Guyute

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I took my '01 225 Quattro Roadster (65k miles) in to a local mechanic to install a timing belt kit I got from ECS Tuning. It took him much longer than he expected, and he eventually told me the timing belt that came with the kit wouldn't fit and he had to get another one from the local Napa store. Well, he finally got it done about four days after expected, and I picked it up and drove it straight home, not noticing any problems with the way it ran.

The next morning I started it up and immediately noticed the engine was louder than before and seemed to be running rougher. There is sort of a clicking noise coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment. The noise seems worse when it is first started in the morning, but it still clicks even when it is at normal operating temperature. Also, it seems like my steering wheel shakes a little bit when idling, which I never noticed before. I've not noticed any change in performance, but I'm almost certain that it is running louder and rougher than it was before I took it in.

I've contacted him and am supposed to drop it off Friday night then come in Saturday morning so I can be there when he starts it up and point out exactly what noises are concerning me. Does anyone have any idea what may have gone wrong during the timing belt change that would cause these symptoms?

The car ran like a top before I took it in, and I can't bear the thought that some kind of long-term damage was done. Please share any ideas you might have about possible causes. Thanks.

Peter Badore

If I were you I would take off the upper belt cover (two clips) and check the belt condition and listen for noise. This is an involved repair with a lot of parts touched. Please look at the DIY timing belt replacement in this forum. Also what parts were replaced with the timing belt?

AudiMick

When I purchased my TT used , I negotiated a fixed price for a timing belt change that included all the usual items. Belt, tensioner, water pump, thermostat.

Apparently the online source that some of these independent shops use for "parts + shop hours" doesn't specify changing the tensioner and thermostat.

Eventually they relented and agreed to the work as promised, but I remember looking at the car when it was dismantled and the belt was almost off because the tensioner was about to break.

Make sure they changed everything.

haverty

When I had my timing belt changed out, the shop took 4 hours. Everything was 680$, including parts.