I paid about what I expected ($974.01, 1.8T, was expecting between $900 and $1100), and I'm curious what others have paid/would expect to pay. One interesting thing I noticed on my invoice is that the parts cost was considerably higher than what I was expecting, but the labor was considerably lower, so it basically balanced out. I was expecting it to be about $300 in parts and $6-700 in labor, but it was $475 in labor and almost $500 in parts.

One thing that I found interesting is that my mechanic, when asked about the two types of water pumps, said that he'd actually seen more metal impeller pumps than OEM Audi plastic ones fail prematurely, and because of that, he now only uses the plastic ones.

I'm certain that it was less than what the local dealer would have charged me (I might call them for a quote at some point just to satisfy my curiosity), but like I said, I'm curious what others' experiences have been. For that matter, if anybody else is in the Twin Cities area and has had theirs done at Maplewood Audi or Carousel Audi, what did you pay? IIRC, Carousel quoted my parents about $1600 for their A6 2.7T, but obviously that's a different engine, so it might not be directly comparable. (They ended up getting it done elsewhere for about $1200, I think.)

Anyway, just thought I'd put a data point out there for those who might be curious, as I know changing the T-belt is an expense we all dread. Hooray for not having to worry about it for another 70K miles or so.

 

You should have bought your own parts, the kit costs 250 or so. And thats bs about the metal impeller. The impeller itself is what breaks, so it makes no sense that the metal ones break bc they are metal and metal doesnt really break. There have been quite a few pics on the forums of broken plastic pumps.

I paid parts plus 350 for my mechanic friend to do my job.

 

paid about $400 for all components, accessories, cam locking bar and replacement fluids

did the labor myself (sucked)

but at least its done

 

Yeah the platic water pumps aren't "better" than the metal ones, thats just what the dealer carries so of course he would say that. Its no harm though, even the plastic one should last you another 80k........maybe.

 

I really don't mind if he makes a profit on the parts, especially given that the labor was less than I was guessing it would be. Also, I can easily imagine a mechanic being less than pleased if his/her customers habitually buy parts elsewhere and ask to have them installed.

As best I can recall, what he said to me when I asked about it was that a lot of the metal ones are built cheaply and tend to start leaking earlier than the OEM plastic ones. He also mentioned something about the impeller being a different shape, with the plastic one being a better shape. Given that he's always been willing to talk with me and explain things, and came glowingly recommended by a friend who refuses to take his A6 anywhere else, I'm not inclined to think he was lying to me. Could his experience be different from that of some other people? Sure, but intentionally misinforming me? I don't think so.

Regarding your statement, "metal doesn't really break," I think you may need to re-evaluate that. Ever seen pics of engine internals after an overrev caused by a mis-shift? I promise, metal "really breaks." (Granted, that example may not be directly relevant to water pumps, but the point is that metal is not indestructible.)

Sounds like your friend gave you a great deal - $350 for that amount of labor seems downright cheap.

 

My friend did the job in about 4 hours, and anyone who has done many of these jobs could do the same, so the hourly rate i paid him is more than a shop would pay a mechanic.

Ok, metal alloys can break, but a metal water pump that does not sustain impacts or extremly high pressure wont. The metal pump i used was a well known brand and the impeller was the same shape as the stock plastic one.

Maybe I should just take back my original post and say great job on getting such a good deal and your mechanic is absolutely correct that plastic is better and that he took such good care of you you should probably head straight there to give him a "thank you" blow job...

 

I'm happy for you that you got a good deal, but that doesn't grant you the right to be rude. I guess next time, I'll just keep my mouth shut rather than asking questions.

 

I am getting mine done within teh next few months. I've seen people that get it done for 550 but others for 800. 900 seems like a little high price but at the end of the day if you're happy with it and it's successful that's all that really matters.

 

i paid $830, got all the essentials done plus the cabin and engine air filters too. i felt like i got a good deal.

No dealer would do it for less that $1400. and most shops wouldn't do it for less than $1k. Then I found the place were I got it done and they did it for cheap and included the filters. Car runs great.

PS- i found another shop that would do it for $850, much closer to my house. They were ******** on the phone though. I hate dealing with those type of technicians.

 

I recently did mines myself, it took 6 long and hard hours to complete. I only spent $60 on the new belt, and a new pin for the tension-er. I did it at 89,000 miles, but the OEM belt looked like it was still in good condition.

I can understand why the labor cost is so high though, you have to take off a lot of stuff in order to access the timing belt.