[shuswap]

Hi,
Well, unfortunately, I'm shopping for a new cam, as the original has multiple worn lobes at 87,000 miles. So, seeking helpful viewpoints on the following:

*How long could I expect a replacement cam/follower to last?
....if it's only 87k, then this diesel will soon be finding another home

*How can I tell which replacement parts are the best available?
....it won't be OEM stuff

*Do I need to purchase and learn how to operate the VAGCOM thing?
....sounds like a great tool, but I have too many things and may not purchase another VW, which I was planning to do, based on this event. If VW can't design a camshaft....after many years of failures......

*Has anyone developed a reasonable mod to improve lubrication of the camshaft lobe and bearings?
....FWIW...My original VW 2005 owners manual spec'd 505.00 5W40 and I followed the manual precisely, with shortened intervals. Dealer advised they used Castrol Syntec, I complied with that suggestion.

I had just rec'd the Timing Belt kit from DieselGeek....now thinking, pondering, mulling over doing the camshaft as well.

I've rec'd some useful thoughts about specific oil usage going forward, but this was on another site.

Many thanks!
Greg

 

[armor1]

Have you tried Germanautoparts.com ?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Can't predict how long a new part will last....as long as you buy OEM equivalent parts you should be OK.

You don't have to buy vag com, now called VCDS, to do the timing belt or replace the camshaft. However, if you cna find someone local with VCDS to set the camshaft timing you should because it may be slightly off after doing the timing belt.

Franko6 does a modification service where he drills out an oil hole in the cap. It increases oiling and it may help. It's just a theory but it makes sense to me. IMHO, good design should have some tolerance for user error but even those who use the right oil have gotten cam wear. Here is Franko6's contact info: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/forum/members/franko6/

FYI, PD engine oil is 505.01 not 505.00, perhaps that was a typo? 5w-40 should protect the camshaft better than 5w-30 or 0w-30 which many people have used.

Lastly, if you do the timing belt and have a worn camshaft, replacing the camshaft is the obvious thing to do because otherwise you'll have to do the TB again.

 

[shuswap]

FYI, PD engine oil is 505.01 not 505.00, perhaps that was a typo? 5w-40 should protect the camshaft better than 5w-30 or 0w-30 which many people have used.

Thanks Chitty....two things:

Unfortunately....how can you tell if you have the best available parts?? I would have though the German engineers would get it right.

Secondly: There was no typo on the oil spec. The Owner's manual supplied with this vehicle specifically states that the oil must be VW505.00 spec, in a 5W40 weight. I called the dealer when I began to look after this car and was told that they use Castrol Syntec.....and to get whatever grade the owner's manual suggested (new-to-me wife bought this car new at the dealer....this is one of the reasons I kinda took a shine to her!!)

So, I dutifully went shopping for a 5W40 Castrol Syntec oil that met the VW505.00 spec. Having found that I used this oil religiously for the next 45,000 miles+/-, changing it at the 6,000 mile mark.
When the time came for a TB replacement, I began doing some serious reading.....only to discover that the oil spec was supposed to be 505.01, according to this and other sites. Thinking I'd screwed up royally, I grabbed the manual.....only to confirm the VW505.00 specification was the oil spec'd in the Owner's manual, which came with the car. In no way did I take any oil-related shortcuts....I thoroughly like the whole idea of turbo-assisted diesel engines.

VW has probably lost a buyer of at least two new TDI wagons over this lack of engineering competence. If they had made a mistake on the valve train and stood up I would mumble 'whatever' and not let that dissuade me from the new TDIs, but they have built several years of this failed item and refused to act in a way that makes me comfortable.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble!

PS:....they seem to know how to engineer front brakes though....it's at 88k miles and they aren't even on my list yet!!
Thanks,
Greg

 

[shuswap]

Have you tried Germanautoparts.com ?

I've asked them what they offer, as they only mention the earlier engine when listing camshafts

 

[Seatman]

I must admit, that sucks the way some of you are getting this camshaft wear on such new cars. Have you tried emailing vw about it? Not that you'll get a reply but I would have expected them to make a redisigned tougher shaft or something.

 

[Stefan2006]

I must admit, that sucks the way some of you are getting this camshaft wear on such new cars. Have you tried emailing vw about it? Not that you'll get a reply but I would have expected them to make a redisigned tougher shaft or something.

You already bought the car, bye bye! That's the problem with German cars, dealership service and although you get state of the art technology it isn't tested as well as it should be. Japanese cars might not be as advanced in some areas but the reliability is certainly appealing and the dealers are generally better.

 

[shuswap]

I must admit, that sucks the way some of you are getting this camshaft wear on such new cars. Have you tried emailing vw about it? Not that you'll get a reply but I would have expected them to make a redisigned tougher shaft or something.

Hi Seat, I am pretty disappointed in VW. It will cost them future sales with me, of that I am certain. Here in Canada, sad to say, unless you want a HUGE diesel pick-up truck, VW is the only supplier of diesel engines for automobiles!

I spent 2 weeks driving a Ford Fiesta 1.4 Turbodiesel when in the UK and loved it! Averaged 59mpg(imperial) and I flogged it some, too. Of course, I had to....just to keep up with traffic. I remember one instance where I was ripping around a round-about and I floored it approaching the exit(while watching the mother-in-law's head (behind me)snapping side to side) and when shifting my gaze to the traffic behind was startled to see a 75-something grandma on my bumper pushing me faster!!

I may contact VW, but we'll see....I'm growing tired of fighting manufacturers BS. It recently took me 120 minutes of on-phone time to get a warrant replacement of my HP laptop's battery.....and it clearly a warranty issue and it only cost HP $21 USD. I wonder how they can justify spending staff time that way??
Greg

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Hi Seat, I am pretty disappointed in VW. It will cost them future sales with me, of that I am certain. Here in Canada, sad to say, unless you want a HUGE diesel pick-up truck, VW is the only supplier of diesel engines for automobiles!

I spent 2 weeks driving a Ford Fiesta 1.4 Turbodiesel when in the UK and loved it! Averaged 59mpg(imperial) and I flogged it some, too. Of course, I had to....just to keep up with traffic. I remember one instance where I was ripping around a round-about and I floored it approaching the exit(while watching the mother-in-law's head (behind me)snapping side to side) and when shifting my gaze to the traffic behind was startled to see a 75-something grandma on my bumper pushing me faster!!

I may contact VW, but we'll see....I'm growing tired of fighting manufacturers BS. It recently took me 120 minutes of on-phone time to get a warrant replacement of my HP laptop's battery.....and it clearly a warranty issue and it only cost HP $21 USD. I wonder how they can justify spending staff time that way??
Greg

Watch out for HP dv series laptops. They are well known for overheating due to dirty fans/heat sinks and poor soldering on the video chip. Instead of shutting down to cool itself off, the solder cracks. Older ones laptops had a class action suit over it, newer ones are out of luck even though they had the same problem. Squaretrade.com, the 3rd party warranty did a survey based on their claims and found HP laptops to be the worst in reliability, probably because of this design problem. Meanwhile, my 10 year old Toshiba laptop still works great, albeit with upgraded HD and memory.

 

[shuswap]

Watch out for HP dv series laptops. They are well known for overheating due to dirty fans/heat sinks and poor soldering on the video chip. Instead of shutting down to cool itself off, the solder cracks. Older ones laptops had a class action suit over it, newer ones are out of luck even though they had the same problem. Squaretrade.com, the 3rd party warranty did a survey based on their claims and found HP laptops to be the worst in reliability, probably because of this design problem. Meanwhile, my 10 year old Toshiba laptop still works great, albeit with upgraded HD and memory.

Thanks Chitty, I'm going to check the other HP laptop that dang near smokes it gets so hot. My dv6-2043ca was doing the heat thing until I replaced the battery, now it runs much cooler. The comp has been reliable, except for that issue, albeit only 1 yr old.

 

[txrider]

Thanks Chitty....two things:

Unfortunately....how can you tell if you have the best available parts?? I would have though the German engineers would get it right.

Secondly: There was no typo on the oil spec. The Owner's manual supplied with this vehicle specifically states that the oil must be VW505.00 spec, in a 5W40 weight. I called the dealer when I began to look after this car and was told that they use Castrol Syntec.....and to get whatever grade the owner's manual suggested (new-to-me wife bought this car new at the dealer....this is one of the reasons I kinda took a shine to her!!)

So, I dutifully went shopping for a 5W40 Castrol Syntec oil that met the VW505.00 spec. Having found that I used this oil religiously for the next 45,000 miles+/-, changing it at the 6,000 mile mark.
When the time came for a TB replacement, I began doing some serious reading.....only to discover that the oil spec was supposed to be 505.01, according to this and other sites. Thinking I'd screwed up royally, I grabbed the manual.....only to confirm the VW505.00 specification was the oil spec'd in the Owner's manual, which came with the car. In no way did I take any oil-related shortcuts....I thoroughly like the whole idea of turbo-assisted diesel engines.

VW has probably lost a buyer of at least two new TDI wagons over this lack of engineering competence. If they had made a mistake on the valve train and stood up I would mumble 'whatever' and not let that dissuade me from the new TDIs, but they have built several years of this failed item and refused to act in a way that makes me comfortable.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble!

PS:....they seem to know how to engineer front brakes though....it's at 88k miles and they aren't even on my list yet!!
Thanks,
Greg

You definitely have been using the wrong oil in your PD. I bought my '04 TDI new in November 2003 and recall hearing reports on Fred's TDI forum that some of the early owners manuals did in fact mistakenly specify 505.00. This is the oil for pre PD motors. My manual specified 505.01, along with a hang tag on the mirror. Perhaps you could make a case for warranty based on your manual having bad information.

An afterthought: Take a look at another '05 PD owners book and you'll see where VW warned of dire consequences if 505.01 wasn't used. "Severe engine damage" was the way I think they put it in the manual and on the hang tag.

 

[Seatman]

"I spent 2 weeks driving a Ford Fiesta 1.4 Turbodiesel when in the UK and loved it! Averaged 59mpg(imperial) and I flogged it some, too. Of course, I had to....just to keep up with traffic. I remember one instance where I was ripping around a round-about and I floored it approaching the exit(while watching the mother-in-law's head (behind me)snapping side to side) and when shifting my gaze to the traffic behind was startled to see a 75-something grandma on my bumper pushing me faster!!"

Lol it can be like that over here especially in some opf the cities.