Replaced entire fuel system due to HPFP failure

chris2496

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Location
Parkersburg, WV
TDI
2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Took my 2012 Jetta TDI on a three hour road trip in Pennsylvania. Running smooth the entire day, nothing unusual. On the way back I stopped for some food and when I got back in my car to start it, it took longer to start than usual. I'm about to pull out of the parking lot when the glow plug light begins to flash. Park it in a nearby spot, and the engine soon dies. Called my aftermarket warranty company and got it towed to the closest VW dealership (keep in mind I'm on a road trip and in unfamiliar territory). A call a few days later confirms it was a high pressure fuel pump failure. The representative at the dealership explains to me that when the HPFP went out, it sent shavings through out the entire fuel system. They did take a fuel sample and the fuel I had in it was not contaminated.. Long story short, a MONTH and a HALF later, the entire fuel system was replaced. I wish I could show you guys the 3 page receipt they handed me when I came to pick it up, showing everything that was replaced.. I do believe they replaced the HPFP with an updated version so hopefully something catastrophic like this will not happen again..
 

chris2496

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Location
Parkersburg, WV
TDI
2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Quick note, the car has just under 60k miles and I've been up-to-date on every interval service needed. And if anyone else has had an extensive problem like this with their TDI please feel free to drop a reply
 
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JBell

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Location
None
TDI
None
Very well known problem. VW has extended HPFP warranty to 120k miles and will cover barring there is no fuel contamination. Almost everything in the fuel system gets replaced. From what I've read, the HPFP is not redesigned, so the pump will fail again, eventually.

A month and a half is ridiculous though.

Quick question, did you ever run lubricity additives in your fuel?
 

chris2496

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Location
Parkersburg, WV
TDI
2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Very well known problem. VW has extended HPFP warranty to 120k miles and will cover barring there is no fuel contamination. Almost everything in the fuel system gets replaced. From what I've read, the HPFP is not redesigned, so the pump will fail again, eventually.

A month and a half is ridiculous though.

Quick question, did you ever run lubricity additives in your fuel?
No I never ran any additives but I've read about it and some say it's good and some say to stay away from it, I think? But any more information on the topic would be appreciated :) it may be a good idea in the near future. I know some say the pumps in the TDI's are designed for European fuel and we need more lubrication so adding an additive would help it.
 

jbsiegmund

New member
Joined
Sep 18, 2015
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta
Hpfp

My HPFP just went out on my 2013 Jetta. I just rolled 67k miles on the car without any prior issues. Has anyone had this happen to this year model or heard of any one having this issue in there 2013 TDI?
 

chris2496

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Location
Parkersburg, WV
TDI
2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
My HPFP just went out on my 2013 Jetta. I just rolled 67k miles on the car without any prior issues. Has anyone had this happen to this year model or heard of any one having this issue in there 2013 TDI?
From what I've read it's an on-going problem with TDI's. My 2012 ran flawlessly until one day, BAM, the HPFP failed, no warning or symptoms or anything. After the repair its been running like normal again and I really hope it doesn't happen again down the road. I'll continue to post any updates that arise.
 

miningman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Location
alberta
TDI
2003 Golf
So as the owner of a 2003 , and thinking of upgrading , what years were fitted with these defective HPFPs??
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
2009 and up (common rail ) have the not so good cp4 hpfp. I now have a cp3 hpfp kit from 2micron on my 2011 golf. Unlike the cp4, the cp3 is a well engineered design. My car should easily see 300k miles with the mods I've done.
 

bennybmn

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2012
Location
Long Island, NY
TDI
(Formerly) '11 Jetta 6 speed, Alltrack 6MT
2009 and up (common rail ) have the not so good cp4 hpfp. I now have a cp3 hpfp kit from 2micron on my 2011 golf. Unlike the cp4, the cp3 is a well engineered design. My car should easily see 300k miles with the mods I've done.
Do you think simply replacing the pump is a good resolution as opposed to the other 2micron filter kits? Also, do you have a link to a thread where the CP3 is discussed in depth?
Thanks
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
So as the owner of a 2003 , and thinking of upgrading , what years were fitted with these defective HPFPs??
My 2006 BRM is at 156k miles at the only thing major things I have done to it was to replace the craptastic DMF with a SMF and when I did the T/B, I pre-emtivly replaced the cam and lifters because they were just stating to show the tell tale signs of wear. (Known problem on BRM's)

Used I would get a 2006 with a manufacturing date as late in the year as possible, but be prepared to do some maintenance on it.

It would be a lot cheaper than the replace the entire fuel system that you would have to pay for if your CR was out of warranty and the injector pump crapped itself.

What strange about cams on the BEW/BRM unit injector engines is some folks will get 300K miles on them, and some folks have reported getting only70K miles on those cams.
 

JBell

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Location
None
TDI
None
by dealer or shop...too time consuming for me to wrench

Not sure if I've seen a price for an HPFP replacement when it hasn't grenaded. You might be able to work something out when the timing belt is being done though.
 

mfleck74

New member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
West TN
TDI
2013 Passat SE TDI
37k miles - 2013 vw passat tdi- fuel system failure too

My HPFP just went out on my 2013 Jetta. I just rolled 67k miles on the car without any prior issues. Has anyone had this happen to this year model or heard of any one having this issue in there 2013 TDI?
In August 2015, i was driving along and started to turn into a parking lot when my passat just quit running. Wouldn't start back up either. Thank goodness i wasn't on my commute home on the freeway! Towed to the dealership following day. First the dealership sent samples of my fuel off to test to ensure i hadn't contaminated my fuel. (I knew i hadn't!). Few days later, they call and tell me that it was covered by my warranty- complete fuel system failure, supposedly even had metal shavings in my tank & lines. They explained it along these lines...diesel here in US lacks the lubricity vs Europe. Additionally, they said that this is definitely more of a problem in the summertime and not wintertime. They claimed we have the exact same fuel systems here as they do there. In Europe, they never have that problem. (hmmm...should I believe this given the dieselgate :)) They proceeded to "tell" me (not write this down...i don't think i can find it in writing) that i would know have to add diesel fuel additive every time i fueled up. Wow...seriously?? Would have been nice to have known this...i'm just saying. Meanwhile something very similar happened to my friends BMI x5 diesel- hers just wouldn't start up. It sounded to me like they did the same thing they did to mine. However, the BMW service tech looked at her like she had 2 heads when she inquired about the US diesel being caustic and lacking "lubricity." He thought that was a bunch of bull. I don't know...i'm sort of pissed. Who knows??!!
 

993er

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Location
Canada
TDI
None
I know some say the pumps in the TDI's are designed for European fuel and we need more lubrication so adding an additive would help it.
I don't believe most info coming from forums, but if that is truly the case, where fuel here is not the same as fuel there, then they should keep the cars in their own market or redesign the part to tolerate the conditions of other markets.

I really would have zero tolerance for a case like this where the cost of repair far exceeds the fuel savings over the years.
 

mfleck74

New member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
West TN
TDI
2013 Passat SE TDI
I don't believe most info coming from forums, but if that is truly the case, where fuel here is not the same as fuel there, then they should keep the cars in their own market or redesign the part to tolerate the conditions of other markets.

I really would have zero tolerance for a case like this where the cost of repair far exceeds the fuel savings over the years.

That was my thought too- "redesign the part to tolerate the conditions"...by the way, if anyone is interested- here's my receipts...
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j800qdf4vnd8h63/AADufoWDxkYJKR8LP5H6uGHra?dl=0
 

993er

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Location
Canada
TDI
None
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mfleck74

New member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
West TN
TDI
2013 Passat SE TDI
They installed a "remanufactured" HPFP.

Huh...thanks for the heads-up. I guess I didn't look close enough at this detail. By the time I got my car back, I was just happy to have it - wasn't too keen on the loaner. But you're absolutely correct- this is under warranty - should be a new part not remanufactured.
 

993er

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Location
Canada
TDI
None
But you're absolutely correct- this is under warranty - should be a new part not remanufactured.
I am not impressed with remanufactured alternators from Bosch after reading their list of what they do such as turn down the slip rings instead of replacing them.

It depends how far they go in the remanufacturing process of any part.
 

John_Nutt

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
2011 Jetta Comfortline TDI with a DSG automatic 6 speed
Well I am new to diesel, Diesel engines, and I just got my first tdi 6 months ago. When I bought the car I contacted a diesel mechanic friend of mine, he said to use an additive every fill up because the new ulsd doesn't have the same lubricating properties.
I did a bunch of research and found a product called Stanadyne, it meets vw spec for low ash or whatever it is.
http://stanadyneadditives.com/lubricity-formula/
 
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Gumbojones55

Active member
Joined
Jun 26, 2013
Location
California High Desert
TDI
2012 Jetta
Sorry to hear this. I just had this happen to my 2012 back in September. $5K later I have a new fuel system. Get ahold of Andrew at 2micron. He has some inline filters that will protect your fuel system if it happens again.
 

xaM-D

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Location
NC
TDI
2011 Jetta TDi; 2011 Touareg TDi
Well I am new to diesel, Diesel engines, and I just got my first tdi 6 months ago. When I bought the car I contacted a diesel mechanic friend of mine, he said to use an additive every fill up because the new ulsd doesn't have the same lubricating properties.
I did a bunch of research and found a product called Stanadyne, it meets vw spec for low ash or whatever it is.
http://stanadyneadditives.com/lubricity-formula/

Not a fan of Stanadyne since they sold the additive division to a different company. Not saying that it's bad but, I've just noticed something different since. I've used them for a while.

I actually switched back to Optilube XPD then found another good product called 'Full Torque' from A company called Lubrication Engineers. I tried their product and I definitely felt a difference! I'm switching to 'Full Torque' exclusively once gallon of Optilube is gone.
 

xaM-D

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Location
NC
TDI
2011 Jetta TDi; 2011 Touareg TDi
What "difference" did you "feel"?
Now, to be clear, this is just the 'seat of my pants' feel... After using Optilube XPD and Stanadyne then back to Optilube to Full Torque, the engine seems to have that 'lighter' feel during acceleration. The Full Torque also has Cetane booster (3 points) which I'm sure made the difference. I used this only in the Jetta which I drive every single day for work. 150K of diesel additive use with each fill up.

The Touareg used Lubro-Moly diesel additive (bought from IDParts), Stanadyne, Optilube XPD. Haven't tried Full Torque in her yet. Once I used the gallon of Optilube XPD then I will make Full Torque for both.
 

Fixmy59bug

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, NV
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE
They installed a "remanufactured" HPFP.

But you're absolutely correct- this is under warranty - should be a new part not remanufactured.
To be fair though, the law only states the manufacturer must install new parts on unsold vehicles. So if something fails before a customer takes delivery of a brand new car, only then must a brand new part be installed.

Anytime after initial delivery during the warranty period, the manufacturer is free to use remanufactured parts (NOT recycled or used) parts that meet or exceed manufacturer specifications.
 

Chrismak

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Location
Brewster, NY
TDI
2005 Pasatt TDI , 2008 Mercdes E-320 Bluetec, 1983 300D mercedes (Sold :-(
Hey Robert,
Since you work for the dealer you may have insight on this.
I'm considering buying a 2013 TDI (dah) Jetta with 72k on clock.

This is a NY rebuilt title. I have before pictures and the car looks like a light hit on front and got sandwiched maybe between trucks or such. Damage to each side doors etc.
It had no airbag deployment and has met the NY safety spec etc.

My question does VW America still honor the warranty on a rebuilt or branded title?

I'm not familiar with the HPFP failure coming from a B5.5 Passat that I'm not stranger to .

Does the 2 micron filter help the pump or just saves the rest of system if it gremades.
I did read somewhere that they had upgraded the roller bearings , not sure how true it is.

Appreciate response and any other words of advice , warning etc.

Chris
 

redbarron55

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
The 2 Micron system does a couple of things for you.
1. The added filter keeps the swarf from the faile pump from getting into the re-circulation loop of the fuel system. No flakes in the main fuel filter. They are caught in the added filter.
2. The re-circulation through the added 2 micron filter actually polishes the fuel since the pumps circulate more fuel than is used and the contents of the tank pass through more than once. This filtration lowers the contaminants in the overall system from what you got at the pump.
3. The second part of the system uses filtered fuel instead of fuel bypasses from the return flow to feed the high pressure side of the pump protecting the injectors and the associated fuel lines.
Overall I am very satisfied with the system on my 2009 JSW. I have had no HPFP problems and if at 250,000 miles the pump goes out I feel that it will protect the rest of the system.
It also provides the addition protection by polishing the fuel on board. Worth every penny for those of us who put on lots of miles and keep cars for a while.
I hope to be able to buy one for my 2013 when it gets close to the magic miles here warranty is no longer in force.
I think Andrew is taking a holiday until this Dieselgate thing sorts out, but he has done very good work and I appreciate his efforts greatly.
And as an aside to Andrew--- How is the trailer working out for you? I am about to get my Scamp 16 back on the road after a rebuild.

My local Chevron has this.



This is what you want to see when you fill up.
These filters have water eliminators and plug up rather than pass water.
 
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