Timing belt change at 55k?????

[windyctyaudi]

So the stealership called me and asked me to bring my car in to fix a few recalls I have neglected to take care of, in the process they checked out my timing belt due to the recent class action suit and they said it needs to be changed, is this really possible at 55k? He quoted my at almost $1400 for parts labor.

[dougyfresh]

I replaced mine at 60k just for good measure. I operate on 60k intervals.

[gq9]

I'm at 92k...really need to get on that lol

[Papachristou]

some people say it can be related to how hard you drive but im fairly tough on mine and i had 77k when i did mine and it was perfect. i would wait till at least 75k before doing it unless they can show you a heavily cracked belt

oh and DIY for about $300 in parts/beer

[A4ringedONE8T]

Changed mine at 57k

[dougyfresh]

I'm at 92k...really need to get on that lol

Haha. Yes you do. In due time, as we've discussed.

[ZGSON]

Mine wasn't done until 98k, and it cost around $700 at a Audi stealership. So basically my scenario was the exact opposite of yours lol.

[sergeA4]

dont you know anyone that works on audis except the stealership, my mechanic who used to work at audi does it for 400, if you could find someone or a european shop try that it will be much cheaper

[Papachristou]

$700 is reasonable.. $1500 is a ripoff

[windyctyaudi]

I think I will go ahead and change it soon,considering i will be moving to a remote part of arizona soon.

[gq9]

Haha. Yes you do. In due time, as we've discussed.

Yeah no kidding, sooner or later.

[1/4 scale]

I change mine at 60k and it was in very good shape. My water pump however was toast (impeller separated from the shaft), so 55k is not unreasonable to change the TB, pump, tensioner, and serpentine acc. belt. It is good practice on these engines given the mileage you have.

[cjonesgo]

I change mine at 60k and it was in very good shape. My water pump however was toast (impeller separated from the shaft), so 55k is not unreasonable to change the TB, pump, tensioner, and serpentine acc. belt. It is good practice on these engines given the mileage you have.

x2

the belt itself is rarely to blame. 90% of the time it is a failure of the (original plastic impeller) water pump.

My pump was on the way out when I did my belt at 60k. It had developed a small leak and once off the car i could feel the bearings were very very bad.

[partyboy88420]

I got mine done at 56 K and the dealership told me 1300. Got it done for 800 at a euro shop by where i live

[etnies]

holy cow i have 140,000 on my 04 and have never done it ahahha

[AudiA4_20T]

holy cow i have 140,000 on my 04 and have never done it ahahha

thats funny until it snaps and your motor turns into mash potatoes

[monkey323i]

holy cow i have 140,000 on my 04 and have never done it ahahha

wow, how could you still be laughing?!

km or mile for that 140k ?


if it's 140k mile, u should really be thankful that the water pump and belt still alive and you didnt have to pay for $5000+ repair. Stealship charge $7000+.

if it's 140k km, then really have to get it done asap or we will see your TB or Waterpump failure post here soon. see if you can still type "haha" at that time then.


In my stealership, they only got one B6 timing belt case that it broke at 69k mile. cost to repair $7000+.

Audi changed the schedule to 70k miles, some stealership say 60k.

They received a lot of cases where waterpump failed before 70k.


anwayz, I called in for 5 different audi stealerships for AVK-3.0 engine's timing belt service. All of them quote around $1400+.

[Audituning02]

Timing belt on an 02 should not cost more than $800 to $850 Max! Parts labor and that is everything, tensioners, water pump etc.. I changed mine at 75k even though my owners manual says not needed to 110k but thats obviously a bunch of shiat if they have sent out that recall.

[naiku]

thats funny until it snaps and your motor turns into mash potatoes

Yup, had that happen to me on a previous vehicle. Seriously, you will not be laughing when it snaps. The car I had it snap on was not as expensive to maintain as an Audi and it still cost me the better part of $2500 in repairs :(

Sad part was I had been planning to get it in and replaced as part of routine maintenance anyway. Don't risk it!!

[LampyB]

damn man, a 55K t-belt change is absurd. so you're going to have to replace it for the second time at around 100K? give me a break, if this really is the case audi is producing extremely cheap parts. 75K is understandable, but anything earlier than that is ridiculous IMO. if it needs to be done then go ahead and have the job done, but it really pisses me off. my uncle had a dodge minivan that went to 300K before he sold it, and the t-belt wasn't ever even changed.

[Capt. Obvious]

^^^ THANK YOU. Someone who's reasonable. My car just hit 90k and I'm going to change my timing belt in the next couple weeks. I inspect it regularly and it's in perfectly fine condition.

Those of you who change them at 50k must like spending money and tearing stuff apart.

[dougyfresh]

damn man, a 55K t-belt change is absurd. so you're going to have to replace it for the second time at around 100K? give me a break, if this really is the case audi is producing extremely cheap parts. 75K is understandable, but anything earlier than that is ridiculous IMO. if it needs to be done then go ahead and have the job done, but it really pisses me off. my uncle had a dodge minivan that went to 300K before he sold it, and the t-belt wasn't ever even changed.

It all comes down to how much risk are you willing to take?

With the plastic impeller water pumps you're doing yourself a favor by changing the timing belt and pump out around 60k. Risk is high that the impeller will break and/or separate and you're f'd.

With the metal impeller water pumps the risk is lower so you can probably go a longer interval.

On my motor... Making the power its making. I am conservative with my intervals and changing things sooner rather than later. Preventative maintenance is the key.

[1/4 scale]

Again ... issues related to TB failure seem to relate to faulty H20 pumps and tensioners. These parts are cheap, and in my opinion, Audi needs to hold their manufactures to higher standards, but it also has to do with design and engineering. BMW had the same problem with exploding H20 pumps (not much good after 60k of use). Fortunately they used timing chains as opposed to replaceable belts .... but if they did use belts, that also drove other accessories, then we would see the same problem on low mileage cars.

From a design stand point, Audi 1.8T engines should have run the TB independently from the H20 pump.

[NightRoller USP]

I thought that if your TB broke before a certian mileage that audi would replace it. I have some kind of warranty on just my motor and tranny through audi. (came with my car)

[misterjj2u]

So here's a question: does Audi offer a metal impeller water pump? Or are all of the replacements plastic?

[jbrown7815]

Mine was done 65k

[4Rings3Liters]

If they told you it needs changed it probably does. You can always look at it yourself and check for excessive wear.

[traf818]

remote part of arizona soon.

LOL

[traf818]

Oh and i did my timing belt at 49K.

[NyteEscape]

changed mine around 65k miles. timing belt was fine, however the water pump was leaking onto the block, which i assume would leak coolant onto the belt and make it flexible and break...

[BSIXER]

We need to find out how many B6 timing belts have failed before 100K miles. I bet its only about 5% of all mfg.

The stealership is telling you to do it at 55K miles so they can cover audi's ass and make a sale. This whole TB issue is BS IMO, does anyone have statistics, numbers? Has anyone's TB snapped on a B6 here on Audizine? I think I have seen like one maybe.

What Remote part of AZ are you moving to?

[04QuattroTurbo]

I mentioned this before, but I called the dealership regarding my timing belt and the CPO warranty. I bought the car at a little over 56K. I was wondering why didn't they just change the Timing belt, as most manufacturers would when it is that close to 60K. I owned a CPO Toyota Tacoma at 50K they changed the belt. Anyway, they told me that it is not scheduled for my car until 75K. Then I asked, "If it breaks before then would the warranty cover it?"

"Yes, also if it(the timing belt) breaks and your valves, etc. breaks with it, Audi will get you a new engine.", Audi Elkgrove Service Manager said.

[NightRoller USP]

Yeah my buddy has a 03 a4 and his water pump failed, he messed his motor up really bad and audi gave him a new one!!!

[1/4 scale]

Here's a link that explains what is involved for the TB/H20 replacement. The ugly H20 pump is mine.

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng99.shtml

[cjonesgo]

Again, the thing that a lot of folks still do not seem to understand is that there is nothing wrong with the timing belt itself. When I did my timing job (60k), the belt itself looked almost new. No wear, no cracks, no worn teeth. The painted labels were barely worn.
Because the water pump is in line with the rest of the timing components, AND because it is a pain in the ass to get to, you might as well do everything all at once. On many other cars the access is a bit better so you can swap out individual components (water pump etc) without doing the whole job. 300k on a belt is one thing, 300k on a water pump is a different story.

If you feel like rolling the dice and saving a couple bucks, swap the water pump and reuse the rest. For my money, I'd go ahead and do it right.

I have heard (but do not know for sure) that Audi changed to they metal impeller water pump in 04. Anyone confirm?

[initiala4]

changed mine around 55k ish too, but paid way way less than 1400bucks

[ggar015]

got mine done at around 80k

[brewmastr]

changed mine at 60k due to leakage and bearing noise from the water pump, the belt looked great but there is absolutely no point in reusing a $30.00 belt when you go through the labor for replacement anyhow. like everyone here is saying, its the water pump not the belt that you need to be worried about, and there have been quite a few audizine horror stories of water pump failures causing belt failure's out there. i figured i did my first at 60k, i put a metal impeller pump on, my next t-belt will probably be at 150k

[ZGSON]

The timing belt myth is on all cars. I just talked to my buddy last night who owns a Hyundia Santa Fe and he was told by the dealer he needs to do it at 60,000 miles. I bought my car with 97,000 miles and replaced the timing belt for the first time a month or so after I bought it.

[forumjp23]

What are the Intervals on a 02 3.0? I have 91k