# Warranty extension letter from Audi for intake camshaft, cam follower, fuel pump



## alex911s (Mar 20, 2006)

Hey guys,

just fyi got this letter from audi for 05-07 a3 10yr,120,000 mi warranty for intake camshaft, cam follower, fuel pump.. they will reimburse if you had yours done etc..


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## Chadd (Jan 27, 2003)

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...sion-forms-received-today!-(HPFP-Cam-follower)

My car was fix today under this warranty.


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## alex911s (Mar 20, 2006)

Chadd said:


> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...sion-forms-received-today!-(HPFP-Cam-follower)
> 
> My car was fix today under this warranty.


ahh didnt know there was already a post..


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## nxcess (Oct 18, 2010)

Woo hoo. Guess i can stop worrying about that cam follower then. I got the letter today too.


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## Bezor (Jan 16, 2007)

nxcess said:


> Woo hoo. Guess i can stop worrying about that cam follower then. I got the letter today too.


Got the same letter from Audi today. I think VAG took a lession from BMW on how not to ignore this.


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## Bronco (Mar 3, 2011)

Does this apply to US only ?

Anybody from Canada got a letter ?


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

I called AoA today to dispel any myths that were out there floating around. I was told by Penny that since I replaced my cam follower myself in an effort to save my engine from a catastrophic failure of the cam follower, that it would not be covered by the warranty. _*DO NOT*_ perform preventive maintenance on this part if you wish for it to be covered by Audi. It sounds very counter-intuitive to me, but for the $50 and an hour it took for me to fix it myself, it was worth not suffering the downtime of a full head (and who knows what else) replacement.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Rob Cote said:


> I called AoA today to dispel any myths that were out there floating around. I was told by Penny that since I replaced my cam follower myself in an effort to save my engine from a catastrophic failure of the cam follower, that it would not be covered by the warranty. _*DO NOT*_ perform preventive maintenance on this part if you wish for it to be covered by Audi. It sounds very counter-intuitive to me, but for the $50 and an hour it took for me to fix it myself, it was worth not suffering the downtime of a full head (and who knows what else) replacement.


Man, that is some serious bull****. How can they deny your warranty because of replacing a failing OEM part with a new OEM part? Seems absurd to me :screwy: Anyway, if your follower is punched through, it's punched through. I wouldn't tell them that I had changed it myself if it ends up blowing up, because it's not like changing out a follower is going to make this problem appear more often than if you had done nothing.


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

Mine didn't look too bad at ~70k miles...



















I'm just going to keep replacing them around that interval for as long as I have the car. A little routine maintenance never hurt nothin'.


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## maverickar15 (Mar 7, 2011)

TBomb said:


> Man, that is some serious bull****. How can they deny your warranty because of replacing a failing OEM part with a new OEM part? Seems absurd to me :screwy: Anyway, if your follower is punched through, it's punched through. I wouldn't tell them that I had changed it myself if it ends up blowing up, because it's not like changing out a follower is going to make this problem appear more often than if you had done nothing.


That is absurd.

I have warranty out to 100k miles (CPO) but I'm still going to take a look at my cam follower this weekend. If it is bad, I will still replace it on my own dime. My engine runs nice and smooth, and even if I 'm out of $50 here and there I'd rather keep my healthy engine thank you. I would rather avoid the issue all together than having to replace a lot of engine parts just because I have a warranty. Who knows if the tech screws up installing replacement cam, fuel pump and the rest and something else goes wrong? Not to mention the downtime due to this repair, as the poster above pointed out.

The previous owner took care of the engine religiously (changed engine oil every 3,000 miles) and I'd like to keep this happy engine going. 

In case of catastrophic failure I wouldn't volunteer that information, since it technically isn't modding. It is a stock OEM part FFS. This is like saying if you change your oil own with approved oil and OEM filter, we will still void the warranty.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

Rob Cote said:


> I called AoA today to dispel any myths that were out there floating around. I was told by Penny that since I replaced my cam follower myself in an effort to save my engine from a catastrophic failure of the cam follower, *that it would not be covered by the warranty.* _*DO NOT*_ perform preventive maintenance on this part if you wish for it to be covered by Audi. It sounds very counter-intuitive to me, but for the $50 and an hour it took for me to fix it myself, it was worth not suffering the downtime of a full head (and who knows what else) replacement.


I'm not sure I understand what she told you. She said you replaced the cam follower yourself and it (the follower) wouldn't be covered under warranty or you replaced the follower and because you did, the cam and follower wouldn't be covered under this extended warranty program if they fail?

I can understand them not paying for all of the followers people have replaced in the past, some are doing it at every oil change, and we really don't know the frequency of the overall cam failures. I am sure they looked at the numbers and any extended warranty is still better than what we had.


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

What she said was that nothing is covered if it is replaced before failure. Audi will not drop a dime unless you have experienced a component failure.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Rob Cote said:


> What she said was that nothing is covered if it is replaced before failure. Audi will not drop a dime unless you have experienced a component failure.


Wait wait wait. So is all you are saying is that they won't pay for the cost of the follower if you change it out as preventative maintenance? Because, what I think a lot of people interpreted what you said as is this:

If you change out your follower on your own, and subsequently experience a catastrophic failure of the HPFP/follower/cam that will require replacement of all of the above parts, you will not be covered under the extended warranty.

Please tell me we just misinterpreted what you said, and what you really meant was what I said at first, and that is:

If you change your follower out while it is still relatively healthy, Audi will not pay for your new follower, but your warranty in case of catastrophic failure is still intact.


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## forma (Nov 22, 2005)

i think that's pretty simple and straightforward of what she said.

if you replace(d) anything (either the cam follower only or the cam follower, the pump and the camshaft and etc.) while the car is/was NOT experiencing any failure/damage, AoA will not cover it.

it makes perfect sense.


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## guiltyblade (Jul 12, 2007)

Hmmm I suppos but its also preventative damage, like changing an air filter or changing fluids at this point. Its tough to call


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

forma said:


> i think that's pretty simple and straightforward of what she said.
> 
> if you replace(d) anything (either the cam follower only or the cam follower, the pump and the camshaft and etc.) while the car is/was NOT experiencing any failure/damage, AoA will not cover it.
> 
> it makes perfect sense.


Nah bro, you are still being ambiguous. What "it" will they not cover? Will they not reimburse you for the parts you replaced without experiencing a failure? If that's what you mean, then sure, that makes sense. If you mean that they will not cover any subsequent failures if you replaced any of those parts prior to experiencing a failure, then that's BS.

From the way Rob said "DO NOT perform preventative maintenance on this part if you wish for it to be covered by Audi. It sounds very counter-intuitive to me, but for the $50 and an hour it took for me to fix it myself, it was worth not suffering the downtime of a full head (and who knows what else) replacement." it is not perfectly clear exactly what was implied. It sounds like by performing preventative maintenance you are essentially voiding the warranty extension.

Just asking for some clarification, that's all.


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## forma (Nov 22, 2005)

you said, Nah bro, you are still being ambiguous. What "it" will they not cover?

i say, i don't think i was being ambiguous at all. i was being very specific by saying the following:

if you replace(d) anything (either the cam follower only or the cam follower, the pump and the camshaft and etc.) while the car is/was NOT experiencing any failure/damage, AoA will not cover it.

"it" = (either the cam follower only or the cam follower, the pump and the camshaft and etc.)

because the car is NOT or was NOT experiencing any failure/damage.

it would be as if someone decides to swap out their engine with a new one even though the engine at the moment is not experiencing any problem and request to have the cost of the engine swap covered. 





TBomb said:


> Nah bro, you are still being ambiguous. What "it" will they not cover? Will they not reimburse you for the parts you replaced without experiencing a failure? If that's what you mean, then sure, that makes sense. If you mean that they will not cover any subsequent failures if you replaced any of those parts prior to experiencing a failure, then that's BS.
> 
> From the way Rob said "DO NOT perform preventative maintenance on this part if you wish for it to be covered by Audi. It sounds very counter-intuitive to me, but for the $50 and an hour it took for me to fix it myself, it was worth not suffering the downtime of a full head (and who knows what else) replacement." it is not perfectly clear exactly what was implied. It sounds like by performing preventative maintenance you are essentially voiding the warranty extension.
> 
> Just asking for some clarification, that's all.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

So 10 posts later what he is saying is if you replace the follower without a failure they won't pay for the follower you just replaced.


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## bmw511 (Jul 16, 2010)

So easy solution.... don't tell them you replaced anything! Weeeeeee


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

bmw511 said:


> So easy solution.... don't tell them you replaced anything! Weeeeeee


Yeah that's a surefire way to avoid the issue either way, but it sounds like all that was meant is that Audi won't pay to replace parts that are not or never were broken. They will still pay to replace broken parts, regardless of if your follower has been replaced or not. If it's punched through, they'll pay.


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

They will still pay to replace broken parts, regardless of if your follower has been replaced or not. If it's punched through, they'll pay. 

This is my interpretation though to be sure call AoA


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## Uber-A3 (Feb 23, 2002)

Rob Cote said:


> They will still pay to replace broken parts, regardless of if your follower has been replaced or not. If it's punched through, they'll pay.
> 
> This is my interpretation though to be sure call AoA


Which is what I said about a month ago. The extension only states that parts will be replaced/ payment reimbursed due to a total failure of the cam follower. It says NOTHING about reimbursement for people changing the followers to prevent a failure.


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

That's absolutely true. However, logic suggested to me that from Audi's perspective, shelling out $50 might be favorable over paying to rebuild a head. That's why I made the call. I submitted my findings here so everyone else could get a better understanding. I apologize if I've caused some confusion. Audi will not pay for preventive maintenance. Your car must suffer from a FAILURE of a component for them to consider paying you. Does that clear it up?


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## LWNY (Jul 30, 2008)

so what does FAILURE mean? the black stuff worn off on the thimble counts as failure?


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

that's a question for AoA


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

LWNY said:


> so what does FAILURE mean? the black stuff worn off on the thimble counts as failure?


There's a TSB that has been out for a year or two that explains to the technician exactly what he is looking for and what based on what he finds. If you search in the 2.0 FSI forum you can find it. The black stuff worn off isn't enough for them to do anything.


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

dmorrow said:


> There's a TSB that has been out for a year or two that explains to the technician exactly what he is looking for and what based on what he finds. If you search in the 2.0 FSI forum you can find it. The black stuff worn off isn't enough for them to do anything.


UnfortunatelY, if the Audi Technician is incompetent, they will totally ignore it, and go their merry way like what happened to mine. They "found" that the HPFP was defective- $391.00 cha-ching! And then send you home with your car only to fail catastrophically- 10MILES LATER- because they totally DID NOT INSPECT THE CAM FOLLOWER--IDIOTS!

e


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

tiptronic said:


> UnfortunatelY, if the Audi Technician is incompetent, they will totally ignore it, and go their merry way like what happened to mine. They "found" that the HPFP was defective- $391.00 cha-ching! And then send you home with your car only to fail catastrophically- 10MILES LATER- because they totally DID NOT INSPECT THE CAM FOLLOWER--IDIOTS!
> 
> e


So they replaced the HPFP and didn't see the cam follower on the end of it? How could they miss it?


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## everfresh59 (Jul 26, 2010)

*If you think that was bad, check out the follower on my 06 A3*

I just had the maintenance done on my car and had the mech replace my cam follower. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him yank it out. Unf---ingbelievable what it looked like....warning to all, it's very graphic!!










I checked the cam with the mech and it has really light scratches. I was smart enough to not push my car too hard for the past few months, simply because it was winter and because of the dreaded stories I've read of followers destroying cars.

The fuel pump looks like it needs to be replaced, as the head has become completely uneven due to the follower.

It looks like I'll be heading to Audi to get this all replaced... So glad I found this post.... thanks guys!!


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

everfresh59 said:


> I just had the maintenance done on my car and had the mech replace my cam follower. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him yank it out. Unf---ingbelievable what it looked like....warning to all, it's very graphic!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If your HPFP was riding directly on the cam lobe, it will need to be replaced too. Audi should take care of you though!


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

dmorrow said:


> So they replaced the HPFP and didn't see the cam follower on the end of it? How could they miss it?


exactly-- that's why I pursued this with the dealer and AoA... It was simply their error!!!And still charged me $2100.00
(And yes sent letterdealer and AoA and copied to BBB, DOT, and California DA office office for Automotive Repairs)

I'm glad for those who has not experience the shenanigans that the dealer and AoA will give you to get out of paying a dime...

e


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## Uber-A3 (Feb 23, 2002)

tiptronic said:


> exactly-- that's why I pursued this with the dealer and AoA... It was simply their error!!!And still charged me $2100.00
> (And yes sent letterdealer and AoA and copied to BBB, DOT, and California DA office office for Automotive Repairs)
> 
> I'm glad for those who has not experience the shenanigans that the dealer and AoA will give you to get out of paying a dime...
> ...


Was your car out of warranty and this happened before the new extension?


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## everfresh59 (Jul 26, 2010)

TBomb said:


> If your HPFP was riding directly on the cam lobe, it will need to be replaced too. Audi should take care of you though!


Yea, I took photos of the HPFP and the follower as you can see. I also kept the follower, and I'm gonna set an appointment with Audi this week to get it all done.


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## everfresh59 (Jul 26, 2010)

Would I void this warranty if I have Carbonio Intake installed? Just want to make sure before I go in.


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## azoceanblue (Aug 13, 2006)

everfresh59 said:


> Would I void this warranty if I have Carbonio Intake installed? Just want to make sure before I go in.


Doubt it, just put you stock one on when you go in.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

azoceanblue said:


> Doubt it, just put you stock one on when you go in.


X2. For the regular warranty, the only way they can deny a warranty claim is if they can prove the modification directly caused the failure. So, if you had an APR HPFP, you might be in trouble. The intake should have no impact on the HPFP cam follower and cam lobe. However, since this is a warranty extension, I am not sure of the intricacies. Best to play it safe and put the stock one back on.


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## Uber-A3 (Feb 23, 2002)

TBomb said:


> X2. For the regular warranty, the only way they can deny a warranty claim is if they can prove the modification directly caused the failure. So, if you had an APR HPFP, you might be in trouble. The intake should have no impact on the HPFP cam follower and cam lobe. However, since this is a warranty extension, I am not sure of the intricacies. Best to play it safe and put the stock one back on.


It even says that cars with aftermarket exhausts won't be covered. I guess they think that a modified car is driven harder then a stock one. Better off bringing it in totally stock then trying to fight them by proving the aftermarket pieces had nothing to do with the failure. AoA is going to have the final say anyway, better to just play their game.


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## laserhazard (Jul 29, 2011)

*warranty repairs for cam follower damage*

just want to offer my .02 cents...

i have a 2006 Audi A4 Avant 2.0T, i got the letter about the warranty extension. Only after i got the letter did I start having some issues with power loss when applying throttle, but seemed only periodic.. then the car started to lose oil onto my driveway in large quantities.. took the car and the letter to Audi.

first, they said, YES, it was the cam lobe wear and follower problem, they would replace the whole head and everything associated becasue of some metal shavings they saw.. When they got the head and started to reassemble, they saw damage and more shavings in the block, so the local dealer now has Audi replacing the whole motor.. (i'm assuming short-blocking it) two more weeks of a loaner Q5 while they fix my hot rod avant.

so far nothing bad to say about Audi service, or stepping up to pay for the problem. My A4 isn't worth but maybe 12k, and they said they are putting about 8k in engine work... 5yr old car, 100k miles, but a brand new motor.. although I am on the hook to buy the new timing belt, water pump, and other service limited items on the block..

peace out, kevin


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## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

laserhazard said:


> just want to offer my .02 cents...
> 
> so far nothing bad to say about Audi service, or stepping up to pay for the problem. My A4 isn't worth but maybe 12k, and they said they are putting about 8k in engine work... 5yr old car, 100k miles, but a brand new motor.. although I am on the hook to buy the new timing belt, water pump, and other service limited items on the block..
> 
> peace out, kevin


Wow, that' a pretty impressive amount of work, but I must say that I'm impressed they're doing everything they are.


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## scoTT la rock (Jun 17, 2007)

nice to know. i dont think my car has any issues but i did just get it recently. time to call AOA and see if they cover a free checkup to see if everything is okay.


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## NYCameron (Nov 17, 2010)

scoTT la rock said:


> nice to know. i dont think my car has any issues but i did just get it recently. time to call AOA and see if they cover a free checkup to see if everything is okay.


I don't think they do. They will only do a *free* checkup if you say you have symptoms...
At least that's what I think


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## capitolA3 (Apr 6, 2006)

*cam follower got me too*

Started getting choppy acceleration in S mode around 63k. 
Went to the dealer to get it checked out, had a feeling it might be cam follower related.

Dealer is taking care of everything, so that's a relief.
Anyone know if the problem is fixed for good, or is this something to keep an eye out?


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## architect76 (Jun 27, 2010)

Bronco said:


> Does this apply to US only ?
> 
> Anybody from Canada got a letter ?


I just called Audi Canada and spoke with a service agent and she informed me that this warranty extension also applies to all A3's purchased in Canada... 10years or 193,000 kms (equivalent of 120,000 miles). The only exception for us is that they don't mail us the warranty extension forms but instead we have to bring our vehicle into a certified Audi Dealership / Service shop and they will deal with the claim then and there. :thumbup: peace of mind!


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## Frink1911 (Jun 25, 2011)

architect76 said:


> I just called Audi Canada and spoke with a service agent and she informed me that this warranty extension also applies to all A3's purchased in Canada... 10years or 193,000 kms (equivalent of 120,000 miles). The only exception for us is that they don't mail us the warranty extension forms but instead we have to bring our vehicle into a certified Audi Dealership / Service shop and they will deal with the claim then and there. :thumbup: peace of mind!


Thanks for doing that!


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## scoTT la rock (Jun 17, 2007)

NYCameron said:


> I don't think they do. They will only do a *free* checkup if you say you have symptoms...
> At least that's what I think


well, either way, i will just go and complain about choppy acceleration or something


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## 27spots (Sep 14, 2005)

everfresh59 said:


> I just had the maintenance done on my car and had the mech replace my cam follower. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him yank it out. Unf---ingbelievable what it looked like....warning to all, it's very graphic!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well.. this is what mine looks like. Ugh. On the bright side, it is under warranty. My mechanic says to contact AoA for reimbursement. Before I release them to do the work, will AoA reimburse if the repair isn't done by an Audi Dealership? Anyone know?


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## Chadd (Jan 27, 2003)

They will if your car if covered. I would call them with the vin first. If you have a dealer nearby you should have them do the work.


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

Chadd said:


> They will if your car if covered. I would call them with the vin first. *If you have a dealer nearby you should have them do the work.*


X2, why not just take it to the dealer and not worry about the payment/reimbursement process?


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## Audi'sRevenge (Mar 24, 2008)

I don't get it though, the pic of the letter shows the "problem" but what's the "solution"? Is it "hey bring your car in and we'll replace this and that" or is it just "we'll wait till something fails catastrophically and then pay for lots of $$$ in parts to fix it if/when it happens"?

PS I know it doesn't apply to me with a CCTA engine but a friend of mine has a B7 A4 with the BPY; bought it used so he probably isn't getting this letter.

Odd though too that it doesn't cover 08 A3s because the majority of those had BPYs as well, no? In another recent thread someone said CCTAs were fairly rare in 08s...


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## mike3141 (Feb 16, 1999)

Audi'sRevenge said:


> I don't get it though, the pic of the letter shows the "problem" but what's the "solution"? Is it "hey bring your car in and we'll replace this and that" or is it just "we'll wait till something fails catastrophically and then pay for lots of $$$ in parts to fix it if/when it happens"?


The solution was to re-engineer the cam follower by putting a roller bearing on it thus the CBFA/CCTA engine that was phased-in in 2008. For the older BPY engine they extended the warranty for repairs of failures of the high-pressure fuel pump, cam follower and the intake cam to 10 years/120000 miles. I guess after that it's up to you to have the follower checked every so often.

There is a fix available for $425:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...-Issue-Fix-H2Sport-Revised-Cam-Follower-Setup


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