Shops quote $2,000–$3,500 for this one, and the quote usually isn't the ripoff, the job really is that big. Here's what's actually failing, what the correct repair involves, and the honest part: this is not a job I do in a driveway.
The EA113 2.0T FSI drives its high-pressure fuel pump mechanically, off a lobe on the exhaust camshaft. Between the lobe and the pump plunger sits a small bucket-shaped cam follower with a hard DLC coating. That coating is the only thing standing between two hardened steel surfaces under constant load, and on this engine it wears through. Once it does, the pump plunger machines directly into the cam lobe, grinding both down and shedding metal into the engine oil.
The symptoms map the damage: as the lobe wears down, the pump stroke shortens and fuel rail pressure falls, long cranking, rough idle, weak power, and P0087 (fuel rail pressure too low). The metal the wear sheds circulates through the oil system, showing up as glitter on the drain plug or in the filter, scoring bearings and anything else it touches along the way.
Caught early, at the follower-inspection stage, this is a cheap save. Caught late, it's follower, camshaft, usually the HPFP itself, and a thorough oil-system flush to chase out the debris. This is one of the most documented wear items on the EA113, and any car of this era with unknown follower history should treat an inspection as overdue.
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HPFP Cam Follower & Camshaft Replacement is on my published list of jobs I turn down. It needs a hoist, a press or a machine shop, and I work out of driveways with hand tools. That list is public on my trust page. I'd rather lose the job than learn it on your engine, and you should be suspicious of anyone who says yes to this over the phone.
So here's what I can genuinely do for you, holding a $2,000–$3,500 quote. Both are real, both are flat-priced, and both are worth more than a bad yes.
Before you spend $2,000–$3,500, have someone independent confirm that's actually what's wrong. This is a diagnosis, not the repair, no hoist, no lift, nothing comes apart. I scan it, test it, look at it with you, and tell you straight whether their diagnosis holds up. If it does, I say so and you go pay them with confidence.
Book the second opinion →At $2,000–$3,500 on a car that might be worth not much more, plenty of people replace instead of repair, that's a completely reasonable call. If that's where you're heading, get the next car measured before you hand over money: 150 published points, at the seller's location, written report the same day.
Book a pre-purchase inspection →Tell me what you've been quoted and what the car is doing. $100–$250 flat, at your location, and you get a straight answer either way.
Rather just have the quote read? The free quote check tells you whether the number is in line, no visit needed.
Jobs on this car that ARE mine:
Not so you can do it yourself, so you can tell whether the shop quoting you understands the job:
That's the job. It's why this one belongs on a hoist instead of in a driveway, and it's why $2,000–$3,500 usually isn't a ripoff, it's a big repair honestly priced. What's worth checking is whether that's really what your car needs.
Get the diagnosis confirmed firstPlain version: HPFP Cam Follower & Camshaft Replacement needs equipment a driveway doesn't have, a hoist to get under it properly, a press or a machine shop for the parts that come out, and a controlled space for an engine or gearbox that's in pieces for days. I work out of driveways with hand tools. That's not false modesty, it's the published limit of what I take on, and it's listed on my trust page alongside the warranty.
What that means for you: this page is here to tell you what's failing and what it should cost, so you walk into a shop knowing the job instead of nodding at a number. And if you want that number checked before you pay it, that part I can do, $100–$250 flat, at your location.
This failure compounds daily. Every kilometre with a worn-through follower grinds more of the cam lobe away and pumps more metal through your oil system, metal that ends up in bearings, the turbo, everywhere oil goes. The difference between catching it now and catching it later is the difference between a follower and seals versus a camshaft, fuel pump and a contaminated bottom end. If you're seeing P0087 with long cranks, stop racking up kilometres on it.
Service records, or twenty minutes of inspection, the follower is accessible behind the high-pressure pump. If you've bought one of these used with no paperwork, an inspection is the single best preventive check on this engine. We can do it on the spot and show you the wear face.
Yes, it's a wear item on this engine, full stop. Smart owners check it roughly every 30,000–40,000 km. With a healthy cam and a fresh follower it wears slowly, but periodic inspection is what keeps this a one-time repair instead of a repeat story.
No. HPFP Cam Follower & Camshaft Replacement is on my published list of jobs I turn down, it needs a hoist, a press or a machine shop, and I work out of driveways with hand tools. I'd rather lose the job than learn it on your engine.
Two things, and both are real. A second-opinion diagnostic at your car, $100–$250 flat, at your location, so somebody independent confirms that's actually what's wrong before you commit to a $2,000–$3,500 repair. And if you're weighing replacing the car instead of fixing it, a pre-purchase inspection on the replacement, $149–$399 flat, at the seller's location.
Because the useful part isn't the wrench. It's knowing what's actually failing, what the correct repair involves, and that shops quote $2,000–$3,500 for it, so you walk in knowing the job instead of nodding at a number. If you want that number checked before you pay it, that part I can do.
Send it over for a free second opinion. I'll tell you straight what the job actually involves, and if their quote is fair, I'll tell you that too.
Get a Free Second OpinionOther makes:
I'm not the guy who does this repair. I'm the guy who tells you whether you actually need it, before you spend $2,000–$3,500. Second opinion at your car, $100–$250 flat, in Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Brampton and Etobicoke.
Book a Second Opinion Inspect a Replacement CarYour options on this one