Some quick background on the car, 99.5 1.8t 5 speed. 100k miles, TB changed and cam chain tensioner changed within past 5k miles. After the cct was changed the car ran smooth and quiet. Within the past 50 miles the engine started making a loud ticking noise similar to that of a cct when it goes bad. My shop checked out the tensioner and confirmed that wasnt the issue this time. They flushed the engine because there was sludge but that did not solve the issue. At this point they said the oil pump is bad or it could just need a new engine. They recommended changing the oil pump but only gave it a 50 % chance of fixing the problem. Once they get the pan off to check the oil pump they will be able to see if a new pump will fix problem, the labor for that is 750. Even with this problem the oil light never came on and i never got a check engine light. I have dumped a ton of money into this car over the past couple years and i dont want to throw away $750 for the shop just to tell me the engine is bad. I drove my car to the shop and the car didnt seem to lack for power or run terrible it was just the noise. Any thoughts? Anyone have a similar problem? thanks for your responses.

 

Find a new shop and get a 2nd opinion

 

Could be a sunken lifter or weak valve spring (seems kinda remote but it's possible). Definitely get a second opinion.

Are you saying they want $750 just to drop the pan and check the pump? If so, that's borderline criminal.