Barb1

I own a 2002 A6 and was just told by the dealer the timing belt should be replaced at the cost of $1400. The car has 42000 miles on it. I was told that if the belt went it would cost me $8,000
to replace and repair the damage done to the engine. Really?
How about an honest answer.

Leeer73

While the Timing belt could cause alot of damage to your engine if it had broken, I really think that 42k miles is to early to change it. Maybe 60-70k would be a more ideal time to change it.

As far as pricing is concerned, I think that you could find another shop the could do it for closer to 1k.

PPGOAL

Owner's guide calls for 105k and most forum members recommend 80-90k for safety. I did mine at 95k and will do it again around 180k (my A6 is at 140k). You have what is called an "interference" engine, which means valves and pistons are carefully timed not to hit each other, but they pass through the same space. Timing belt breaks or slips, kapowee and you face bent valves and damaged pistons. Very $$$ to fix.

You're not at the mileage point but you have a 7 year old car. It depends on how much confidence you have in a rubber belt. If you change it, make sure you change thermostat, water pump, all tensioners, serpentine. It also may be time to replace the radiator fluid anyway.

A complete kit from Blauparts should cost you around $400 and a TB change is rated for 6 hours labor. Dealer charges $120+/hr but a good indie may be in the $75-100 range.

MikekiM@PureMS

Audi generally recommends every 7 years or 105k miles. However, it's more common to replace them a bit earlier, 7years or 75k miles, since the damage they can cause is fairly substantial. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way.

JerzyBoy973

Is there a how to or a source for a pdf manual? I might tackle this soon. I just hit 200k and I'm not sure if the previous owner was on top of it.

Just Me

I've posted the PDF of the asterisk many times.

60k. Yea, you can go longer, usually. But Audi rescinded the 105 many, many years back.

G

Barb1

Thank you so much for your input on replacing the timing belt, I feel
the dealer is looking for a pay day. I also felt it was too early to change it and I am not a hard driver on cars. I also car pool and the car is kept in a garage all the time. Our Colorado weather has been quite mild the past few years and I feel I can wait to change this belt maybe in another 5000 to 7500 miles. Thanks again

Barb1

Thanks for your much needed input. I will weight this decision and also
look for a shop that should be able to do this work for a more reasonable price. I do feel more comfortable with all the advice I have gotten.
Many thanks

Barb1

Thanks for your advice. I will be looking into changing it sooner rather than late. I just neede to know where the dealer was coming from and whether the quote I received was too high. Many thanks for your advice.

Barb1

Thanks for your advice. I think I can put off this repair for a bit and
consider another repairs place. I seems like a pretty extensive repair and I will be without a car for a day to two. I had a feeling that I may
be jumping the gun on getting it done right now, thanks again for your help.