I recently purchased a 98 A4 Quatro 1.8 Turbo. I did some investigating on this model and found that there was possibly problems with timing belt/parts in the 1997-1999 1.8 Turbo. I did call Audi directly and found that there was a campaign out for these model years to inspect the timing belt. If it checked out OK, Audi would warranty any engine repairs due to any timing belt related failure. Pretty much a No Brainer what they're going to do. In fact, the Service personnel pretty much guaranteed that my vehicle with 93,000 would need a new timing belt. I was quoted anywhere from $400 to $800 from 3 different personnel there. I checked with my local mechanic and was quoted $380. Now, I come to find that apparently there is a repair kit for these model years?? This kit includes an upgraded belt, hydraulic dampner, and tensioner. Price at Audi dealership is $380. Apparently, my local mechanic says that is the only place to obtain this kit??

Does anyone have any information on this issue? The quote from my local mechanic was for changing timing belt only. If other parts were needed, he said it could be up to $650. The Audi dealership indicated that the campaign would knock 1.4 hrs off total repair. So still not sure what the exact amount would be from their shop. As I indicated, I just purchased this vehicle for a price which I anticipated spending around $400 for timing belt over and above the expense of the vehicle, so I'm trying to determine the best route. I've seen a couple of web sites that have advertised the kit for $175 - $200.

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

ecstuning.com sells the complete kit, with or without waterpump... it's the way to go.

 

Yep ECS sells a good kit. For sure get the timing belt changed. Dealer price is usually $800-1300 for everything. Indy mechanics typically charge $400-600.

 

OK. So I'm guessing it would be the thing to do to change the timing belt, dampner, and tensioner. Would it be of any benefit in spending the extra $$ for the genuine Audi parts?? My mechanic was leary about the info I showed him from the internet ad from Shokan ?? in NY. He said it's up to me put in his experience he's not had good success with parts purchased this way. His remark was "Who do you go to when they fail - are they going to be there??"

 

Both are reputable.

The ECS kit is OEm except for the belt which is of good quality. Most people go with ECS tuning.

My mechanic charged 300 dollars to change timing belt associated tensioners, water pump, front engine seals and put in my snub mount.

 

Never heard anything but praises for the ECS kit. I think you would be fine with it & it will save you some $$$$$ too.

 

Thanks for the input guys! Just to confuse myself more, I asked my nephew who is a mechanic for a Mercedes dealership. He thought the best route to go would be the dealership. A couple of reasons. The main one being there is a campaign involved with the timing belt issue. I know that the service people are going to tell me that the timing belt needs to be replaced. The campaign is to check the belt and if OK, Audi warranties the belt related failure engine damage to 105,000 miles. They do give you 1.4 hours off the labor for opening it up to inspect the belt, which is covered in the campaign. Obviously, there must be a problem that they're not really wanting to acknowledge. My nephew indicated that by having it done at the dealership, your chances are much better in having some recourse if something goes wrong in the future with these components. He's a good mechanic and has been at it for many years. However; he told me that he wouldn't be comfortable doing the job because of the specialized training that these vehicles require now.

Comments??

 

It not the belts that fail that often. its the tensioner. A good price is like 650. Thats what i paid when i did my Tb/tensioner/waterpump.

 

A lot of us here do all our own maintenance. Timing belt isn't exactly the hardest thing to do. It's just that it takes a while to do.

 

The problem, for the most part, is that Audi wanted to keep the "cost of maintenance" down for advertising. One way is doing this is by extending intervals, like saying that a "fluid is lifetime and doesn't need to be changed". In the case of timing belt, the manual stated to check.replace at 105K miles. By printing this, Audi has given an "implied warranty" saying that it should last that long.

Otherwise, people will start suing saying "You said I didn't have to replace it until 105K miles and it broke and ruined my engine at 85K. If you told me it would only last up to 85K I would have gotten it replaced earlier".

Find out how many hours Audi charges to go in and inspect the belt. Most of the cost of a belt replacement is the cost of accessing the belt area. Once there, the additional labor is fairly minimal to change the belt.