Hey,
I'm really trying to get into an Audi A4, but they're a little scarce around here. I found one with 80,600 on the odometer and in pretty darn good shape. Thing is, someone on Audi-Sport.net said don't do it because they may not have changed the cambelt at 70k. Is it really that big of a problem? How much are they to fix? How can I tell if it has been replaced if they're clueless about that particular car? (Dealer)

Tom

 

Yes the timing belt (not cambelt), is a major problem. Most audi drivers recommend replacing the timing belt/water pump/idle pully/tensioner around 60-70k miles. After that you are risking a break down in the system. On some cars if the belt breaks the engine will just stop runnning. On an Audi interference engine if the timing belt breaks, it will cause catostrophic damage to the valves and heads of the engine, causing you to replace most of the engine. Cost to have a mechanic change the belt/waterpump is around 500-700 bucks for an independant, or ~1000 bucks for the dealer. You can check to see if it has been replaced by removing the timing belt covers and inspecting the belts. If they are cracked or the writing is warn, then odds are the belt has never been changed. I would NOT buy a car with that amount of mileage without confirmation from the dealer/salespeople that the belt has been changed, or arrange for them to do it free.

 

So if it has NOT been done, how much should I ask them to take off of the price to compensate for a change? Also, Is there any kind of documentation to show that this MUST be replaced so they don't think I'm just b/s'ing to get a better deal?

Tom

//edit - it's a 99 A4 2.8L (no quattro) w/ TipTronic. 80,600 Miles -- asking $9,950.

 

No there is no official documentation. Audi actually recommends changing the belt around 110k miles. That is crap though, many many many people have had the belt break, or the water pump fail well before that. I would ask them to either do the job free of charge of remove 500-1000 of the asking price. 9,550 is kind of steep to begin with.

 

$9,950 is steep you think? How much would you say it's worth? I guess I need to fix the pass. door, too. Supposedly someone wrote their name in it.

Tom

 

"Supposedly someone wrote their name in it."


lol...

 

Haha yeah thats what he told me over the phone. There's nothing really visible in pics, but I thought it was a good deal and I wouldn't mind spending $200 to fix it.

Tom

 

I just dialed into an Audi - love the car and I've had most every top performing car made except Ferraris. Bought a 96 2.8L Quattro single owner car with 115K on it. Car looks BRAND NEW. Spent $6k to buy it from a innercity lot in Jersey City (bring your gun into that part of town). Got a 30 warranty too. In suburbia the car would have been $8500+.

I spent $1k getting the timing belt replaced and the water pump at an independant shop. I also got a free pair of lower control arms installed at the dealer as there is a recall on these cars for that part. Dealer also wanted to replace the front rotors and pads for $500 (they are fine) and wanted to replace the upper control arms for $359 a piece plus labor. Independant shop confirmed upper arms are fine - buyer beware when going to the dealer with an old car!

This car is a perfect winter ride and a blast to drift around in the snow. I swore I wouldn't do any mods but I'm already trolling the web for toys to add. No performance mods, but you can make it look cool. Supercharging, full blown exhaust are all too expensive for a car like this. Better off buying something that's a true speed mobile than hopping up a 2.8L. (tell me I'm wrong 2.8 hot modders)

If you do buy a hi-miles car - do the belt. If you don't and it breaks the car will be worthless - just whatever you can part out on ebay.

Cheers,

 

There ARE performance mods out there for the 12 valve engine:

http://forums.audiworld.com/12v/

And there is no superchargers for the 12V, just so ya know.

 

Thanks Jestnomen -

I hunted around a bit looking for some performance mods. Aleady put a performance air filter in but I didn't really see much there. Are there some recommended mods that will net you more than 5hp? Not really into messing with timing advance as I'm not going to race this car. Pity there's no class in the SCCA Club Racing rands for the quattro - unless you want to run ITE and go against the Vettes and the Vipers. If I could run this car in ITS at around 2800 lbs this this would SMOKE the field.

Best way to make this thing fast is to drop weight and put in the suspension setup.

Any recommended B5 quattro suspension packages? It would be cool to drop the ride height down a little and tune out some of the wallow.

Cheers,