# Stop replacing your HPFP cam follower!



## kyle_b (Jul 12, 2007)

Ive seen too many of these being replaced for wear. If they are wearing out, with a stock pump, you likely have a cam material issue. Its not a maintenance item like some think. Most FSI engines have been issued a 10yr/120k mile warranty extension on the camshaft and related components, check with your dealer first. 

Its not a bad idea to check your follower from time to time, but by replacing it, you are prolonging failure and can allow you to make it outside of the warranty extension, costing you $$.


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## Tutti57 (Jun 20, 2011)

X100000. I don't understand why people do this either. Unless you have a car close to being outside of the warranty, leave it alone!!!

I recently checked mine and I had some signs of wear and I was happy to put it right back in. 

I'd love a new pump before I go stage 2+.


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## 02GTI-VR6-same1 (Nov 18, 2004)

90% of us have already had the pump and cam replaced under warranty and/or already have the latest revision b cam and follower and don't want to ruin and/or replace latest revision b cams and followers needlessly (they are just going to put in the same thing and at some point the warranty is going to expire). 75% on this forum are modified and can't afford to knowingly allow the follower to fail and hope for warranty coverage.

If you have 50k miles, are stock and have the A cam sure run it into the ground. That doesn't apply to hardly anybody on an engine that went out of production five years ago. Most of us are at, near or above 100k, have had the cam and follower replaced under warranty. Those who have 08's almost all already have the latest revision parts so why let it fail just because the warranty hasn't expired and to save $50 and 20 minutes? Got my cam and follower replaced under warranty at 80k miles. At 100k miles replaced it. Went stage 2+ with APR pump at 100k and replace it every 10k miles. I'm over 120k warranty is gone and likely of no use anyway with mods.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

As someone that replaced it twice before the warranty expired, I couldn't see the benefit of letting it fail. I drive long distances (cover region) and have no interest in having a serious failure while on a trip. Then when the failure happens I rarely see anyone care about the "lost" pieces, they just show the follower with the top missing or a big hole in it. I don't want pieces of metal floating around in the oil pan or any part of the engine. Add in hassle of taking it to VW, dealing with warranty, and being without my car and I don't see a reason to not just replace it occasionally. I am now at 140k miles and will probably replace it once more. I replaced it twice in the 120k miles (at 70k and 105k) so I may have wasted $150 (can't remember what the follower costs) but took this as the safest, most convenient route.


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## big_c02 (Mar 7, 2013)

dmorrow said:


> As someone that replaced it twice before the warranty expired, I couldn't see the benefit of letting it fail. I drive long distances (cover region) and have no interest in having a serious failure while on a trip. Then when the failure happens I rarely see anyone care about the "lost" pieces, they just show the follower with the top missing or a big hole in it. I don't want pieces of metal floating around in the oil pan or any part of the engine. Add in hassle of taking it to VW, dealing with warranty, and being without my car and I don't see a reason to not just replace it occasionally. I am now at 140k miles and will probably replace it once more. I replaced it twice in the 120k miles (at 70k and 105k) so I may have wasted $150 (can't remember what the follower costs) but took this as the safest, most convenient route.


Agreed. Its $40 and takes 15 minutes . I checked mine last month and it just started to have some silver color visible in the center of the DLC. Ill replace it in the next 6 months.


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

I would much rather replace the cam follower on my own as a maintenance item, than let the whole system fail.

Just my 2 cents.


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## A3Performance (Jul 22, 2006)

I'm way out of warranty, if you think i'm going to let a $35 part and 10 minutes of my time lead to my engine failing. You've got to be out of your mind, great advice OP! :facepalm:


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## Tutti57 (Jun 20, 2011)

Of course it's different if you are out or close to being out of warranty or are afraid of having too many mods. I'd like to see the 15 minute change trick since mine aways seems to take closer to an hour to get in and out with the banjo bolt. 

Yeah, it's just an hour every once in a while, but I'd rather get everything revised when it fails than upgrade my pump and worry about fuel leaking into oil. 

In see a lot of threads scaring people into checking it at low mileage when there is no need. Especially when people are paying the dealer to look at it needlessly. 

I wish I never replaced mine the first time around 60k when it had zero signs of wear but was told by others that I really should just replace it.


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

kyle_b said:


> Ive seen too many of these being replaced for wear. If they are wearing out, with a stock pump, you likely have a cam material issue. Its not a maintenance item like some think. Most FSI engines have been issued a 10yr/120k mile warranty extension on the camshaft and related components, check with your dealer first.
> 
> Its not a bad idea to check your follower from time to time, but by replacing it, you are prolonging failure and can allow you to make it outside of the warranty extension, costing you $$.


I'm at 160,000+ miles....  the cam follower IS a maintenance item to me.


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## [email protected] (Oct 26, 2012)

I think it may be the correct move to let it blow if...

1. You have plenty of time and miles let until the coverage is gone
2. You dont mind end up potentially being stranded somewhere when it does go
3. You dont plan to keep the vehicle past the expiration of the coverage

Otherwise the cam follower is fairly inexpensive and simple to change. For a lot of the guys here I think the peace of mind is worth the time and expense. 
http://www.deutscheautoparts.com/Vi.../2.0TurboFSI/Repair/06D-109-309-C/1778/138787


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## 02GTI-VR6-same1 (Nov 18, 2004)

How common is being stranded? I drove mine with symptoms for like 20k miles before taking it in. Almost everybody's story seems to be symptoms first, checked it and discover it worn thru. My pump once CAME OFF on the highway (helicoiled now)and I made it another mile with no HPFP bolted down to the engine (other than no boost ran normal). Could have probably made it farther but the follower was already broken up (the back side, not the flat cam surface) and I was afraid of what would be next.


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

02GTI-VR6-same1 said:


> How common is being stranded? I drove mine with symptoms for like 20k miles before taking it in. Almost everybody's story seems to be symptoms first, checked it and discover it worn thru. My pump once CAME OFF on the highway (helicoiled now)and I made it another mile with no HPFP bolted down to the engine (other than no boost ran normal). Could have probably made it farther but the follower was already broken up (the back side, not the flat cam surface) and I was afraid of what would be next.




What you described is reasons why I will just simply replace my follower on my own.


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## A3Performance (Jul 22, 2006)

Many find the banjo bolt a pain but after you've gotten it down it's not that bad. I took the liberty to convert my line over so replacing the follower is a walk in the park.


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## GTI2Slow (Jun 23, 2007)

I plan to check mine every 10K now that I am at stage 2+. Modified cars require additional preventive maintenance.

My original follower did 50K+ miles and was still good when it was swapped out during the APR HPFP install. I think the problem is really overblown on the forums.


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## DLV (Dec 10, 2012)

'cuz the nearest dealer is 400+ miles away.


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## iGen3 (Mar 21, 2002)

HA! at over 225,000 miles, I'll keep replacing mine thank you..:beer::beer:


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## kyle_b (Jul 12, 2007)

I can see some valid points from some of you.

-If you're out of the extension by mileage, thats a different story.

Another point id like to make is 98% of the time a complete failure does not leave you stranded, maybe some hard starting, a check engine light and some loss of power. 

For those of you with upgraded pumps, or if you're looking to never replace a follower again, the h2sport follower upgrade is a decent set up. Uses a roller follower, looks like it came from a 3.6fsi and ive never seen one of those fail. Ive installed a few of these kits and they are definitely something to look into. http://www.h2sport.com/solutions/fuel-pump/


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## GTI2Slow (Jun 23, 2007)

kyle_b said:


> Another point id like to make is 98% of the time a complete failure does not leave you stranded, maybe some hard starting, a check engine light and some loss of power


When the cam follower disintegrates it will deposit metal bits into the motor that will get moved around by the oil. Not something I would want to deal with.


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## vandamage (Feb 16, 2010)

Lol just leave your follower alone what a joke


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## vwisthebest (Sep 17, 2003)

Penny wise, pound foolish. It takes less than 20 minutes. Replacing the follower 5 times would be less hassle than taking your car in for a warranty replacement. Duh :screwy: 

Original owner here, 2006 w/ 150,000 miles. Stock engine and I replace mine every 40k miles. 

About to install my bamboo conversion, so it'll take less than 10 minutes after that.


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## eXcelon53 (Jan 7, 2009)

*Cam replaced with revision "B" cam, failed 6,000 miles later*

Late last february, 2012 I had my cam replaced at the dealership with the revision "B" cam and new follower. It is now November 2013 with regular oil changes and the cam is destroyed, follower has irregular wear, metal in my oil. I can't even believe this. Has anybody had a revision "B" cam fail so fast??


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## niteryder (May 25, 2007)

I just picked up an A3 with 64k miles on it and while the follower doesn't look bad, we will be replacing the entire cam and follower. My friend works for the dealer and he said the bpy engines and the whole cam follower thing are just complete trash. He has had cars with under 5k miles come in with a hole warn completely through the follower. They have also replaced cams with the rev. b version only to have the same thing happen again.

Myself, I am pissed because I just bought this car. Luckily, my friend works for the dealer and I was a vw/audi mechanic in germany for a number of years. Frustrating none the less.


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## theGLIguy (Dec 2, 2011)

Ok, I'm gonna jump in here for a minute. I have the banjo bolt and mine didn't take all that long. The triple square bit I needed came with a cheap bit set from harbor freight and I taped it into a closed end of a wrench . I changed mine a little after 90,000 miles for the first time on the original follower on the original A cam. Mine wasn't warn though but could use a new one. I could have made it to 120,000 on the original before it would experience problems but by then, it would have been to late and over the limit for miles. I am glad I changed it, Glad I payed $55 from the dealer for a new one, and glad I got to learn more about my car. I have had way to many issues with my car that I can't wait for one more like this to go wrong so I can have my car in the garage for another week. So far I have been though both Wheel bearings up front, Two sets of axles, one 02Q transmission, One Dog bone(bushing inside ripped), one set of rear position lower control arm bushings, and I had to have my cam and crank seals all changed because I added a bsh revamp. The rear tube check valve was stuck closed and pressurized the crank case. On top of all of that, Now I am having issues with the seat side airbags throwing codes. Long story short, $55 every 2 years is fine with me to keep it(her) on the road a little longer. Here is a pic of the follower that I changed next to a new one


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## eXcelon53 (Jan 7, 2009)

niteryder said:


> I just picked up an A3 with 64k miles on it and while the follower doesn't look bad, we will be replacing the entire cam and follower. My friend works for the dealer and he said the bpy engines and the whole cam follower thing are just complete trash. He has had cars with under 5k miles come in with a hole warn completely through the follower. They have also replaced cams with the rev. b version only to have the same thing happen again.
> 
> Myself, I am pissed because I just bought this car. Luckily, my friend works for the dealer and I was a vw/audi mechanic in germany for a number of years. Frustrating none the less.


I just can't believe the "revision B" cam does the exact same thing. It actually wore about 5 times as fast as my first cam. Just praying that Audi does the right thing and replaces it again.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

niteryder said:


> I just picked up an A3 with 64k miles on it and while the follower doesn't look bad, we will be replacing the entire cam and follower. My friend works for the dealer and he said the bpy engines and the whole cam follower thing are just complete trash. He has had cars with under 5k miles come in with a hole warn completely through the follower. They have also replaced cams with the rev. b version only to have the same thing happen again.
> 
> Myself, I am pissed because I just bought this car. Luckily, my friend works for the dealer and I was a vw/audi mechanic in germany for a number of years. Frustrating none the less.


So you have no failure of the cam follower but you're replacing the cam and the follower? Once you have a new cam and follower I don't see how you are much better off than just replacing the follower. With your car at 64k miles there is an excellent chance this is the original follower.

Why not just replace the follower and look at it again in 20k miles (or maybe more)? Replacing this item once every 2 years is pretty simple and no reason to get rid of the car.


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## DankNugz (May 19, 2007)

dmorrow said:


> As someone that replaced it twice before the warranty expired, I couldn't see the benefit of letting it fail. I drive long distances (cover region) and have no interest in having a serious failure while on a trip. Then when the failure happens I rarely see anyone care about the "lost" pieces, they just show the follower with the top missing or a big hole in it. I don't want pieces of metal floating around in the oil pan or any part of the engine. Add in hassle of taking it to VW, dealing with warranty, and being without my car and I don't see a reason to not just replace it occasionally. I am now at 140k miles and will probably replace it once more. I replaced it twice in the 120k miles (at 70k and 105k) so I may have wasted $150 (can't remember what the follower costs) but took this as the safest, most convenient route.


Just went through this on my mom's car. Sent it to the local dealer, they replaced the cams, HPFP, head and all. I was so happy to get this level of coverage on a car with 92k miles on the clock. Then found that the dealer screwed up the timing cover (rubbing on cam sprocket) and had to fight with them over that. 

Then got a P0011 shortly after picking it up from that job. Sent it back to the same dealer a third time and they claimed they didn't mess anything up after "checking their work" on that third trip. They wouldn't tell me anything except "check N205, cam sensor, crank sensor" because I refused to pay their diag fee because I believed they messed something up (at time time I thought they set the belt timing wrong...). 

Brought it to another local dealer (after checking the timing myself, both with the marks on the engine and plotting the cam and crank sensors on VCDS) to diag the CEL and they said they went through the flow chart for that code, checking all possible component failures and timing, and all was good. The last thing left was an intermittent oil pressure issue, which fits because I didn't get the code until it reached operating temp. I had this dealer take a look if the pan looked like it had been removed. They said definitely. 

Here's the kicker. The first dealer told me after they spoke with the tech line about the HPFP and cyl head that "VW techline instructed us to pull the pan and check the oil pump and pickup screen". On the work order (posted in my thread below) it states that they pulled the pan and "put magnet on pickup tube to remove metal". Sludge (carbon), aluminum, bearing material, and plastic are all non ferrous, which means the magnet wouldn't get those things that the cyl head probably spewed into the pan. Upon the third trip to this dealer there was no mention of an oil pressure issue as a possible cause to this problem... Wonder why? We all know they knew, it's common sense since the chain tensioner runs off oil pressure... They wanted me to pay for something that they should have checked in the first place under the original extended warranty job. 

Anyways, now I'm waiting on the call from the VW regional manager (who I also spoke with about the timing cover since he is responsible for both dealers) to let me know his assessment. Just posting this up here to share another horror story of how so many dealers work. 

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?6911564-P0011-after-large-dealer-job

I thought I was getting a good deal having the head covered under warranty. Money wise, I'm way ahead, but honestly, I'm just sick of dealing with this thing and I wish I did the head job myself. I know what I'm talking about (possibly more so than this original dealer) and I'm having this much trouble, I couldn't imagine what the average owner would be doing. They would probably either pay it or sell the car, and I refuse to do both those things.... :banghead:


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## 03euro (Dec 8, 2004)

*Just bought an '06 Audi A3 with 103k Mi...warranty??*

The author of this thread says "most" FSI engines are covered to 160k. How do I know if mine is or is not?


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## 03euro (Dec 8, 2004)

*Edit:*

120k warranty.


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## eXcelon53 (Jan 7, 2009)

03euro said:


> The author of this thread says "most" FSI engines are covered to 160k. How do I know if mine is or is not?


You're covered. You have a revision "A" cam. Just find a good dealership and tell them it's taking a long time to crank/start, power loss, sputtering etc...


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## MightyDSM (Apr 16, 2006)

So, do you guys call up VWoA in advance to check or just take it to the dealership?

I have been noticing the car is having some issues starting up in cold weather, but I already replaced the follower about 15k miles ago and was planning to replace it again in 5k miles.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

MightyDSM said:


> So, do you guys call up VWoA in advance to check or just take it to the dealership?
> 
> I have been noticing the car is having some issues starting up in cold weather, but I already replaced the follower about 15k miles ago and was planning to replace it again in 5k miles.


If there isn't anything wrong with the follower they aren't going to do anything. My guess is you have another problem. My cold start issues were caused by valve deposits and once the valves were cleaned my problem went away. Could be something else causing it also.

How many miles do you have on your car, check engine light, other issues?


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## MightyDSM (Apr 16, 2006)

dmorrow said:


> If there isn't anything wrong with the follower they aren't going to do anything. My guess is you have another problem. My cold start issues were caused by valve deposits and once the valves were cleaned my problem went away. Could be something else causing it also.
> 
> How many miles do you have on your car, check engine light, other issues?


97k miles at the moment, no CEL.

I replaced the follower at 80k miles and will do it once it hits 100k miles. How bad does the wear have to be for them to replace the cam or follower?


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## low_passat (Sep 11, 2010)

MightyDSM said:


> 97k miles at the moment, no CEL.
> 
> I replaced the follower at 80k miles and will do it once it hits 100k miles. How bad does the wear have to be for them to replace the cam or follower?


Usually has to have worn though completely. Also, the majority of 2008's are not covered because by then all motors had the the Rev B cam.

The only way for certain to determine if you are covered is to call the dealership, or VWoA with your VIN and have them look it up.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

low_passat said:


> Usually has to have worn though completely. Also, the majority of 2008's are not covered because by then all motors had the the Rev B cam.
> 
> The only way for certain to determine if you are covered is to call the dealership, or VWoA with your VIN and have them look it up.


I agree. Has to be worn through for them to do anything and they won't check if there is a problem unless there are symptoms (some type of engine issue or CEL). As said above, I don't believe it is worth letting it fail to have them replace the parts. Even with the later cam there is some chance of a repeat problem so I don't believe you are gaining much by letting it fail and replacing the parts.


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## eXcelon53 (Jan 7, 2009)

dmorrow said:


> I agree. Has to be worn through for them to do anything and they won't check if there is a problem unless there are symptoms (some type of engine issue or CEL). As said above, I don't believe it is worth letting it fail to have them replace the parts. Even with the later cam there is some chance of a repeat problem so I don't believe you are gaining much by letting it fail and replacing the parts.


Or if you know someone at a dealership, it's easy for them to push it through..


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## dgcamero (Oct 13, 2009)

My follower is pretty worn at 102k, but I just put it back in. My cam looked kinda scored too. At least it explains the little bits of metal I saw in my oil filter when I last changed the oil. I showed the pictures to the dealer, and he kinda acted like I should wait a bit longer before getting the warranty repair.

















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## [email protected] (Jan 2, 2009)

DO NOT let them fail. 

This fills the engine with all sorts of metal debris which causes rod bearing, main bearing, and especially cam journal damage. We actually have a hard time finding undamaged core FSI heads for our race engine program because MOST have severely damaged cam journals from metal debris. People think their oil filter will protect them- oil filters are a bypass system- they can actually bypass a portion of the oil at higher flow rates... They are meant to slowly clean the oil not to protect from catastrophe. 

Don't do it!!! No free replacement is worth the damage caused throughout your engine which is NOT repaired during the factory "repair".


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## dgcamero (Oct 13, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> DO NOT let them fail.
> 
> This fills the engine with all sorts of metal debris which causes rod bearing, main bearing, and especially cam journal damage. We actually have a hard time finding undamaged core FSI heads for our race engine program because MOST have severely damaged cam journals from metal debris. People think their oil filter will protect them- oil filters are a bypass system- they can actually bypass a portion of the oil at higher flow rates... They are meant to slowly clean the oil not to protect from catastrophe.
> 
> Don't do it!!! No free replacement is worth the damage caused throughout your engine which is NOT repaired during the factory "repair".


I agree, but I'm already past the point of no return (there were metal particles in my oil filter). I will just have to have faith in the VW warranty, the dealer, and the Castrol extended warranty.

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## Bunnspeed (Apr 2, 2013)

Most of us here are modified. There is no guarantee a modified car with cam follower failure will get warranty coverage. My dealership refused to cover me under warranty because they knew I had an APR hpfp and tuning, both of which up the rate of wear on the cf. I had to pay out of pocket. I've read the VWOA letter regarding the cf warranty and it clearly states that modified cars can be refused coverage. If a dealership chooses to play hardball, not only will you have to pay the $50 on a new cf which you should have bought in the first place, you'll also need to by a new hpfp and cam and labor. I'd rather pay $50 every once in a while than $1500 with the added suckage of having shards of metal floating around in my motor contaminating bearings, clogging oil passages, etc. And even if you *do* get warranty coverage, your engine could fail later on due to rogue pieces of metal left behind...and that engine failure will *not* get warranty coverage.


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## DankNugz (May 19, 2007)

Bunnspeed said:


> And even if you *do* get warranty coverage, your engine could fail later on due to rogue pieces of metal left behind...and that engine failure will *not* get warranty coverage.


See my post above. We have the car back with no CEL now, but I'm still not 100% confident in it. :facepalm:

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## handsome rob is taken (Apr 7, 2009)

iGen3 said:


> HA! at over 225,000 miles, I'll keep replacing mine thank you..:beer::beer:


How many times did you replace your in that time? I have 170,000 and still the original cam and follower.


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

I replace mine every 30k. Cus why not? I have an upgraded HPFP that puts more load on it, and I don't want to deal with a failure. 45 bucks vs catastrophic failure?

I've had oil changes that cost more than that, and happen way more often.


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## 2006_A3_2.0T (Jan 11, 2013)

handsome rob is taken said:


> How many times did you replace your in that time? I have 170,000 and still the original cam and follower.


hey thre, Iam at 150k and just ordered one. should I at least take a look in there? or can I screw things up ?  this thread confuses me


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## CoastieDubr (Jun 1, 2013)

As a precaution I replaced it at 40k, because of all the nightmare stories on the forums. I’v gotten to know my car fairly well, and I’m not heavy moded . I have found that the cause of the rough starts and hesitation at speed for me has been the fuel pressure regulator. Not the dreaded cf breaking apart. I just check it at 128k, and it looks just like the one I replaced at 40k. I put it back in for another few thousand miles. Trouble shoot starting with the simplest thing first, check the thing if you have to, but don’t automatically think that it’s the cf. Just my .02 cents…


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## Tutti57 (Jun 20, 2011)

2006_A3_2.0T said:


> hey thre, Iam at 150k and just ordered one. should I at least take a look in there? or can I screw things up ?  this thread confuses me


Def do it if you are over or close to 120k. 

I am hoping when I look at mine that its hammered and I get new parts. I have 93k on my car. 

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## BlueDevil504 (Jan 19, 2012)

The cam follower is definitely a maintenance part that needs to be checked. Once you blow a hole through the cam follower you are at a high risk of striking the HPFP plunger tip right into the intake camshaft lobe. The reason for the warranty coverage is because they know if will eventually fail. I am replacing my whole top end due to a cam follower failure. It's kind of expensive but H2Sport has a cam follower fix that will resolve any possible or future failures. You would have to send in your Intake cam and the cylinder head end cover for some modifications & then they send it back with all necessary parts for the install.

link to site http://www.h2salesandservice.com/Fuel-Pump-Upgrade-p/h2s-06f-103-498.htm


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

BlueDevil504 said:


> The cam follower is definitely a maintenance part that needs to be checked. Once you blow a hole through the cam follower you are at a high risk of striking the HPFP plunger tip right into the intake camshaft lobe. The reason for the warranty coverage is because they know if will eventually fail. I am replacing my whole top end due to a cam follower failure. It's kind of expensive but H2Sport has a cam follower fix that will resolve any possible or future failures. You would have to send in your Intake cam and the cylinder head end cover for some modifications & then they send it back with all necessary parts for the install.
> 
> link to site http://www.h2salesandservice.com/Fuel-Pump-Upgrade-p/h2s-06f-103-498.htm



While a good product, way too much work, not enough of this kit out in the real world.

Way easier to just replace a ~40 dollar part every 40k miles or whatever.


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## BlueDevil504 (Jan 19, 2012)

this thread is pointless unless you are willing to try something new. Go ahead change out your cam follower with a new one. You will just have to replace it again, and again, and again. Each time you replace that cam follower how do you know it's going to last as long as the previous one did? you dont. It is a wear and tear part and warranties do not take care of your engine you do. Just remember that when your extended warranty is gone.


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

BlueDevil504 said:


> this thread is pointless unless you are willing to try something new. Go ahead change out your cam follower with a new one. You will just have to replace it again, and again, and again. Each time you replace that cam follower how do you know it's going to last as long as the previous one did? you dont. It is a wear and tear part and warranties do not take care of your engine you do. Just remember that when your extended warranty is gone.


I get where you're coming from - BUT!

If the cam follower was a difficult to replace item, and involved hours of labor, and had to be done every 15,000 miles OR it was an expensive part - trying something new WOULD make sense.

But since it takes 30 mins or less, costs less than an oil change, and is easy to do - at this point it has become a simple maintenance item that does not need a high priced alternative.


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## Tutti57 (Jun 20, 2011)

Im looking forward to mine failing. Ill let you know how it goes. 

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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

Tutti57 said:


> Im looking forward to mine failing. Ill let you know how it goes.
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Please do!

I have too many miles and mods to let mine bite it.


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## Tutti57 (Jun 20, 2011)

If i had more miles or an aftermarket hpfp I would be changing it too! I even have a stock airbox on. 

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## dgcamero (Oct 13, 2009)

BlueDevil504 said:


> this thread is pointless unless you are willing to try something new. Go ahead change out your cam follower with a new one. You will just have to replace it again, and again, and again. Each time you replace that cam follower how do you know it's going to last as long as the previous one did? you dont. It is a wear and tear part and warranties do not take care of your engine you do. Just remember that when your extended warranty is gone.


Thank you Castrol for your 15 year, 350,000 mile complimentary extended warranty. If you're under a mileage limit, or age limit for one of the oil company extended warranties, you should look into registering yourself! You might just get a nearly free extended warranty. 

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## Hkysk8r07 (Jul 9, 2005)

~75,000 on my early 07 car and my cam follower was completely worn through. Its at the dealer now getting replaced under the extended warranty. If you do your own maintenance make sure to keep records of your oil changes and other work done to the car. They asked for documentation to show the car was being regularly serviced. I just ordered a spare to replace it myself but it was already too late.


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## roccnhardplace (Apr 19, 2011)

Mine just failed this past week (Had the car a month). No power , slow starting cel with a a few codes. I have a app. Monday to have it taken care of, we shall see how it goes, and how much damage has been done.


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## 2006_A3_2.0T (Jan 11, 2013)

Changed mine last week, now it has a new one inside.. I need to think about timing belt and stuff. G/L


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

2006_A3_2.0T said:


> Changed mine last week, now it has a new one inside.. I need to think about timing belt and stuff. G/L


I just did my T-Belt... next up is valve cleaning eventually, and S3 injectors.


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## 2006_A3_2.0T (Jan 11, 2013)

xtravbx said:


> I just did my T-Belt... next up is valve cleaning eventually, and S3 injectors.


wish I had money to burn.. get a K04 along with the S3 injectors


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## xtravbx (May 21, 2005)

2006_A3_2.0T said:


> wish I had money to burn.. get a K04 along with the S3 injectors



Yeah it's got an F23T in it.. it wants more fuel! 

Bachelor life has its perks!


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## motherleopard28 (May 10, 2004)

bringing this back because I am having issues with getting the coverage from the extended warranty .. i have a late production 07 so its listed as an 2008 gti with a vin number that apparently is covered by the warranty i was just wondering if anyone had any success or ideas as to how to get a dealer to cover the work.. thanks


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## GrisleyGrimes (Sep 24, 2016)

2006 A3 2.0T FSI manual fwd

200k miles

I've recently heard about the cam follower for the first time so I had mine replaced. 

Here is what came out. Car has been running fine (??????). Oil changed every 4k-5k miles


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## ROH ECHT (Dec 9, 2010)

motherleopard28 said:


> bringing this back because I am having issues with getting the coverage from the extended warranty .. i have a late production 07 so its listed as an 2008 gti with a vin number that apparently is covered by the warranty i was just wondering if anyone had any success or ideas as to how to get a dealer to cover the work.. thanks


The warranty extension doesn't include VIN on it...but yours should be included if it has the version A intake cam. You would likely need to follow up until you get a definitive answer as to whether or not yours is included. Begin with the dealership in getting this answered...and then go to VWOfAmerica. You should get an answer by giving them your VIN and asking if you are included in the extension...btw is nearly up with regards to the 10 yrs. Tell them you need to know so you can keep driving it until it fails if included in the extension or you want to service it to be safe if not covered by the extension.

Did you ever get this letter?: https://changegears.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/cam-follower-warranty-extension/

Probably not because the switch from version A cam to version B was about mid '07.


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## ROH ECHT (Dec 9, 2010)

GrisleyGrimes said:


> 2006 A3 2.0T FSI manual fwd
> 
> 200k miles
> 
> ...


If you kept taking it out and reaching full throttle...over and over...your code would've come. Mine looked that way but the code and limp mode didn't come until I held it floored for a bit one day.

If anybody gets a fault code/CEL...do not clear the code. VW will not do the work without it. 
If you know you are included in the extension and you've looked at and/or replaced the CF....and you want to use the warranty...you need to leave the worn CF in and drive like a mad man to get the code.


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## Sandman333 (Oct 28, 2002)

03euro said:


> The author of this thread says "most" FSI engines are covered to 160k. How do I know if mine is or is not?





03euro said:


> 120k warranty.





eXcelon53 said:


> You're covered. You have a revision "A" cam. Just find a good dealership and tell them it's taking a long time to crank/start, power loss, sputtering etc...





MightyDSM said:


> So, do you guys call up VWoA in advance to check or just take it to the dealership?
> 
> I have been noticing the car is having some issues starting up in cold weather, but I already replaced the follower about 15k miles ago and was planning to replace it again in 5k miles.





low_passat said:


> Usually has to have worn though completely. Also, the majority of 2008's are not covered because by then all motors had the the Rev B cam.
> 
> The only way for certain to determine if you are covered is to call the dealership, or VWoA with your VIN and have them look it up.


Replying to old posts, I know, but just in case anyone is wondering the Rev B cams still have the same problem and VW refuses to cover it. I've replaced 2 cam followers in the 114K miles on this car- 08 Passat 2.0T FSI (BPY). Both were caught in plenty of time, but had I not replaced the first one I have no doubt that it would have worn through to the pump and destroyed the follower, pump, and cam (along with anything else the metal fragments found in the engine) by now. VW should be warranting this, but they refuse.


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## Sandman333 (Oct 28, 2002)

ROH ECHT said:


> The warranty extension doesn't include VIN on it...but yours should be included if it has the version A intake cam. You would likely need to follow up until you get a definitive answer as to whether or not yours is included. Begin with the dealership in getting this answered...and then go to VWOfAmerica. You should get an answer by giving them your VIN and asking if you are included in the extension...btw is nearly up with regards to the 10 yrs. Tell them you need to know so you can keep driving it until it fails if included in the extension or you want to service it to be safe if not covered by the extension.
> 
> Did you ever get this letter?: https://changegears.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/cam-follower-warranty-extension/
> 
> Probably not because the switch from version A cam to version B was about mid '07.


I've worn out 2 cam followers on my 08 BPY and VW refuses to cover it under the extended warranty. I still have both cam followers. 114K miles now. Just changed the second one.


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## ROH ECHT (Dec 9, 2010)

Sandman333 said:


> I've worn out 2 cam followers on my 08 BPY and VW refuses to cover it under the extended warranty. I still have both cam followers. 114K miles now. Just changed the second one.


Yep...the extension only covered '06's through mid '07's. If you had a failure under the normal warranty period, accompanied by a fault code, VW should cover it inside the 120k miles/10yrs.

VW decided to say the cam follower issue was due to the metal consistency of the intake cam and that some of them weren't the right hardness. We all know that that is a boat load of BS. If the version B cam was the fix...then why did they switch to a roller CF on the TSI in mid '08, right? 
So they determined that the version A cam from VIN build number ??????? to ??????? would get a warranty extension. Those that did not get the letter or fall between those numbers are just out of luck. I think they should all be covered because they don't include the CF in the service interval schedule in your maintenance section of your owner's manual. Actually, I think VW should've designed their own roller cam follower solution to convert all the FSI's that have the solid lifter CF.


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## gamehenge~ (May 7, 2004)

Dealership replaced my HPFP, cam follower, and cam at 85,000 miles. A tip would be to not mention that you took out the cam follower. I replaced the cam follower and showed the broken cam follower piece to the dealer, and they said they cant cover anything if I have touched the car and that I would need to talk to Audi. I ended up reinstalling the cam follower and taking it to a different dealership for diagnosis - I had to lie and say I was having a stutter upon acceleration and to specifically inspect the cam follower for problems.

The response from the service manager is that usually they dont have problems with the cam follower unless it throws a CEL - which as we all know that to get to that point, half of the HPFP plunger has to be worn away (god knows where the metal bits end up). Well of course they checked it and found out it was worn - they replaced everything under warranty (except for the $100 diagnosis they charged me to determine the "stuttering" I made up). I didnt fight them on it because I was getting over $2000 of free repairs, so thats my story, hopefully others can learn from it. 

Sometimes its better to not let the dealership know that you've diagnosed (or changed) these things yourself - gently nudge them in the direction you want them to go, and play dumb. I find that generally, dealerships view people who are DIY mechanics with a lot of skepticism (who can blame them really, Im sure they see alot of hack jobs).


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