imtimmy

So I bought the A4 at 38k miles and have put 20k miles on it. I have just learned about the lousy cam follower part on these B7's, mine is an '06. Having the cel on I have been thinking it is from needing the ig. coils changed out by recall and or needing the 55k service or both. Bob from LOTR's after doing the 55k service tells me the fuel pump code is off and might be in the crapper and possible cam damage! After reading threads and learning more about these known problems from Audi and everyone else my stomach has dropped. A quote for $550+labor for hpfp seems WAY high to me. I have seen others saying no more than $150 for hpfp part itself and that it's fairly easy to switch out along with the cam follower. Wondering what the oem part# is or aftermarket if it's better and who has the best price? I really hope there is no cam damage and wished I had known about the cam follower part before. After reading others on here and Audizine sounds like the pump is most likely cooked unless caught early enough. Just dropped over $600 for 55k service and new D. valve, and another $1000 on Michelins. I haven't bought an extended warranty because I have been unemployed. 2K for a pump and camshaft etc. might have me taking the bus instead

Jer

The labor intensive part is the cam itself. Some will say light damage can be remedied with just the cam follower for $50 which is about 1.5hr of labor. Some will argue that to remedy properly the follower, HPFP & cam all must be replaced and this is where you get into labor questions ~$500 and it's legit. Just a question of what you want to replace. If you gamble and replace the follower you're looking at ~$200 that you may be throwing down the drain if it doesn't repair it fully because then you'll have to go in again and replace all three parts. Just something to think about and it's far less than a grand total when some horror stories on online forums are talking about thousands of dollars to remedy the problem. Good luck.

imtimmy

Thanks Jer. So about $500 for the labor on all 3 parts right? That's what I figured to be about 5 hours of work right? At least thats what someone said in another post somewhere. So a realistic# would be about a grand. Yeah some talk about 1500 or more!

imtimmy

Just talked to Bob at LOTR's, he is killing me. By the books he is saying approx. 10 hours of labor alone for the camshaft! And about another 2 for the pump and follower. He is quoting anywhere from 1500-2k. I asked if I got the parts myself would I be better off and he told me maybe but he can't warrant the job. I'm in the Dallas area and so far at a reasonable hourly rate of $88 he works specifically on VW/AUDI. Heading up to Chicago next week I guess I can get a quote from Renn-art, they used to work on the TT.

jeff968

Is this something to worry about on my 06 2.0T? I had all my iginition coils replaced under warranty at 55K miles. It is running fine. Thanks

Old Dog

Say jeff968. I have read a lot here on AW concerning this B7-related problem and the consensus is: have the cam follower looked at and changed if necessary. Do a search on cam followers and you will get a lot of info concerning this issue. As a matter-of-fact, there are two recent threads covering this topic as well with one person looking at a $4,000 repair bill .

Even though I have not started my 2-year extended warranty, which would cover this failure, I'll be having it checked for the first time in a few weeks when I go in for my 70,000km scheduled maintenance. I am actually prepared to pay the $250 to have it replaced for peace of mind. Things like this can go bad at the most inopportune time. Also, if the cam follower is in bad shape, then it'll be covered under the original warranty. I have a 50/50 chance of not paying.

I also have had all coils replaced and the car is running fine, but this doesn't mean a darn thing. If you are under an extended warranty at least you have a comfort zone. However, if you don't, I wouldn't wait for something to happen. Paying a few hundred now is better than paying a few thousand later IMHO.

Take care

jeff968

Thanks Old Dog, what is involved with the check? Valve cover need to come off? How comon of an issue is this? Thanks

Old Dog

Here is a link Jeff that will pretty well tell/show you all you need to know. If you are mechanically inclined it should take an hour to verify and replace according to what I have read.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...t=cam+follower

Even if you don't do it yourself at least you know how long it should take. When I asked my Audi rep for a quote for them to do the work I told him I know it should take about an hour. This way they know you have researched the problem and can't come back with "it's a three-hour fix".

It's a very interesting thread. Read through it so you know what to expect and what questions to ask. Another reason for me wanting to get it fixed is; I want to sell the A4 in the Spring and don't want this to be a negative point should the potential buyer know of the problem. This way I can show it has been looked at or changed.

Cheers!