liz

to show me how he can turn them all around and it doesn't matter as long as you get the marks he put on them lined up right. (I had shown him pictures of the tools I thought he needed to hold them in place when the timing belt is off.)

He didn't have the front nose off, just took the fan assembly out. There was about 10" of room in there.

All those pulleys were rusty and shot. He talked me into getting the head gaskets done which wasn't hard when I saw all the oil under them.
The cost? 8 hours of work--$464, plus $350 for
the machine shop. What is the machine shop going to do? I don't know. It will get new valve seals. Total-$814. Is this good?

Plus new rear brake caliper carriers, the old ones look like they've been under water for 20 years. ($30 each.) Plus a new EGR valve. The Audi dealer read the code and told me this.($150, no charge to install.

So on top of the $814 for the head gaskets it's 9 hours (for the rest, water pump, pulleys and all)of labor@$58 an hour = $522, total to the shop comes to $1336. Plus about $650 for parts.
So it's about $2000 total.

This mechanic thinks I'm nuts to sink this money into this but I like the car. What do you think?
(It is a 1993 90CS with 80,000 miles).
Comments?

90quattrocoupe

Yea, you can buy a new Audi and have a car everyone else has. You can spend a lot of money over the next 5 years to have one.

Or you can spend money on the one you like. Personally I don't buy new cars every few years. I have a coupe of which only a little over a thousand were brought into the country. After 12 years there are even fewer in the country.

Your car is getting rarer too. How many 90's do you see on the road? Not as many as other makes of cars.

My idea is, you upgrade, repair, keep nice and drive a car very few other people have. Anyone can drive a new Audi, very few can drive a 80 or 90.

Why have the same car everyone has or can buy?

lukek

Re: Very good point...

Audios69

Thought you said your car was a 95? either way its worth it.

BigMouse

Not that I'm complaining. My Audi replaced a 1973 Jaguar XJ12. Ever try finding parts for one of those? Not gonna happen. I do love the fact that I've only seen about 5 other 80/90 series cars. I like to know that my car is one of few.

Spanglear

They do this to ensure that the surface of the heads is free from crud, and more importantly that they are flat and free of any warp. This creates a better seal with the gasket and block and should prevent oil and water leaking/mixing.

Vince Krey

My sister just bought a new Camry Solara. Don't get me wrong - it's a nice car and I'm sure it will be very dependable. It just doesn't do anything for me. I'd rather buy a used car like an Audi, even if it means putting some $ into it. First, you're still farther ahead dollarwise. Second, you won't see yourself coming and going, a la Gran Prix, Accord, etc..

kokerj

It's not a bad price for the work you've described. Is it all necessary? How bad is the oil leak on the head gaskets? (Are you adding a lot and is it mixing with the coolant?). It's not uncommon for head gaskets to leak a little to the outside. If you aren't using excessive oil and haven't overheated the car, I'd pass on the machine shop work. If your car is prone to head gasket leaks, planing the heads will increase the compression and can contribute to additional leaks.

You shouldn't need new carriers...I realize they are relatively inexpensive. Nine hours on the timing belt is about 4 hours too long, even with the waterpump replacement.
It probably took me 6 the first time that I did it, though I used the 2 recommended tools.

Using the Tom and Ray test "could you replace it with something better for the same money"? I think the answer is no, so it's probably worth it. 80,000 miles usually isn't a lot for an audi. Admittedly the V6 doesn't have the track record that the 5 cylinder does, but there are high mileage examples out there.

ARK

better hope this guy has the special cam alignment tool, or he will never get the cam timing set correctly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nkugs90

I have 209,000 miles now on my 1993 90 Quarrto and it still runs awsome!!!