The crank and cam sensor signals are out of phase — usually a stretched timing chain, especially on VAG TSI/TDI and PSA engines.
P0016 — also written POO16, P 0016, 0016 — is the OBD-II code for crankshaft / camshaft position correlation (bank 1). Same code, same fix: this page covers every spelling of it.
Crankshaft and camshaft sensors are out of phase — nine times out of ten it's a stretched timing chain on VAG 1.2/1.4 TSI, BMW N47 diesel, Mini/Peugeot 1.6 THP or Ford 1.0 EcoBoost. On modern engines this is a stop-driving-now code: another skipped tooth and it's a bent-valve, scrap-engine bill.
P0016 is a engine fault code, typically costing £400–£2500 to put right in a UK garage.
What P0016 actually feels like to drive
- Loud metallic rattle for the first 2–4 seconds of a cold start — the classic 'death rattle'
- Long cranking before the engine catches, especially after standing overnight
- Rough lumpy idle at traffic lights, occasionally stalls
- Stop/Start stops working (ECU disables it once cam correlation drifts)
- Turbo feels lazy or flat below 2,000 RPM — timing is retarded to protect the valvetrain
- MPG drops 4–8 mpg with no other obvious cause
- Code P0011, P0014, P0017 or P0341 stored alongside P0016
What causes P0016?
- Stretched timing chain
- Slipped chain on guides
- Failed cam phaser / VVT actuator
- Mis-installed timing components
UK vehicles that throw P0016 most often
- VW Golf / Polo / Audi A1 / A3 1.2 & 1.4 TSI (EA111) — 2008–2015 chain stretch epidemic
- BMW 1 / 3 / 5 Series 2.0d N47 (2007–2014) — rear-mounted chain, engine-out job
- BMW X3 / X5 3.0d N57 — same rear-chain design as N47
- Mini Cooper / Cooper S 1.6 (N14/N18 Prince engine) — 'death rattle' from cold
- Peugeot 208 / 308 / 3008 1.6 THP (shared Prince engine)
- Ford Fiesta / Focus 1.0 EcoBoost — wet-belt debris blocks oil pickup and belt jumps
- Ford 1.6 TDCi (PSA DV6) — stretched HPFP-side chain
- Toyota Auris / Verso / Avensis 2.0 D-4D — cam actuator failure
- Vauxhall Corsa / Adam / Astra 1.4 Turbo (A14NET) — well-known chain stretch
- Citroën DS3 / C4 1.6 VTi & THP — Prince chain wear
How P0016 is fixed
- Measure cam-to-crank deviation with manufacturer-aware scan tool
- Plan full timing chain kit if stretched
- Replace cam phaser if mechanically faulty
The P0016 misdiagnosis that wastes money
Cheap garages and DIY forums love to throw camshaft and crankshaft sensors at P0016 — we see it every week. On a VAG 1.2/1.4 TSI, a BMW N47, a Mini Prince or a Vauxhall A14NET, the sensor is almost never faulty; it's doing its job by reporting that the mechanical timing has drifted. Fitting a £40 sensor buys you a week of relief before the light returns. The other common miss is blaming the VVT solenoid (N205) — worth cleaning on a VAG engine, but if the cam adaptation value is over 4–5 degrees on a scan tool, the chain has stretched and no solenoid clean will save it. On the Ford 1.0 EcoBoost, P0016 is even more urgent: the oil-immersed 'wet belt' has shed rubber into the oil pickup and jumping teeth is imminent — this is a trailer-it-in job, not a drive-it-in job.
What a UK garage should charge for P0016
UK independent garage: diagnostic + cam-adaptation live read £60–£100, VVT solenoid clean/replace £120–£220 fitted, full timing chain kit (chain, tensioner, guides, sprockets, seals) on a 1.2/1.4 TSI Golf £600–£950 fitted with genuine or Febi/FAI parts, BMW N47 rear-chain replacement (engine and gearbox separation required) £1,400–£2,200 at an indie or £2,500–£3,500 at a main dealer, Ford 1.0 EcoBoost wet-belt + oil-pump job £700–£1,100 fitted, Mini Prince chain kit £700–£1,000. Never authorise cheap eBay chain kits — the plastic guides are the failure point and unbranded kits fail again within 20,000 miles.
P0016 repair cost in the UK
Most P0016 repairs land between £400–£2500 including parts and labour. The spread is wide because the cheap fix (a sensor, a hose, a leak) and the expensive fix (a major component) throw the same code — which is why a proper diagnosis before parts are bought saves the most money.
Bob's tip on P0016
The instant you see P0016 on a chain-driven engine, park it and get it recovered — do not drive the car another mile. One more cold-start skip on an interference engine (which nearly every modern turbo petrol and diesel is) and you're buying a rebuilt engine, not a chain kit. When you get to the garage, insist they read 'Camshaft Adaptation' or 'Phase Position' on a manufacturer-level scan tool before touching a spanner: under 2 degrees the chain may be fine, 3–5 degrees marginal, over 5 degrees the chain is finished. Always fit branded parts — Genuine, INA, FAI, BGA or Febi Bilstein — and never let a garage reuse the old tensioner or guides to save you £80. After the job, drop your oil change interval to every 8,000 miles with fully synthetic 5W-30 (VW 504.00 or BMW LL-04 spec) — the biggest single cause of chain stretch is long-life 18,000-mile oil intervals and cheap trade oil.
Can you drive with P0016?
Stop driving — a snapping chain destroys the head on interference engines.
Urgency: high.