BernieBenz

Your mistake was doing the TB. DFI if IAB!

Jon C

while I agree with that in most cases, you're suggesting that you don't replace a timing belt unless & until it breaks?

If so I'm glad I don't go to your shop. You must enjoy sticking your customers with REALLY BIG repair bills instead of smaller preventive maintenance costs.

The belt was replaced at the interval recommended by a quality shop that knows Audis and has seen enough TBs fail prior to the 105k recommended interval with HUGE repair costs ... when it was replaced the old TB was clearly worn as was the tensioner, so it was time to do that job.

You can't be serious saying you wouldn't do a timing belt replacement until it breaks. Do you also not change the oil or brake fluid until they're all used up and something breaks, too?

Sheesh ... the wisdom of so-called experts ...

BernieBenz

noisy idler bearing, leaking WP, etc. Could be at 100K or 150k, maybe 200k. If he hadn't ordered a TB replacement the apparently incompetent wrench wouldn't have over torqued that broken bolt and his engine would have been spared.

Jon C

I'll take the experience of a known reliable, reputable shop over an Internet "Bernie Benz"

... odd that at least 2-3 other shops have reported the VERY SAME FAILURE on cam pulley bolts that were not already the subject of a TB change, so the weakness appears to be the bolt, not the torque.

If not, how to explain that the stub of the bolt was merely finger tight (not overtorqued)?

You know what happens when you assume don't you? (has to do with '***" and U M E)...

you completely ignore that despite there being none of the symptoms you rely on, there were cracks in the TB that was replaced, teeth were gnarly/cracked bases, tensioner was loose, etc. It was clearly time for replacement.

Glad I'm not part of your customer base, Bernie. I realize you're probably not an expert though you do play on one the internet.

cheers...

Jon C

why did these intervals suddenly become "lifetime" (ATF) or 105k? because it allows mfrs. to minimize claimed 100k service/maint. costs for JD Power & the like. The same auto tranny that was a 40k ATF change interval is now "lifetime" ... huh?

It's smoke & mirrors & marketing. Reliable techs who know Audis know the truth: some TBs may make 105k. Many may not. You roll the dice if you choose. The knowledgeable techs will tell you 80-90k is the smarter bet.

BernieBenz

Quite obvious! When a bolt breaks both the its torque and tension are relieved. If not rusted in, it is easily removed with little applied torque.

Jon C

no stretched threads, no sign of anything ...

regardless, I'll take the experience of a shop I've known for nearly 20 yrs. with 30 yrs. of Audi/Porsche experience vs. an internet-expert
... you're still not addressing how, if you are correct, my friend would have also heard from 2-3 other shops of the same bolt breaking in cases where there had been no TB replacement.

BernieBenz

to accept, reject or counter any or all.

Jon C

..you seem more than willing to engage in them yourself, pointing the allegations of ignorance and incompetence in my direction and at the experienced tech who has maintained my cars for 16 yrs. or so.

I mean, he must really be bad, otherwise why would top local Audi & Porsche dealers send their overflow work to him at times?

so your indignation rings hollow... my personal experience is that you make accusations of incompetence in others but you still have not offered a shred of explanation at how these bolts would shear in a car with a TB that wasn't replaced. My personal experience is that these bolts have sheared in more than one car, some with no TB change.

so... my opinion is that your personal experience wouldn't qualify you to work on my cars.

You're free, of course, to avoid answering the question by pretending to take the high road.

Cheers.

BernieBenz

You responded to the initial request for an 80K service list with an opinion that TB service must include replacing "the pulley bolt" with no explicit identification, only that its failure had cost you a $9K engine job. We can all sympathize with your loss, and your disclosure certainly sparked my interest in the detail of your problem.

So, I asked you to define the location/ purpose of the catastrophic failed bolt. You pic'ed the broken bolt pieces and stated that you thought it was a cam pulley bolt. Which one you neglected to identify.

My sarcastic response was `Your mistake was doing the TB in the first place! DFI if IAB!" My assumption being that The bolt failure was caused by the overtorquing of this yet undefined "pulley bolt" by your hired wrench.

Your retort, including your several personal put downs, was that the TB was replaced by your hired wrench prior to 105K, and that, in spite of his never over torquing anything in his life, he has seen several such failures on his watch. Bolt purpose still undefined!

In response to my contrarian reply to TB replacement (DFI if IAB!), you state that several other shops have reported similar failures of that elusive "bolt", unrelated (?) to their previous TB replacements. Further, your expectation is that I should define the reason for your bolt failure! I did so to the best of my knowledge of the bolt's history. Most likely over stressed during your wrench's TB replacement, or a defective bolt, or a bolt of wrong stress class, or Audi`s bolt selection design error. Yours is the first case in my several years following this board that I have heard of such failure.

Just what bolt was that?