EA888 "The Golf GTI engine" - Really a masterpiece?

The EA888 is everywhere: Golf GTI, Golf R, S3, Cupra, Octavia RS, A4, Passat, Tiguan. Four generations, heavily overlapping production years, and a reputation that mostly comes from the early ones. We go through the family: where it came from, why the timing chain tensioner and the oil consumption gave it its name, and what the integrated exhaust manifold really changed. Along the way we cover the things that actually land on the workbench – blow-by and crankcase pressure, the PTFE crankshaft seal, the PCV valve, and the timing cover with its integrated oil seal. Plus a look from the parts side: why the same repair is sold as a complete set in one market and as a single seal in another. Masterpiece or high-volume engine? Our answer is in the episode. New episode every month. In English.