-prone drive with a sturdy chain drive and delivers noticeably more oil pressure.

Important for the EA288: Not suitable for the EA288 with a split oil pan. If you're unsure, please ask us before purchasing — we'll check it for you.

An overview of the solutions and their guide prices. Depending on the solution, installation takes around 2 to 4 hours and can be done at a workshop or yourself with the eGuide.

Guide prices as of the last check. The binding prices are listed in the shop, including the crossed-out prices shown there as RRP. Installation is not included in workshop costs.

The complete list, grouped by design and then by manufacturer. Use search and filter to find your vehicle faster. If no KBA number is shown for a design, no official numbers are available yet for that list. In that case, identify these vehicles by model and engine.

EA189 with balancer shaft module

EA189 with timing-belt oil pump (chain conversion)

EA288

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