Honestly I would just say I have a letter about an extended warranty and my car is displaying the symptoms described by the condition the follower creates. Most dealers are pretty slow right now. There should be no reason they would fight you against it.

Dealerships pay for the warranty repair and then submit the claim to Audi and Audi reimburses the dealer for costs. That's how all warranty works. So as long as they can provide the proof that Audi requires to cover it. There should be no problem at all. And the prove is self evident. You remove the pump and the follower is destroyed. You probably have a p0087 or a p2297 fuel pressure fault stored as well.

 

This all would happen in a perfect world. If you are experienced as a master technician then you're well aware that the hpfp can be ground down past the plunger, to the spring and the car won't exhibit nary a sign nor even a code.

You tell them that you know/feel that the car has a blown follower the procedure is to scan the car. The op didn't mention a CEL and that doesn't bode well for any stored codes.

The formal protocol is not to go further than a diagnostic if codes P2293 and P0087. P1093 is knowingly associated with the camfollwer failure, but is not recognized in terms of warranty - even with your VIN# falling withing the warranty extension. Without those specific codes your car, even with a cam follower punched through, will have any existing codes retrieved, cleared and you the customer left with the option to pay out of pocket for repairs or be sent on your merry way with the $150 diagnostic fee.

The second scenario: for cars that fall under the same extension, both the A3 and B7 A4 with P2293 and P0087. Retrieve and clear codes. A new cam shaft(intake) will be installed, camfollwer, hpfp if necessary(can't believe they actually say this). All done in lock carrier pos. followed up with an Oil change and a road test.

Everything up to the point of the mandatory codes including all the technical diagnosis is up to the dealer's discretion. Once the procedure is completed the dealer reimbursed for the parts and procedure with Audi warranty allowance.

Knowing the formalities of the procedures to follow you can either go in there telling them you have a blown follower with or without codes (hopefully you have them. They'll require the $150 diagnostic payed in the event you don't have the codes. If you do, the allowance will cover it.) and give them the opportunity to deny you outright.

-or-

You can go in there asking just for a check up of the follower, that you intend to pay yourself, and then have the hpfp opened up and in there faces to see the failure before they have the opportunity to dismiss you. This route is if you didn't have the codes of course.

Both are a gamble without those codes, but one is more profound than the other. If you are denied either way you pay for them to look at your car. I'd choose the latter. Again, I know people that have and still fall within the specific warranty period that have been turned away for the only reason given being not having those codes.

 

Car is now at Audi dealership. They didn't want to physically inspect the follower. The tech started to tell me about checking the codes. I finally told him I want the follower physically inspected, and I had him verify there is an extended warranty on the cam shaft, which he confirmed. They are charging me $201 for the inspection, although he said that was to diagnose the codes, the physical inspection of the cam follower would come at additional cost.

I'll check with them this afternoon to see what they say.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

Looks like something is going on. I called the dealer a couple of times, they just said the tech is still diagnosing it. At the end of the day I dropped by and the service rep said they are keeping it overnight. The rep told me both the tech and the shop foreman were working on it. He added that the foreman himself was "looking into the cam follower" - whatever that means.

Fingers crossed.

 

Good luck. Keep us posted. Stand your ground and make them show you what they physically found.

 

I've asked the rep for all my parts to be saved for me.

 

Did they verify there were codes, if not they are/will try to produce one by driving it under load. At the same time they could be deliberating with AoA.

If they go through with the warranty repair it is procedure for the defective parts to be sent to AoA. Some times they never do because the service departments are so lackluster.

I really hope this turns out good for you. You should also mention when and if they approve that you are concerned that there may be more damage done than first diagnosed. Get the necessary steps to take if something like that happens. It would be very unfortunate if you start having oil consumption issues due to cylinder scoring or something else to that affect.

 

Got the call from the dealer this morning. They confirmed the damage and will replace the cam shaft under warranty. Ironically though, they won't even pay for my oil change. Given the damage I saw from the pictures I attached, I'm a little concerned there may be more to this then just a damage cam. I'm worried about the damage to the pump itself, and the metal bits that may be floating around in there.

I guess I should consider myself lucky that Audi is replacing the cam for free, but I wonder if there is more pain and sorrow to follow.

 

This is what I was afraid they'd do. I'm assuming you didn't tell them that you knew the follower was blown correct? Either way knowing or not it seems for warranty issue they won't touch the the thing until they make sure you know the warranty guidelines. This kind of thing pisses me off.

 

I didn't tell them I knew the follower was toast. However, I did insist on physical inspection of the follower, at my own cost of course. I also informed them of all the maintenance I had done in the past 2 weeks (new PCV, Diverter, N80, spark plugs and coils). I also showed them my receipt for the R&R of the low-pressure fuel sensor done by a non-Audi shop, and I showed them my letter for flapper motor extended warranty - which they confirmed they had already addressed at that dealership (I had forgotten that). I also mentioned I had sporadic sputtering and acceleration issues under light load, and that I had seen the EPC light flash a couple of times.

Long story short, I believe insisting on the cam follower inspection at my own cost was the tipping point.

I'm now wondering if I should follow-up with AoA about the potential follow-on damage from the metal shavings. At least I would have thought Audi would pay for my freaking oil change.