2.5 tdi quattro avant newbie general info/advice

[eddy_p]

i've recently bought a high milage 2000 W reg 2.5 tdi quattro avant that needs quite a bit of work doing to bring it back up to standard. mostly cosmetic but 3 things need sorting out asap:

• 150k miles and no proof of cambelt change.
• probable oil (i think it's oil!) leak from rear of engine. previous owner said he had an oil leak that was traced to an oil filter and it had been replaced. only get a few drops of oil under the engine when parked on an incline/decline. when level it's ok. checked the dipstick regularly and oil level has stayed the same.
• on cold ignition it takes a few turns of starter motor to start up, smokey for a few seconds once started, ok after. starts 1st time warm.

the audi book that came with the car says to do the cambelt every 80k miles. if it hasn't been done then it's worryingly overdue! before buying the car i called my local audi to see how much a cambelt change is... £665. i will definately get this done within 1 to 2 weeks but am unsure on prices.
for a cambelt change from a private garage what sort of price range is reasonable? should i get them to check anything else whilst they are at it?
does anyone know a good audi mechanic in west yorkshire?

are there any common places where an oil leak could develop?

i'm thinking the cold starting problem is probably the glow plugs?

i've tried looking for a haynes manual but they don't seem to do one for this model. is there a maintenance manual available? haynes or other?

sorry for so many questions! any info and advice in regards to this model of car would be greatly appreciated

loving the sound of the v6 purring away and the quattro sticks to the road great

[adamss24]

Hi, if you came to London one weekend, i could replace your cambelt+ rollers+tensioner, water pump(metal impeler), pump belt + tensioner, aux. drivebelts + AC compressor belt for £350. The job takes about 4.5 hours and the parts alone cost £270 on trade. I do work on v6 tdi on a regular basis and i know what i am doing. Regards, Chris- 07789912128.

[eddy_p]

thanks chris. your price is very reasonable but i'm in bradford and travelling to london is a bit too far.

a local bosch service garage that my family go to can do it for £500 so i've booked it in there. cheaper than audi but still expensive.

[Turbokiisseli]

Check the glow plugs to solve starting problems. It's likely one or more plugs are broken. If you measure them with a multimeter they should all have pretty much the same resistance against ground.

If you change the plugs I recommend changing all of them at the same time.