2008 Volkswagen GTI Fuel System Problems

CAR LOSS POWER HAD TO BE TOWED TO VOLTSWAGON LATER THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED CAUSING A LOST OF POWER WHILE ON THE ON RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS ALSO DAMAGE DONE TO THE MOTOR FROM THE INTERNAL METAL FRAGMENTS FROM WHERE THE PUMP WORKS WITH THE CAM SHAFT AND THE METAL FELL INTO THE MOTOR. HAD TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE REPLACE MENT MILEAGE 135000.

VEHICLE REQUIRED EXTRA CRANKING BEFORE STARTING. UPON STARTING AND BEGINNING TO DRIVE, THERE WAS LACK OF POWER AND RPMS DID NOT WANT TO GO ABOVE 4K. AFTER APPROX. 1/4-1/2 MILE ENGINE BEGAN TO RESPOND NORMALLY. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS. TOLD THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, CAM FOLLOWER AND CAM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CAM FOLLOWER LOSING HARDNESS AND WEARING THROUGH CAUSING FUEL PUMP TO RUN DIRECTLY ON CAM. FUEL PUMP ARM WAS WORN AND ALSO SCORED CAM. WAS TOLD THAT 2006-07 MODEL YEARS HAD EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM VW TO FIX THIS BUT 2008 DID NOT. IN MODEL YEAR 2009, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SYSTEM WAS USED. I BELIEVE THAT MY ENGINE STILL CONTAINED THE DEFECTIVE PARTS AND VW INTERNET FORUMS ALSO HAVE EXTENSIVE MENTION OF THIS PROBLEM IN 2008 MODELS. I ALSO ON MANY OCCASIONS HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND WAS NEVER INFORMED THAT I SHOULD HAVE THE CAM FOLLOWER INSPECTED FOR WEAR. THIS IS A $60.00 PART THAT COULD BE REPLACED BEFORE IT WEARS THROUGH. INSTEAD, I HAVE A QUOTE FROM THE DEALER TO REPLACE NOT ONLY THE CAM FOLLOWER, BUT ALSO THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND THE CAM FOR SLIGHTLY OVER $2,000.00. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE ALSO METAL SHAVINGS IN THE CAM HOUSING THAT I SHOULD ALSO REPLACE THIS ALONG WITH SOME OTHER MISC. PARTS. THE HOUSING PART ALONE IS APPROX. $1,600.00. I AM REPLACING THE FUEL PUMP AND CAM FOLLOWER AND WILL BE CHECKING THE PARTS FOR WEAR EVERY 10-20K MILES. REPORTED THIS ISSUE TO VW CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN DID NOT FALL INTO THE RANGE FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I DID RECEIVE A "COUPON" FOR $500 OFF A NEW VEHICLE PURCHASE BUT NOT SURE I WOULD BUY ANOTHER VW AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO JERK WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE KEY HAD TO BE PLACED IN ACCESSORY MODE BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CAM, HIGH PRESSURED FUEL PUMP, AND THE EVAP PURGE VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,800. UPDATED 1/21/15*CN UPDATED 01/26/15

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY 08 GTI WITH THE FSI MOTOR, I WAS SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR COMMON ISSUES TO WATCH OUT FOR. THE CAM FOLLOWER WHICH SITS BETWEEN THE CAMSHAFT AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS SEEN MULTIPLE TIMES ONLINE AS AN ISSUE DUE TO WEARING THROUGH ALLOWING THE CAM SHAFT TO INTERACT WITH THE PUMP. I ASKED A VW DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THEY TOLD ME THAT EARLIER MODELS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT 2008 WAS NOT DUE TO THE PROBLEM BEING FIXED BY THE FACTORY FOR THIS YEAR. I DECIDED TO CHECK ANYWAY AND FOUND THAT THE FOLLOWER WAS COMPLETELY WORN THROUGH ALLOWING THE CAM SHAFT TO INTERACT WITH THE PUMP. THIS WAS AT 56K MILES. WHEN I RETURNED TO DISCUSS THIS WITH THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THIS SHOWS THAT THE PROBLEM WASN'T SOLVED, AND WHILE EARLIER MODELS ARE COVERED FOR THEIR DAMAGE IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG DUE TO METAL SHAVINGS IN MY ENGINE, OR OTHER ISSUES I'LL BE FORCED TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. I AM NOW REPLACING THE FOLLOWER MYSELF EVERY 15K JUST TO BE SURE, BUT THE FACT THAT ONE YEAR ISN'T COVERED IS NOT RIGHT. SINCE THE ISSUE PERSISTS THEY SHOULD COVER IT.

AUG 11TH I TURNED A CORNER IN MY 2008 VW GTI WITH ~29,8XX MILES ON THE ODOMETER, ACCELERATED BRISKLY IN 2ND GEAR AT APPROX 4000 RPM THE CAR BUCKED AND SHUDDERED AND LOST POWER. WHEN THE RPM'S DROPPED ABOUT 500RPM THE MOTOR REGAINED POWER UNTIL ABOUT 4000 RPM AND THEN THE CAR BUCKED, SHUDDERED AND LOST POWER AGAIN. THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN AS LONG AS THE ACCELERATOR PEDDLE WAS DEPRESSED. THIS HAPPENED IN EVERY GEAR. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED ON A LONG FREEWAY ENTRANCE RAMP PRIOR TO MY ATTEMPT TO MERGE WITH FREEWAY TRAFFIC. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THE ECU HAD A LOW FUEL PRESSURE CODE. THIS APPARENTLY IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THEY REPLACED THE CAM, HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND CAM FOLLOWER. APPARENTLY THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IS DRIVEN OFF THE CAM AND OVER TIME PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE CAM FOLLOWER AND THEN RIDES DIRECTLY ON THE CAM SHAFT CAUSING SCORING AND RESULTING IN THE FAILURE I EXPERIENCED. I SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO SEE THE OLD PARTS AS I WANTED TO ASCERTAIN THE AMOUNT OF METAL SHAVINGS THAT WERE NOW FLOATING AROUND IN MY ENGINE. FOR WHATEVER REASON THEY DID NOT SAVE THE PARTS AND SENT THEM BACK TO VW SINCE THIS REPAIR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. *TR