Servicing ideas

[lucas88]

My 2.0 sport is now on about 64k. I've heard mixed things about cambelt changes but I rung up Audi today and they didn't know when it was supposed to be changed. One said 60k, another said 80k and another said 120k.
Now I'm thinking that I might just get it done to be on the safe side but could someone shed light on this?

On the same subject, I need a service in 800miles so I was enquiring about having it done with the service. Audi told me about £800inc vat but a reputable garage near me quoted me £350 inc vat for the change. I'm tempted to get the cambelt, water pump etc done at this garage and then take it to Audi for service anyway to keep the FASH. Is this viable?

Basically, should I get it done and who by?
(Audi nearest me is £94 p/hour + vat labour) ouch. parts are only about £150

Cheers in advance

[bez101]

well the price diff should tell you who to go to if you want to waste £450 then go to audi i know where id be bookin it in at
im sure its 60k the belt is changed

[fasttdi]

Give stafford audi a call, there prices are quite competitve. i had mine done, cambelt, tensioner and a basic service including parts and labour for £354. 01785250444. its called the ebay offer

[bez101]

thats not bad for audi but dont forget to have the water pump changed they dont cost that much and if it was to go then belt would be took off again to do it

[phatruker]

I'm guessing that 80k is miles and 120k is kilometers.
As for main dealers, i'm never EVER going to use them again.

[lucas88]

Called Stafford Audi and they will service, change belts and water pump etc for £450 all in. Not bad. Speaking to a guy called Andy who, unlike the other dealer employees, seemed to know what he was talking about. He said that they do this special offer stuff and it was very reasonably priced but he also said that the belt didn't need changing untill 80k so I might nip down there for a cheap service to keep up the history but wait another 15k before I change the belts and all that (if I still have the car by then). Spare cash now though. I'm thinking rns-e......
Cheers for the input

[omegadirective]

I'm guessing that 80k is miles and 120k is kilometers.
As for main dealers, i'm never EVER going to use them again.


Me neither. They tried to get me to replace my differential when it was only a wheel bearing going. Thankfully I got a second opinion before I did anything. Got the wheel bearing replaced and it's been perfect since. So much for Audi being better than local dealers.

As for your FASH, it's basically down to price I would say. If your car isn't older than about 5 years, I would recommend Audi, providing they don't completely rip you off.:p

I'm tremendously shocked to be honest at how bad most Audi dealers are. They don't know anything, try to sell you things you don't need, and when they do fix something it is some of the worst work I have seen in my life. I could do better and I'm not a mechanic...

Big let down for Audi, they should carry out some sort of spot checks on their dealers every so often to ensure they are tarnishing the Audi image.


I thought the cambelt was 80k, 120k is far too high I think and 60k is only if you thrash a car about. :(

[jonbaker]

From what i've read about Audi main dealers on here and peoples experience is that they often change things that dont need doing or get the diagnosis wrong resulting in people shelling out ridiculous £ getting to the root of the problem, ofcourse, you usualy only hear about the horror stories. I think the main problem is the amount they charge for labour which, at my local, is £120 per hour. I dont mind paying the price for genuine audi parts but £120 an hour is excessive wouldn't you agree?

When i was in my local one last week picking up some wiper blades i overheard one of the guys giving the cost of repair to the customer on the phone. "yes sir, well, we dont know the exact amount but you are looking at around £1,300" i really did feel for the guy on the other end!

With regards to cambelt changes this has been discussed many times. The fact is most people on here like to be on the safe side and change at 60k regardless. I find it hard to do that when Audi (both Audi uk and my local dealer) both told me that for my particular model the change is 120k. Now 120k is high and i wouldn't leave it that long, i think i'll change it at 70 or 80k but each model is different, apparently.

I also asked that if the belt went before 120k and i hadn't changed it on advice from Audi would Audi then pay for the damge. The response i got that it would be discretional and depend if the car had full audi history etc, but i get the general answer would be a big fat on your bike mate get your cash out :D

Sorry for the long post, i'm at home bored with my foot bandaged up :mad:

[lucas88]

£120 per hour after vat is extortionate.
I coach tennis now after finishing my playing career eighteen months ago. I've been playing since I was 5 (I'm now 20) I've travelled around playing professionally in Britain and around Europe. I'm qualified as a coach; first tier was a one month course and the second was a six-month training course. Now I only get paid £25 per hour max and people still think that it's a lot. I'd be very surprised if the Audi mechanics, some of whom are 30/40, have as much experience and are as well qualified as I am. Yet We pay nearly 5 times as much for their services. I'm not stupid, I understand that the mechanic's fees are not the only cost from that £120 per hour but at the end of the day, as the consumer, we are paying for the servfices of this mechanic and that is far from a reasonable rate. (sorry for the rant) Maybe I should just charge £120 per hour :p

[omegadirective]

Or maybe the mechanics should just charge £25 p/h.

[lucas88]

That would be nice.

[glynholloway@nt]

what makes you think the mechanic gets anywhere near £25 pounds an hour. When I worked in a garage I got roughly 15% of the charge out rate. Come on Audi mechanics defend yourselves

[omegadirective]

Oh I think that bit is quite obvious they don't. Audi will obvious profit immensly out of it whilst paying the mechanics a meagre wage that will pay just neough to entice them to keep on working.

It's the same everywhere though. I work for a multi-national company that brings in BILLIONS of dollars a year and I'm still only earnings just above a minimum wage. But for the time being, and the lifestyle I'm leading it's adequate enough to make me continue to come to work everyday.

The main gripe I think here though, is the fact that when we pay £120 ph on labour charges, then get told that the problem diagnosed was not the actualy problem, you understandably get a little p*ssed.

Now most people know that if a garage does anything to your car without permission you don't have to pay for it. Normally it's too much work for them to take the parts back off, but providing they tell you what they are doing and don't object, you have to pay up! :s In the case of many of these guys, they're paying for fixes that the dealers are quietly rubbing their hands about because people are lacking the skills and knowledge of the mechanic/electrical engineering industry. Taking advantage of the less knowledgable is a poor practise and severly tarnishes the Audi image.

[lucas88]

what makes you think the mechanic gets anywhere near £25 pounds an hour. When I worked in a garage I got roughly 15% of the charge out rate. Come on Audi mechanics defend yourselves. If you read, I did say that I appreciated that the mechanic didn't get all of that cost. But say the mechanic is being paid £10 per hour, then it's even worse. We, the consumer, are paying £120 per hour for a £10 per hour rate of service. That's awful, even taking the costs into account.

[Marco34]

It's fortunate if you are mechanically minded you can save yourself a packet. Only thing my car has gone in for is the cambelt, tensioners and water pump.. oh and a seized servo due to the plenum chamber problem.

Servicable parts are pretty easy with the right tools and some no how.

[Hitby]

yep, audi prices are unreal! I paid £266 for cambelt/water pump a couple of other belts and tensioners. That price included VAT and labour!

[n_c]

I don't think I'm hijacking this thread as it seems relevant and I'd be grateful for some advice on a few things please!

I've just bought a 53 plate TDi 130 with 130,000 miles on the clock (photo attached) and a full Audi service history as follows:

27.10.2003: Pre-delivery inspection: 7
28.05.2004: Service: 20,056
10.12.2004: Service: 40,239
17.08.2005:Service + New Cam belt: 61,573
31.03.2006: Service: 81,214
02.11.2006: Service: 100,200
26.01.2007: New brake discs & pads: 106,124
06.07.2007: Service: 118,723


The computer is saying the next service is due in 6,800 miles or 430 days.

My questions are:

1. I'm collecting it in a week or so and will have a 300 mile trip home. Should I be worried about the cambelt not having been done at the last service? I thought they had to be done every 60,000 and I don't want it failing on my way home :aargh4:

2. Should I get the cambelt done right away and the rest of the service when it's due, or leave the whole lot until the next service?

3. On a 1.9TDi 130, does the belt drive the water pump? When the belt does get changed, should I ask them to replace the belt, tensioner and pump all at once?

4. I need this car to last a while - should I go for fixed interval servicing from now on, or stick to the variable schedule it has been on? Most, but not all, of my mileage will be on motorways. We've got a local independent VAG specialist here (I guess they will have VAG-COM) and I was planning to use them rather than one of the main dealerships.

Hope some of you experts can help!

Thanks in advance :biglaugh:

[bez101]

1. I'm collecting it in a week or so and will have a 300 mile trip home. Should I be worried about the cambelt not having been done at the last service? I thought they had to be done every 60,000 and I don't want it failing on my way home


dont worry to much about the belt on your way home

2. Should I get the cambelt done right away and the rest of the service when it's due, or leave the whole lot until the next service?


id have belts done water pump and tensioners


4. I need this car to last a while - should I go for fixed interval servicing from now on, or stick to the variable schedule it has been on? Most, but not all, of my mileage will be on motorways. We've got a local independent VAG specialist here (I guess they will have VAG-COM) and I was planning to use them rather than one of the main dealerships.



go fixed and go indi dont pay dealer prices