accurate estimates or getting bent over

[verymickey]

hey guys.
the serp belt blew on my car the other day. Took it to the dealer (they are the closest) and this is what they told me they found after taking an initial look.

• Found broken serpentine belt cost $745.00 and would need to makes sure no other damage,
• Battery $320.00
• Valve cover gasket leaking $725.00
• Upper control arm bushing split $1135.00

Me doing the work isn't really an option, while I love doing things with my hands have no experience with this nor the tools. I don't mind paying for the work to be done but I also do not want to be bent over. And when i see $320 for a battery, well i start to feel that way.

The advice i am looking for right now is...

1. how inflated are the prices I am being quoted.
2. how difficult/complicated (1-10) are they for a mechanic at a regular (non audi dealer) shop to do?
3. how safe/dangerous is it to drive with a split bushing in the control arm (ie if i got the serp belt done at dealer and did the control arms elsewhere)

thanks in advance!

[65vetteC6]

745 for a serp belt?? Id say you're getting bent over. Go to an indy shop, maybe excelerate performance is within a good distance to you.

[arrogntbastrd06]

745 for a serp belt?? Id say you're getting bent over. Go to an indy shop, maybe excelerate performance is within a good distance to you.

I agree

[brooklynA42004]

I purchased the OEM belt and pulley for under $150 and another $150 to install at the shop.

[verymickey]

745 for a serp belt?? Id say you're getting bent over. Go to an indy shop, maybe excelerate performance is within a good distance to you.

that was my gut reaction too.. Just seems like a lot of money for a belt job.

I would love taking it to excelerate but would be a 45mile tow... then again i do have AAA with the 100mile tows included...

[Slow4]

What kind of battery is $320? my old interstate battery cost me like $120 and weighed 75lbs.
$720 for valve cover gaskets? you can do it yourself for 75% less or have an indy do it for half the price. if DIY, don't strip the torx
Upper control arm bushing split costs $1100? buy the FCP Groton Option3 kit, take it to an indy and have your entire suspension refreshed for that price (or less)

[Sales@DriveAuto]

Any good Euro indy can tackle that - none of those are particularly complicated. I would volunteer us, but we're probably too far of a tow to make it economical.

[Silver Streakin]

The valve cover gaskets are way over priced too. They're $30-40 / side and the only issue is getting that back bolt out. Seems like too labor here. What's their hourly rate? They're just going my by book time. Whereas, an indy will typical charge for actual time.

Is that $1100 for all control arms or just 1? It better be all.

No way I'd pay these prices.

This is why I turn a wrench.

[Crispy Waffle]

I got a new battery and it was $150 so unless your getting 2 batteries then that is outrageous. Also when I first got the car, I got the entire front control arm kit for $500 and it was another $300 for install.

Sounds like you can tow it to some place on AAA's dime so I would do that.

[SlickFix]

You're getting bent over, friend. Find yourself a reputable independent shop that specializes in German cars. If you can't wrench yourself, that's your next best option.

[verymickey]

What kind of battery is $320? my old interstate battery cost me like $120 and weighed 75lbs.

yea this was the one item on the list that I knew was just ridiculous. Battery isn't even bad. On the phone the service rep was like, "well your battery is dead so you will want to replace that.." No shit it's dead, the belt is in pieces and has no way of charging. I had AAA test my battery the other day, it's not perfect but its not limp either.

$720 for valve cover gaskets? you can do it yourself for 75% less or have an indy do it for half the price. if DIY, don't strip the torx
Upper control arm bushing split costs $1100? buy the FCP Groton Option3 kit, take it to an indy and have your entire suspension refreshed for that price (or less)

I spent 10min googling for a video showing how this was done.. Seems like it cant be that difficult but then again those words are often followed by 'good lord what have i done...'

[Audibot]

Seriously getting bent over. ~$150 will get you a nice Optima Red Top. Serpentine belt being disconnected should not damage any components, though I would spin all the pulleys/idlers to make sure they're ok. Upper control arms are cheap, and if you have access to ramps/lift, should be an easy fix (minus the pinch bolt, if it's corroded in there). Should be able to get them real cheap from FCP Euro (which is conveniently in CT).

[Vertol]

Your are getting bent over hard.......without any lubrication.

[TEB]

The most reasonable price there looks like the serp belt. If they are putting it in service position it's going to take a few hours. I was in a pinch for time once and had an independent shop in Tucson fix my alternator (it had a broken bolt) which required service position to get the broken bolt out. Total cost wasn't much less than your $700.

Although, often independent shops have acquired some short cuts over time to reduce the labor -- no idea if it's possible to do the belt without SP?

[nucciOMG]

$320 for a battery is rough. I just got an Optima Redtop 34R for ~190.

[Fritz_S4]

Service position takes 15 mins to get there and 30 mins to put back on (being generous so they have time to align the bumper), so 1hr at most to put it in service and revert back. It doesn't take much more than 15-20 mins to remove and replace the serpentine belt and pulley once you're in service position. So at most a dealer/indie can charge 2 hrs (even that is pushing it) for the belt replacement. At $150/hr and $300 for the belt and pulley you're looking at $600+tax.

That $600+tax is still way too much to be paying for this service though, just wanted to show OP just how badly he is being shafted with these quotes.

If I were you I'd take my car elsewhere if I had the choice.

[VinnysS4]

The most reasonable price there looks like the serp belt. If they are putting it in service position it's going to take a few hours. I was in a pinch for time once and had an independent shop in Tucson fix my alternator (it had a broken bolt) which required service position to get the broken bolt out. Total cost wasn't much less than your $700.

Although, often independent shops have acquired some short cuts over time to reduce the labor -- no idea if it's possible to do the belt without SP?

I just had my S4 in service position last night. After doing it a few times, you're looking more towards 15 minutes to get it into service position, 5 minutes to take the belt off and remove the tensioner. 5 minutes cleaning the area, 5 minutes putting components back on, and 20 minutes putting the car back together. An hour tops unless you lolligag while doing it. The vavle covers can be a real bitch if you dont have the right "mini" volkswagen wrench or supporting torx bits and "stuff that works" to remove the rear bolt. I did mine not too long ago. If it wasnt for me painting them, i would have spent an hour doing the gaskets. $320 for a battery is about right for an Audi at an Audi dealer. thats what they quoted me. Better off just buying a regular battery and throwing it in. The s4's dont have a BEM system do they? I just threw a cheap battery into my car buy it has a 3 or 5 year warranty. If it dies before i sell the car (not likely) i will just replace it under warranty. Battery replacement takes north of 10 minutes so i cannot see the added labor for that being that much. Audi charges $143 for the batteries here in oregon.(not installed) and Upper control arm bushings? Mine are bad and im anticipating them costing 4 or 5 hundred for the entire control arm kit. You could always buy the $120 chinese knockoff ones off of fleabay, but im sure they wont last a year. The control arm bushings...i can see the labor involved in them.. In the end...yes you're getting bent over.
Take your car and run

[RedS4avant]

Call AAA get your car away from that dealer as fast as you can.

[Guitarmageddon]

Ok, I had similar work done and here are prices paid.

This was done at Audi of tysons, and I did overpay because NGP quoted a couple hundred less (called them after tysons already had the car apart and I was impatient and stupid at the time) Of that total amount for the control arm bushings, My warranty paid for 925 of it.


This was my serpentine/pulley from this summer. Of this, I paid 58 dollars and warranty paid the rest


As for the battery, I bought an autocraft plantinum AGM and that thing held up for like 100 miles of driving after the serpentine went
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/a...14920|L2*15000
$203.99 for that...

And as for the valve cover gaskets, had those also done at NGP this summer. Heres that invoice. Warranty covered all but 98. Had to get an 02 sensor changed then as well because it went bad. Sorry about the crap photo crop.

[xhackerekx]

u can done this u self and case of beer for 700 .

[Lucca M]

For almost 3k total i will drive to ct with all the parts install it for you and bring one nj slut with me to give you complimentary blow job


Maaan. You can probably get everything done for around 1000$ plus parts like someone said fcp is in ct and they have good prices or europaparts in nj.

[verymickey]

For almost 3k total i will drive to ct with all the parts install it for you and bring one nj slut with me to give you complimentary blow job

i like where this is going

[Slow4]

For almost 3k total i will drive to ct with all the parts install it for you and bring one nj slut with me to give you complimentary blow job


Maaan. You can probably get everything done for around 1000$ plus parts like someone said fcp is in ct and they have good prices or europaparts in nj.

That's a terrible deal, NJ sluts are so mechanical with their BJs; find a CT Rican chick and I'll come up to help with shenanigans. OP can use the money he saves and throw us a party!

[arrogntbastrd06]

That's a terrible deal, NJ sluts are so mechanical with their BJs; fine a CT Rican chick and I'll come up to help with shenanigans. OP can use the money he saves and throw us a party!

This is getting way out of hand... or should I say, mouth.

[Audibot]

This is getting way out of hand... or should I say, mouth.

[Slow4]

This is getting way out of hand... or should I say, mouth.

Nah, just trying to keep the OP from blowing his wad on those money grubbing vacuums

[Lucca M]

Nah, just trying to keep the OP from blowing his wad on those money grubbing vacuums

Hey maybe its because the one you got had adams apple? and about rican chicks. I guess you havent been to newark or elizabeth in last few years haha...


On a serious note... When and where is the party?

[kevinye77137]

I wish OP was a girl so I can bend her over and whip her with a serpentine belt

[Quadfreak]

I was quoted about $650 for serp. belt after my car snapped the tensioner, sheared the bolt head off the idler pulley and shredded the belt in my driveway 2 days ago. Pretty frustrating as I just replaced all of that myself about 45k miles ago.

That was parts and labor from my Indy shop. Seemed high to me, but I needed the car done ASAP (and don't have time to do it myself) so I went with it. I will be interested in seeing the cost breakdown when I pick it up tomorrow. But if they're charging you that JUST to replace the belt??? You're getting bent over...

[badger.]

When I first got my car about a month in my belt shredded itself 2 hours from home. I paid nearly $400 at an indy shop for just a new belt install. Man that sucked so hard. No new tensioner or pulley. They tried to sell me them but it was quoted like $750+ after parts, I said no way. Still the hardest $400 bill I've had to swallow on this car.


I immediately bought another new belt, a new tensioner, and new idler pulley (maybe $200-220 total?) online that week and did it all over again myself at home the following weekend. That lasted me 80k miles until last month when something started squeaking so I just bought the new JHM autotensioner kit :)

[WinterRunner]

Excelerate is great, Josh will take care of you.

[VinnysS4]

OP..for the belt, you don't need very many tools. Some torx bits, Allen wrenches and a simple metric wrench and socket combo. It's fairly easy and quick. I'm sure there is a diy floating around. There is a video on YouTube that's very helpful. The battery and valve cover gaskets are fairly easy diy repairs as well. I'd leave the control arms for guys who normally do them if you have no experience with them. Go buy a cheap 50 dollar tool combo that has all of this and we can get you through this a lot cheaper

[Lucca M]

Dont forget about torque wrench ! Cant do anything without it.

[FastEddie]

where in CT are you?

http://www.northbayimports.com/

in near hartford and are pretty familiar with Audi's.

[verymickey]

Just giving a quick follow-up for anyone that is interested in how this story ended...

Had the car towed from stealership to an indy mechanic that the family has used for years.
He did the serp belt job including new pulley and new tensioner all in for $680 (much better than the $725 belt only quote this started at)

Now that we are running again I think I am going to pick up some tools and learn how to put my car into service mode so i can do some of this on my own in the future.


Thanks guys for the feedback

M

[verymickey]

I immediately bought another new belt, a new tensioner, and new idler pulley (maybe $200-220 total?) online that week and did it all over again myself at home the following weekend. That lasted me 80k miles until last month when something started squeaking so I just bought the new JHM autotensioner kit :)

I was looking at the JHM unit too, seems to be a better design than the original. I saw in the instal notes that you are suppose to cut out a piece of something to make some space for it.. did you do that part too?

[DasShane]

Good to hear it's fixed. My Audi dealer told me my belt was bad (it's not) and quoted me $925 to do the job. The price gouging at these dealers is crazy. A fun fact. keep all documents from the dealer when you take it in. They've quoted me 3 different prices for upper control arms over a year or so. Each being a couple hundred bucks different. Makes no sense.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[verymickey]

where in CT are you?

http://www.northbayimports.com/

in near hartford and are pretty familiar with Audi's.

Ill have to check them out, they are just 7 miles from the office. thanks for the tip.

[Gosser]

I was looking at the JHM unit too, seems to be a better design than the original. I saw in the instal notes that you are suppose to cut out a piece of something to make some space for it.. did you do that part too?

JHM states the core support modification near the fans is only required on automatic cars. I have read that the alternator might need to be ground down in an area to keep the auto tensioner flush. I didnt need to do this either.

[924Carrera]

I did the belt/tensioner/idler a while back and although the majority of the job was a cakewalk, the allen bolt on the tensioner immediately stripped out and I spent the next hour with a combination of various tools, vise grips, an an air hammer getting it out. Fortunately the OEM replacements are spline drive probably due to this happening to numerous other cars. So sometimes it does end up being a huge pain, but still nowhere near what that dealer was trying to quote.