Cambelt interval ?

[Whippy53]

Folks, bit embarrassed but can anyone confirm whether Audi recommend change at 5 years? Ta in advance.

[robes401]

Audi (Salisbury) recommended to me that it should be done at 5 years, although the Audi online schedule only states 140,000 miles with no time specified.

[Crasher]

When you use the online service system an A6 2l ultra like I serviced last week is 240000 km and no time interval, this post 2009 five year thing is a VAG money making scam BUT we have to follow it as if we didn't and one failed, we would be liable.

[Whippy53]

Five years it is then. Cheers everyone, saved me some money. (Till next year).

[danclyon]

When you use the online service system an A6 2l ultra like I serviced last week is 240000 km and no time interval, this post 2009 five year thing is a VAG money making scam BUT we have to follow it as if we didn't and one failed, we would be liable.

I had a bit of debate with Audi CS on this one, and none of their numbers added up. I said - the dealer says 150k miles is what's showing on the computer, but my last Audi was 60,000 miles so what's different. They then went off and did some research and came back and said it is 5 years max, based on one service a year on the flexible service schedule (so that's 5*30k km - 150k km is 93750) and they then said it's 100k miles (which doesn't add up). Eventually they called me back and said, we've checked and it's actually 5 years OR 70k miles (which they then corrected to 72-75k miles) which strangely is every 4th service assuming the usual 30k km interval is converted into miles and isn't rounded down.

Anyway, after some more thinking, they then said - we don't actually know, the computer tells the dealer when it is due when it comes in for service.

Which is basically the same thing with the DSG oil change.....the designers designed for a 62,500 mile minimum oil change interval, but Audi says 40k or 38k depending on which day of the week it is and which dealer you ask the question.

For convenience I go 35k (every 2nd service) on DSG and 70k (every 4th service) on Cambelt and water pump....

D.

[Crasher]

Yes the online Digital Service System does show when it is due in the future jobs list, it gives no date just 240000 Km. What is your VIN? I will have a look.

[ronnie_macleod]

I have been embroiled in a dispute with Audi since mid 2020 about this, briefley my printed service schedule (from 2014) makes no mention on a calendar backstop for the cambelt, nor did the schedule as shown on my car account at myAudi.com. I dont mind them having a calendar/mileage schedule requirement, I just want them to be open and honest about it and publish it in their official documentation so that we customers can be assured we are following the offical schedule and are not being ripped off. Anyway went through all the internal complaints procedures before finally raising a complaint with the Motor Ombudsman, many months later an adjudicator within their organisation said that Audi only recommend the replacement and that they do not require it. They also made supporting arguments about the schedule not being country specific and subject to change. IMHO these are cop-outs that disregard all the other items that are in the schedule that do have both a mileage and calendar element. The distinction between reqcommend and require is also a red herring - they cannot require any service is carried out - everything in the schedule is a recommendation. Nor do the replies address the question of why these additional details are not made available via the myAudi.com app? To add further to the mystery I have been back on the myAudi.com app recently and the service schedule details have been taken away and all that is now visible is the service history. Another 3 stage complaint process with different parts of Audi and they yet again dodge answering my question - where is the schedule?

Its almost as if they want to allow dealerships to make simulatneous false claims about the servicing intervals, thus making the cars seem cheaper to maintain whilst leaving them the freedom to terrorise you into paying for service items that are not yet due... on the basis of the above they could recommend a cam belt change every month and we, the customer, would have no way of challenging it.... time to take our business elsewhere methinks...

[Crasher]

On a 2017 Ultra I serviced Wednesday I had to tell the customer the belt is due even though the Audi Digital Service System stated quite clearly it is due in 2035 at 240000 Km. The thing is if I say balls to VAG UK's recommendation and then one fails... well that's a big bill for me. If VAG UK aren't careful this could get dodgy for them.

[danclyon]

On a 2017 Ultra I serviced Wednesday I had to tell the customer the belt is due even though the Audi Digital Service System stated quite clearly it is due in 2035 at 240000 Km. The thing is if I say balls to VAG UK's recommendation and then one fails... well that's a big bill for me. If VAG UK aren't careful this could get dodgy for them.

I wrote a much longer reply earlier but the internet gods deemed me not worthy.

VAG saying they "don't specify", yet specifying clearly in the documents supplied with the car is crap. They'd lose in court hands down if the belt broke before the specified replacement interval.
They just gear it all towards the fleet buyer to take it clearly out of the potential 3-4yr cost interval that most fleet buyers look at, and carefully manage their stock of 2/h vehicles to mean that their liability is almost nil in respect of this.
They have a lot of big fleet users that will put 40k miles on in a year, and then the car sits in storage until it's 2.5-3 years old so as not to massively deplete the average 2/h values - but also to ensure that the "typical" user gets 2 year warranty with a used-car, that has just about the right mileage for the average user that it's under the 5 year/70k mile interval that's the real replacement interval by the time the warranty runs out.

Crasher, like you've said many times in the past - the figures in the book are just not realistic. My local specialist says 70k - 5 years absolute max - whichever comes first. (and like you Crasher, he covers the whole VAG group range).

Which, strangely, is exactly the same as my A4 that the A6 replaced.....and that had a similarly large interval in the book as well!

D.

[Crasher]

I pushed my Octy 1.8T and Mrs Crasher Polo 1.8T to 6 years but my nerves gave out at that, mine was perfect that I had fitted five years before as was her's which was factory fitted. I replaced my water pump at the same time (genuine) and within a year it started leaking...:zx11:

[ronnie_macleod]

I spent years as a reliability engineer in the aersopace industry - I completely get why there could be a combined mileage/calendar age limit on a cam belt and have no problem with that, my problem is that it is not documented (the mileage element) anywhere for us customers to see either before we purchase of afterwards. I also accept that dealers may feel they have to go with whatever they are told to do by VAG or Audi Uk or whomever is the authoirty on this - but I have questioned/complained t both parties and from my side of the fence it looks like a clear case of misrepresentation. A cost concious consumer will want to know whether a given car is going to spend a lot of time/money in the dealers beings serviced and comapre that to other cars. You cant do that if you are being supllied information about the schedule that is incomplete...