I have to say that provided you maintain it properly, the WBX engines
seem to last a long time.
Neglect it, even a little, and you pay the price.
IMHO that is generally true of European engines, a little more so of the
WBX.

Todd

On 11/30/2014 12:48 PM, Zeitgeist wrote:
> I've said it here, and I'll say it again; I bought our Bluestar back in
> '04, with the express intention of swapping in a TDI in the near term.  I'm
> not a fan of the WBX, flat engines or even gas engines at all, but having
> said that, this thing just motors on and has really never given me
> reliability problems that would necessitate a swap or even a replacement.
> I've never had it or the transaxle out of the vehicle in the decade I've
> owned it, and even though I do have its ALH replacement sitting in my shop,
> I have no reason to do so given its resolute persistence.  It's earned my
> grudging respect one gritty mile after the next. I just can't seem to climb
> aboard the WBX bashing bandwagon, since I've never once had a bad
> experience with one.  I should mention that my previous van, an '88 GL,
> gave the exact same service while we owned it, as it did for our inlaws who
> bought and drove it for another decade afterward.
>