Cam follower question

[CarlW]

This might be me being thick but anyway..

There are going to be GTI's that are for sale where the owners don't know about things such as cam followers and the common issues with the GTI's they've just bought the car, used it as you do, give it a run out along a country road or whatever once every now and then, serviced it as you do... and yeah.. but now i have a question.. i've learnt a few things from visiting this forum i just wondered that if say i bought a GTI with 35 - 45k miles on and the cam follower hadn't been changed every 20k or so like people on here say it should be then is there a good chance theres a hole right through it and bits of cam follower swimming in the engine or could it be absolutely fine still but better to replace it asap once i had bought the car..

Also if i was to change it and found there was a big hole in it what happens then? Is it an oil change and just new cam follower or is there likely more than that to replace?

Plus if i was to test drive a car with a bust cam follower how would i be able to tell if its bust or good as gold as i've never driven a GTI so i don't know what to expect in power delivery terms so i was hoping maybe you guys could shine some light on that if you've had this problem before or if you've had experience driving a GTI with a bust CF..

Cheers

[ROH ECHT]

This might be me being thick but anyway..

There are going to be GTI's that are for sale where the owners don't know about things such as cam followers and the common issues with the GTI's they've just bought the car, used it as you do, give it a run out along a country road or whatever once every now and then, serviced it as you do... and yeah.. but now i have a question.. i've learnt a few things from visiting this forum i just wondered that if say i bought a GTI with 35 - 45k miles on and the cam follower hadn't been changed every 20k or so like people on here say it should be then is there a good chance theres a hole right through it and bits of cam follower swimming in the engine or could it be absolutely fine still but better to replace it asap once i had bought the car..

Also if i was to change it and found there was a big hole in it what happens then? Is it an oil change and just new cam follower or is there likely more than that to replace?

Plus if i was to test drive a car with a bust cam follower how would i be able to tell if its bust or good as gold as i've never driven a GTI so i don't know what to expect in power delivery terms so i was hoping maybe you guys could shine some light on that if you've had this problem before or if you've had experience driving a GTI with a bust CF..

Cheers

Yes, check it immediately...better yet replace it and you can monitor its life from that point on. You may even insist that they remove the hpfp and give it a look or a new cf before your purchase. If it has a hole in it...it will only run in limp/safe mode. Checking it regularly is for those that have upgraded hpfp. For those still running a stock hpfp...check it every 50k+ miles. Most will go 80k miles plus if all is stock and in well kept condition. Having said that...better to be on the safe side as costs for a worn cf and subsequent cam damage are costly 

[ROH ECHT]

I have an upgraded hpfp, APR, and here are some pics of cf's and the miles on them...When you check them...if the black DLC is worn through to the alloy, replace it. You want to figure on doing so when you check it because you are in there anyhow ;)

My DIY vid:

10k

10k

[CarlW]

Thanks the car i would be buying would be a standard GTI with no mods and i will most likely be buying from a garage as i haven't managed to sell my car so unfortunately got to lose out and part ex it in when i find the right GTI for me I'm looking for a GTI with up to 45k miles max so I'm guessing from what you've said if i found one that i was willing to do a deal on and buy.. The cam follower should be fine otherwise it would be running in limp mode yes? and on standard GTI's they usually last 50k or up to 80k miles in some cases.. Right I'm with it now :) thanks a lot i think i'd replace mine every 50k as it will be standard and probably be staying standard for a while.

[Tortaruga]

Calm down it'll be fine.  A stock car with 45k will have no problems. Buy the car and change it yourself.

I changed mine at around 48k miles and it was ok-the dlc was a bit worn and that was it. As said an uprated hpfp and bigger power wears them quicker.

[Roadrebel]

I checked mine last week and it was fine. The car has done 116k miles!

[ROH ECHT]

Thanks...The cam follower should be fine otherwise it would be running in limp mode yes? and on standard GTI's they usually last 50k or up to 80k miles in some cases.. Right I'm with it now :) thanks a lot i think i'd replace mine every 50k as it will be standard and probably be staying standard for a while.

That is all correct...and 50k would be very safe because nearly all of the failures happen within the 60k miles to 100k+ miles depending on the care it previously received. It is rare, but there are a few that went bad prior to 50k due to neglect mostly. I would likely do it every 50k as well if it were still stock...just because it's a nice round number to remember 

[xjay1337]

If you're going through followers every 10k surely that's something else at fault, regardless whether you've got an upgraded HPFP.. ?

I removed mine at 92k and it was nowhere near as bad as that. 

Just check it every other service for the 20 minutes it takes (if you have the rubber pipes I have the metal ones gits!!!!! ballache!!!)

[ROH ECHT]

If you're going through followers every 10k surely that's something else at fault, regardless whether you've got an upgraded HPFP.. ?

I removed mine at 92k and it was nowhere near as bad as that.  

Just check it every other service for the 20 minutes it takes (if you have the rubber pipes I have the metal ones gits!!!!! ballache!!!)

Great Idea 
Wrong! How can you comment on what you do not have? The above pics are my followers. The wear is getting better with each 10k follower I remove. As you can see, the lower was removed 2 or 3 followers before the top one. Everyone with upgraded hpfp's have posted are only getting 10k to 15k miles from each follower...with a rare one getting 20k from it.

Since the OP is considering a MKV with a stock hpfp...the issue of upgraded hpfp's are of no concern. I mentioned the cam follower troubles for his understanding and to put his mind more at ease about the whole c/f issue as it shouldn't affect him. The smart thing for one to do is to check or replace them at the onset of when most begin failing and then choose a mileage to begin checking it. Once the wear, or cam follower life span, is known...yes, one can let it go that many miles before replacing it. Again, "Yes, check it immediately...better yet replace it and you can monitor its life from that point on."

[CarlW]

Remap and engine mods aren't first on my list as if i get a car without satnav, multifunction steering wheel, highline display and iPod connectivity etc i will be sourcing parts to have these things and then if i have enough to spend a little more i will then begin with looking into remapping it and maybe one or two engine modification.. i don't know yet but i all see what happens in the near future :)

Just incase i did end up getting a remap first and maybe a cai kit would they add any infliction on the cam follower or is it when you get to the stage of needing an uprated hpfp?

Thanks, you've been helpful and i've learned more about the cam follower issue so its been worth the post for me :)

[GrayMK5GTI]

Cam follower doesn't need replacing every 20k miles, a change at 40k is sensible but lots of cars out there with much higher mileage and they are fine. 100k miles without a change is a bit risky though 

Over in the USA the poor oil quality and weaker fuel octane generally mean the cam followers wear out quicker, the issue isn't as serious here but still worth considering for the sake of £25

[rich83]

I'll get mine checked every 20k miles. Last time it was checked it looked brand new.

[Human Joist]

Is the best place to get one straight from VW

[skard]

Yes, or Audi/Seat/Skoda/TPS

[xjay1337]

If you're going through followers every 10k surely that's something else at fault, regardless whether you've got an upgraded HPFP.. ?

I removed mine at 92k and it was nowhere near as bad as that.  

Just check it every other service for the 20 minutes it takes (if you have the rubber pipes I have the metal ones gits!!!!! ballache!!!)

Great Idea 
Wrong! How can you comment on what you do not have? The above pics are my followers. The wear is getting better with each 10k follower I remove. As you can see, the lower was removed 2 or 3 followers before the top one. Everyone with upgraded hpfp's have posted are only getting 10k to 15k miles from each follower...with a rare one getting 20k from it.

can anyone with UK TFSI confirm that?