How to change your cam follower inside. (Now with debate about failures and their cause.)

[dub4orl]

**UPDATE**

Got it repaired at my local shop. They really took care of me and I trusted them more than the dealers down here anyway. Ended up changing the camshaft, fuel pump, and got a full timing belt service while I was there. Damage = $1,600. If anyone local to South Florida is looking for a shop, contact Wolfcars Motorsports. They really treated me well and took care of everything.

Going forward, I will be checking this stupid cam follower every 10,000 miles. Sucks, but I'm not in the mood to pay for another repair bill of that size.

This thread is excellent and I'm glad it's as informative and especially active as it is. It helped me diagnose my cars problems albeit too late, but for anyone else, it's truly a great page to have on the 2.0TFSI Engine forum.

[dubman6]

**UPDATE**

Got it repaired at my local shop. They really took care of me and I trusted them more than the dealers down here anyway. Ended up changing the camshaft, fuel pump, and got a full timing belt service while I was there. Damage = $1,600. If anyone local to South Florida is looking for a shop, contact Wolfcars Motorsports. They really treated me well and took care of everything.

Going forward, I will be checking this stupid cam follower every 10,000 miles. Sucks, but I'm not in the mood to pay for another repair bill of that size.

This thread is excellent and I'm glad it's as informative and especially active as it is. It helped me diagnose my cars problems albeit too late, but for anyone else, it's truly a great page to have on the 2.0TFSI Engine forum.

This is now a recall from vwoa.

[rboss101]

This is now a recall from vwoa.

Is there some kind of official statement from them saying this?

[AndyG86]

Is there some kind of official statement from them saying this?

I bought my 06 GLI this past friday. I went to the dealership right after to get a history on the car. The Cam Follower is now a warranty extension the computer said until 120,000 miles or some date in 2016, don't remember the data exactly.

I am still going to pull it a part and pay the $50 to replace the follower if it needs it, not worth dealing with the hassle later on.

[dmorrow]

This is now a recall from vwoa.

There is not a recall. A recall involves bringing in all possibly affected cars to change something.

There is talk of an extended warranty but I have not seen anything official from VW or Audi.

[g60rabbit]

Ok I hate to be "that guy" but I have been looking at DIY all night on changing my serp belt in my S4 and some other odds and ends and cant find the info I am looking for on changing the cam follower in my 08 GTI.

Very simple. What if anything should I put on the cam follower [lube wise] upon install. I found one thread about redline something or other. But what exacty should I use.

Again I know its probably right in front of my face but I didnt see it

[Barn01]

It's going to get covered in oil anyhow so I wouldn't worry about anything special. I just changed mine at 158K km's and it was still in tack but I'll admit it did look like the second last pic in the TSB.

Oh and I didn't have to remove the bango bolt. Start to finish first time took me about an hour. Next time I could likely do it in half that.

[rboss101]

LAST EMAIL >start at the bottom

RE: 2006 Volkswagen Passat

VIN: XXX

Dear Mr. XXX:



We have reviewed our file pertaining to this matter and regret to advise there is no new information to pass along to you. The Limited New Vehicle Warranty on your vehicle covers repairs due to manufacturer shortcomings for 4 years or 80,000 kms, whichever occurs first. Technical bulletins are not related to campaigns on a vehicle, but rather tips for repair should a dealer come across such concerns. We have forwarded your information to the production department and they will be reviewing for future models.



We do not track internet information. We review information about Volkswagen vehicles from Volkswagen Dealers and through Volkswagen Canada Customer Care. Online websites may contain information about US vehicles. Volkswagen manufactures vehicles differently for US and Canada. Our dealers are aware of all campaigns and warranty extension pertaining to an individual Vehicle Identification Number. We recommend contacting a Volkswagen dealer each and every time you have an issue with your vehicle, so that it may be dealt with, and entered into our systems for tracking purposes for Volkswagen Canada.



If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-822-8987 or visit the contact us section of our website www.vw.ca.



Sincerely,



Monique

Volkswagen Canada Customer Care

__________________________________________________ ________________________________


Dear Mr. XXX,



Thank you for your email dated February 15, 2011 regarding Technical Service Bulletin's on the cam followers.



Volkswagen Canada will be reviewing this information internally.



We thank you for your loyalty and appreciate you contacting customer care concerning this issue.



Sincerely,



Monique

Volkswagen Canada Customer Care



From:
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 10:15 AM
To: Mcconnell, Monique
Subject: RE: Case #110041897



Thank you Ms. Monique for the useful information you provided me with.

I was able to locate VW and Audi TSB's concerning cam followers on 2.0T FSI engines (early models '06 and '07). Please take some time and look at the links I provided you with. You will notice that they were issued for all VIN numbers because they are known to fail. As the problem was known, revision of new intake cam with hardened cam lobe was being produced. The reason I am providing you with all this information is that I am trying to point out a problem in the manufacturing process that is affecting these engines. If you look through the forums you will notice there are thousands of people who were affected by this problem. Aside from two forums that I sent you, there are dozens of different ones where people are complaining about the same thing.

I would like to ask you to please communicate this to someone and advocate on not only my behalf but thousands of others. These people including myself have been loyal VW customers for many many years. Please offer advice. Going to a dealership so the VW technicians can only diagnose intake cam, fuel pump and cam follower failure is really not an option if its going to be at an expense of the customer. As mentioned i my earlier email , if we knew the problem existed every owner would look after this as a part of regular maintenance. It is evident that VW and Audi new(in 2007 and 2009, respectively, when those TSB's were issued), but nothing was done before problems started occurring.

Here are the links:

http://www.kmdtuning.com/store/images/150702TSB(2).pdf

http://www.golfmk5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106196

Thank you for your time and your help,

XXX

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Subject: Case #110041897
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 10:06:11 -0500
From: extern.monique.mcconnell@vw.ca
To:


Dear Mr. XXX,



Thank you for contacting Volkswagen Canada regarding your concerns about the cam followers on your 2006 Volkswagen Passat.



Volkswagen issues recalls by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), as in any particular year there may be several different production lines and not all of the production lines would use the same parts for every item on the vehicle. When we find that there is an issue with a particular part, we check the production line for the VIN's that are affected and notify our customers who own those vehicles.



We open campaigns based on information we receive from our dealers about the vehicles that are brought into their dealerships. There are no current campaigns or warranty extension concerning this issue. If you are having an issue with your vehicle we would recommend taking it to your local dealer for a current diagnosis.



We would like to bring to your attention that there is an open campaign on your vehicle that should be addressed; the T3 - Yazaki Connector should be looked at by your local Volkswagen dealer. Your local Volkswagen dealer will be able to see this campaign in their system under your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number).



We thank you for a taking the time to make us aware of your concern. If you have further comments, please feel free to contact us via email at our website, www.vw.ca or call us at 1-800-822-8987.



Sincerely,



Monique

Volkswagen Canada Customer Care

[dmorrow]

Interesting e-mail exchange. I think you did a good job of stating the facts and doing it without pointing fingers or threatening them. They did a good job of taking mostly form e-mails and inserting "cam follower" or whatever. I wonder if you sent the same e-mail but said there was a problem with lava coming out of the exhaust if you would get the same letters.

When did the last e-mail come out (the one on top)? For all the talk of the extended warranty, either this came out before the decision to extend it, there isn't an extension, or this person didn't know about it.

[rboss101]

Last email they sent me was on March 22. I don't think there is any kind of warranty extension. At least no one was able to provide hard proof of it. I just wish they own up to mistake they made...but it would not be ineteresting if life was fair. I guess just pay and move on. Next time will skip VW.

[GTI_Fahrenheit_859]

My '07 GTI just passed 59,3xx miles, so I checked my cam and cam follower today. What do you guys think?







This is the first time I have checked, and I am so happy to have Rev. B Cam.


Is my cam follower in good condition?


Thanks!

[jmj]

Your follower and, more importantly, your cam lobe, look fine. I usually check mine at every oil change just to make sure it's not wearing out too quickly.

[jonnybegood]

Looks good....I'd change it for the peice of mind incase the metal is starting to concave and thin, it's $55 from the dealer. Good investment. I did mine, my diverter(thought it was acting up but it wasn't haha, still don't know what the noise is), and just ordered the revised oem pcv with breather cuz of some minor oil along valve cover gasket and some I think a bit too heavy of oil consumption

[xtravbx]

Thanks for this thread.

Here is my follower at 30,000 miles.

2008 GTI FSI

[x9t]

Change it once the black material is gone. As long as its not concaved.. and cam looks good... and your not getting fuel cuts ur good.

I got the letters from VW and had the dealership check at my expense.. but it was bad so they replaced it.. cam follower, fuel pump, and cam.. this was about a month ago.. car is running great now.

JT

[xtravbx]

I know as long as its flat and the black protective surface is still in place you're good. I went ahead and changed it since it was apart, and the part is not TERRIBLY expensive.

I still have 30,000 miles on my CPO warranty which covers drive train, but I don't want to deal with it going bad if it doesnt go bad until AFTER the warranty ends on me.

[najel]

Let's bring this thread back up
I just checked my follower today. I just really wanted to see what it looked like and did not have a replacement on hand. Here are some pics:







What do you guys think? I am currently really wondering about the extended warranty. Is this enough damage for them to replace it, or would it have to be worn through for them to do anything about it? If somebody has experience with this, please let me know. Otherwise I might just ask VWOA send them the photos and see what they say?
I could also imagine that they will only replace this if it worn through completely, in that case I would just go ahead and do it at the next oil change.

Oh BTW the car is a little over 80 k miles now. It is an 06 Passat, and it looks like the previous owner was quite religious about oil changes at the dealership, so maybe that is why it isn't worse than this.

[xtravbx]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

You have absolutely zero *damage* on your follower, but you have normal wear. As long as you don't allow it to get past that, you're fine.

You should replace it yourself, because VW will not replace the follower. They will only replace the cam / follower / etc once it has failed entirely.

So best bet is to just keep up with it on your own, and save yourself the headache.

[najel]

OK thanks, that is kind of what I figured. I will just order one and put it in.
Getting the banjo bolt out was by far the most "difficult" part, not really difficult, just took a lot of patience and trying to find the best angle and wrench to get in there. Getting it back in was already easier, so I think it is really not too bad next time I do it.

[sbarrett4]

I hope this is the correct place to post and that it hasn't been discussed in the 31 pages already.

I am going to check/replace the cam follower this week on my 07 Passat. Being a relative novice at repairs, I wanted to do a visual check of the area before starting to pull things apart. Got the engine cover off and found a nice Craftsman socket wrench sitting on the engine (no damage done). I have fuel pump revision H. Does this revision mean anything in terms of when the cam follower may have been checked or replaced previously? I have had the car since Dec 2010 and put around 23K miles on it, no engine issues in that time.

Any input is appreciated.

[randyvr6]

Changed mine today for the first time in my 2007 Passat Wagon. The tips in this thread were very helpful. The banjo bolt was a challenge to access, but I finally got it out OK.

My car has 63K miles on it and the follower looked excellent. I did decide to replace it since I was already in there, but it looked great. At least I have the piece of mind from changing it and knowing it is OK.

I change my oil every 7500 miles primarily using "German" Castrol Syntec 0W-30. Car is stock and usually driven pretty conservatively.

[Krieger]

thats great oil there, so that would be a huge factor.

[Tradewinds22]

I'm one of the lucky ones that has a 06 Passat FSI with a fuel pump with a banjo bolt. I wanted the peace of mind of checking the cam follower but I can't access the banjo bolt. Any suggestions from those who have suceeded in doing this.

On the second try I was successfull in removing the banjo bolt. A 3/8 universal joint on top of a
4" extension did the trick. Minimal wear after 72,000 miles.

[drewpal]

I have searched AND read ad nauseum about how to check/replace the cam follower on an '06 FSI engine. I've got a new follower on order. My car has about 45k on it. That PIA banjo bolt appears to be the major problem. I've read about the different tool/bit configurations that folks have used to get up to the bolt (8m triple square bit). I did read somewhere where a couple of guys loosened/removed the 3 bolts holding the metal fuel lines to the manifold. This allowed them just enough wiggle room to pull out the pump and remove the cam follower. Anyone else try this route? From pictures I've seen of the fuel line after the banjo bolt is removed, it appears there's a lip on the line that must seat on the pump body and I would imagine that if you booger that up at all, you're going to have leaks and then be replacing lines. I'd like to try to leave it alone and "gently" pull the pump with the lines attached. Any thoughts?? I'm going to try to find a "quality" triple square bit w/ assoc. box wrench, etc. BUT I'd like to see if option two could work as well.

[Barn01]

It's been a while since I did mine but I was able to change it in about 30min without pulling the banjo bolt. You have to bend the lines a bit but it's not a big deal. Just be careful and think it through as you go and it's pretty easy.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[drewpal]

Just happened to be looking at the thread when you answered. Do you remember if you were able to clear the pump/spring assembly totally away from the manifold? That is to say enough to get the old CF out and the new one in easily? I just ran around a bit today looking for the 8m triple sq. bit. NO one HAD IT..sears, auto parts stores, etc. The only store I didn't check was NAPA. They're closed BUT they do show it on line AND it's available in their warehouse. Its as much of a pain getting the triple sq. bit as taking off the damn bolt!

[Bill6211789]

Removing the banjo bolt isnt that bad, i can do a follower change in about 20min. Id rather tale a little more time then ruin the fuel lines that'll cost 300-400$ to replace

Advance auto parts carries the triple squares (they may not call them that tho i dont remember) they are over in the isle with sockets and specialty tool stuff.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

[yowzaa]

The alternate name for Triple square drivers is XZN

[Barn01]

Yep, I got both my sets on amazon :-)
A must have for the German cars.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[drewpal]

Well, I got a good 3x sq bit from NAPA and the replacement cam follower arrived from ECS. I struggled through the pulling of the fuel pump (there is no way this thing would've come out without removing the banjo bolt on mine). Having only around 45k "easy" miles, I was expecting the best. I got the WORST!. My CF was completely eroded through. I could stick my pinky through it!. The cam had what I would call light scored marks on it. I called my local VW dealer (with extended warranty info in hand) to let them know what I found. They asked if I had any fault codes or if the engine was running rough, etc. I said that I had neither. They then went on to say that unless an engine fault code illuminates, there is nothing they can or will do. I mentioned that I feel like I'm driving a ticking time bomb. I debated putting in the worn CF and waiting for the worst to happen (so the CF, Fuel pump, cam etc. would be covered under warranty) OR put in the new CF and WAIT for an issue..THEN put the worn one back in and seek warranty coverage. THIS is what I did. How should I proceed now? Am I getting too paranoid about this after reading all of the horror story threads about it? The end of the fuel pump rod (w/ spring) was worn down to one side and the cam showed light scoring. I don't want to have to break this thing down every oil change. It was a PIA. What would you guys do?? I'd like to add pics, but I can't seem to figure out how (easily). Thanks for any input.

[drewpal]

Well I shot an email off to VWoA explaining the failed CF, worn down HPFP plunger and scored cam. I mentioned I have the worn part AND photos of worn internals. I mentioned that in a years time I was planning to pass this car onto my 16yo daughter BUT in light of the present issue, I was having second thoughts. Here's the response I got:

"Dear Mr. P.
As a fellow fan of the Golf and GTI, I’m always happy to see someone taking an interest in maintaining their car.
While we are unable to predict when a part may require replacement, we rely on our dealerships to diagnose concerns and determine when repairs are needed.
I understand your dealership advised that your car was not producing fault codes during your recent visit, and found your GTI to be operating at manufacturer’s specifications. Without a dealer diagnosing a need for a repair, I regret that we would be unable to replace any parts in your car.
As we want you and your daughter to feel confident in your vehicle, you are welcome to seek a second opinion.
If you do make another appointment to have your concerns looked at, or if you ever encounter issues in the future, let us know. We would be more than happy to take steps to ensure all of our resources are used to address your concerns.
Should you choose to visit a different dealership, you can find the information for dealers in your area at http://www.vw.com/portal/en/dealers?context=Global.
If you have any further questions or comments, you are welcome to reply to this email. You could also contact our Customer CARE Center by phone at 1-800-822-8987.
I hope your GTI, as well as any future Volkswagens you may drive, treat you well for all the years and miles to come.

Sincerely,

Tim A.

Customer CARE Advocate"

I shot back suggesting that a CF in which I could put my pinky through certainly warrants a part in need of repair and that the invitation to seek out another dealership for another opinion is akin to a patronizing "pat on the head". I will probably take the worn part and the pictures to a couple dealerships BUT I'm not optimistic. What can I do? I'll just drive the car and hope for the best...checking the CF frequently.

[dmorrow]

I would take pictures of everything before you do anything. I would then put it back together with the cam follower with the hole in it. Take it to the dealer, tell them you are concerned about possible cf failures and want to pay him to check it. Tell him whatever is found to call you before they put it back together. Checking the cam follower shouldn't be an expensive job. Dealer will find the follower with the hole in it, then VW will have the "dealer diagnosis" they require.

[cddmkv]

This is what happens when you have went to long and haven't replaced it... I would advise everyone to go out in their garage right now, spend the 20 minutes and check.

[bryanviper]

2007 VW GTI - Stage 1 APR & intake

I changed my cam follower at 55,000km (About 34,000miles) Currently have about 81,000km (about 50,000miles) Difference of about 26,000km (about 16,000 miles)

Here are the pictures... looks a little much no in terms of wear and tear on it?





Thanks

[mpmark.]

Did mine today,
2006 A3 with 107,000km. The cam follower looks to be original, seems pitted in the middle, lucky I changed this because failure was immanent. There is no way I would make it to the extended warranty of 192k.

I dont understand how Audi will only do something once it fails and I'm stuck at the side of the road.

looked pretty bad.





Cam look ok?