[jblackburn]

The piston damage on the older 1.4T's does look a bit characteristic of LSPI where it blows a chunk out of the piston between the ringlands. No one seems to really be sure why it happens in the first gen motors, and it seems to pick a random cylinder as well.

The second gens, those few that have had piston issues, it is always on cyl #1.

 

[jblackburn]

Rob - It has 25,400 miles on it. I will think about your advice, thank you. I really love the car - but I don't want issues down the road. Getting close to retirement and I don't want repair bills. I must admit, it's a beautiful car, and it rides very well. From all I've read on LSPI, it can ruin an engine completely. Unfortunately, I'm not mechanically inclined and I'm wary on how to know if this is a patch job or if fixed.
Terry

It CAN, but it usually doesn't in these motors. Usually the #1 piston cracks around the ringland, causing lost compression and blowby. The cylinder walls aren't usually damaged when this happens, fortunately.

 

[jblackburn]

Thank you, how do I know if the cylinder walls were damaged? Is there an easy way to tell?

Boroscope in the spark plug hole.