I'm sorry for butting in on my husband's account
#41
07-18-2011, 08:00 AM
Of course I am. Was there something I was supposed to reply to? If I missed something, please bring it to my attention.
As of this moment, nothing has happened with the car. I called a mechanic shop in Wichita - 2 hours from us - who told me he was going to make some phone calls to some other shops to see if he could find someone closer to us. That was early last week and I haven't heard back from him yet. I was planning to call him today.
I posted in the regional forum that I was looking for a mechanic more local, but last I checked there have been 21 views and no replies. I have nothing more to report.
As of this moment, nothing has happened with the car. I called a mechanic shop in Wichita - 2 hours from us - who told me he was going to make some phone calls to some other shops to see if he could find someone closer to us. That was early last week and I haven't heard back from him yet. I was planning to call him today.
I posted in the regional forum that I was looking for a mechanic more local, but last I checked there have been 21 views and no replies. I have nothing more to report.
#42
07-18-2011, 08:25 AM
No offense taken JD, I knew I was going to catch some flack when I wrote the post. And Random, I'm in the Lansing area so let me know where to send the boat payments...lol I was only trying to let the OP know not to get scared or discouraged from owning such an awsome car as an Audi, and maybe even get second oppinions before dumping alot of money into it. I'm with everyone else about the timing belt. Its highly suggested to replace it knowing what could happen if it breaks. For me, its about time and money and I just can't afford to do it right now, even though I know it could cost me more down the road. Sometimes it just can't be helped. Even though there's an awsome Audi dealer right here in Lansing, I want to change this belt myself. I'm just a backyard mechanic, but there's some great information on this site that I feel confident I can do this myself 
#43
07-18-2011, 09:15 AM
OP, It seems that a few people are traveling to Kansas City, MO. There appears to be a reliable Audi mechanic with resonable prices. Google says its 99miles and 1hr40min away from you. I would give them a call and ask for Mike Schowengerdt. Seems like its worth a shot, Good Luck!
Import Masters
2737 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
816-421-1656
Import Masters
2737 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
816-421-1656
#44
07-18-2011, 11:03 AM
But I am so upset. We bought a 2001 Audi Avant Quattro with the 1.8T with 161,xxx miles on it a little over a month ago. We have learned a ton from this forum and have done a bunch of maintenance on this car. We paid $3000 for it and put in hundreds more in new spark plugs, coil packs, O2 and oil sensor, 2 oil changes and oil filters as well as a ton of other stuff. We knew the timing belt was going to need to be done and we were pretty sure the cam tensioner was bad. Today, we took the car to an import mechanic shop, who insisted we get an oil pressure test done first and foremost. In the end, they couldn't do it, because they said the fittings were unlike any they had ever seen. They did everything they could to convince my husband to get rid of the car because the amount of money to do the timing belt and cam tensioner, as well as what they insist must be done - oil pickup tube and transmission fluid (not sure if that is a flush or change or what) would be so many thousand dollars that we should just forget it. They put the fear in my husband about the cost of a new engine and transmission and all kinds of other things they say are on the verge of going out. Believe me, I don't know much about cars, but this is a nice car - drives nice, looks nice, etc. I just don't know why they are so worried about it. The did everything to talk my husband out of putting any money in this car. They kept saying about how many miles this car has and how it will be a money pit from here on out. I don't get it. Here is where I am so upset: How in the world are we gonna get out of this car what we have in it? We had to save for months to buy a car outright, any car, but we found this one and fell in love with it. I'm not asking for advice on how to change my husband's mind. I really don't know why I am writing all this, other than you are a bunch of really knowledgeable guys and I trust your insight.
Julie
Julie
Find a good independent mechanic.
APR - High Performance Development for Audi, VW and Porsche Vehicles.
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OEM / Performance Parts for Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Porsche & Volkswagen - ECS Tuning
#45
07-18-2011, 01:50 PM
OP, It seems that a few people are traveling to Kansas City, MO. There appears to be a reliable Audi mechanic with resonable prices. Google says its 99miles and 1hr40min away from you. I would give them a call and ask for Mike Schowengerdt. Seems like its worth a shot, Good Luck!
Import Masters
2737 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
816-421-1656
Import Masters
2737 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
816-421-1656
#46
07-18-2011, 02:46 PM
OP, It seems that a few people are traveling to Kansas City, MO. There appears to be a reliable Audi mechanic with resonable prices. Google says its 99miles and 1hr40min away from you. I would give them a call and ask for Mike Schowengerdt. Seems like its worth a shot, Good Luck!
Import Masters
2737 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
816-421-1656
Import Masters
2737 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
816-421-1656
For those of you who are wondering, I have now gotten 4 estimates for doing the timing belt and cam chain tensioner. Here are the breakdowns:
Timing Belt / Cam Chain Tensioner
1. $1000 / $1100
2. 850 / 1385
3. 855 / 1010
4. 910 / 1340
Last edited by Jeff M; 07-18-2011 at 02:48 PM. Reason: correct typing
#47
07-18-2011, 10:02 PM
I forget, I think my shop charges $1100 or so for the timing belt...it may be less, I just turn the wrenches. But we do the belt, tensioner/pulley (if applicable, i think not on the 1.8) and water pump. Those costs seem pretty good, but get a breakdown of everything that's going into your car, which parts, how much book time and how much in shop misc fees. You don't want to pay that much for just a new belt, make sure you're getting a new tensioner and water pump as well.
getting the oil pressure tested certainly isn't a bad idea, though I'm not certain it's needed for doing this type of work. The mechanic may well be trying to warn you off doing expensive repairs on a tired, ready to die engine. Maybe not, if he's got some recommendations, you're going to have to trust someone here.
getting the oil pressure tested certainly isn't a bad idea, though I'm not certain it's needed for doing this type of work. The mechanic may well be trying to warn you off doing expensive repairs on a tired, ready to die engine. Maybe not, if he's got some recommendations, you're going to have to trust someone here.
Last edited by RandomAudiOwner; 07-18-2011 at 10:06 PM.
#48
07-18-2011, 11:33 PM
Actually getting a break down of the parts going into the car is a great idea because sometimes you can save money on repairs by supplying some of the parts needed to fix the vehicle. Remember that most shops charge mark-up so they can make some profit; when I was in the autobody business I generally charged about 20%.
#49
07-19-2011, 09:06 AM
Keep looking, In Rockland County, NY ,Sergey does the timing belt job for $600.
Edge Motors - Home
Ask in the Regional Forums;
Mid West and Central
Edge Motors - Home
Ask in the Regional Forums;
Mid West and Central
#50
07-20-2011, 01:16 AM
The car is going to a shop in Topeka tomorrow. We talked with this guy on the phone a couple of times and we feel good about him. It's all a crap shoot really - hoping to get a good mechanic who really knows what he is doing. He said he would have it for 2 or 3 days, depending on what he finds. He wanted us to bring it in early so he could listen to it and whatever else, so he could diagnose it.
<lifts a beer> Here's to taking a good car and getting back a great car.
<lifts a beer> Here's to taking a good car and getting back a great car.