kron0s

Any suggestions at what mileage the timing belt should be changed?

Also how much did the labor cost for those who had this done?

Thanks!

lyleswk

The typical recommendation is 70K to 75K miles or 5 or 6 years, whichever comes first. Don't want to let this go too long as the consequences are catastrophic.

Domnf15

Is the time interval really important? I have a 2005 A4 1.8T w/ 40k miles on it, so it's 5 years old but not nearly close to the mileage needed for the timing belt to be replaced. I'm guessing the belt wears out from usage more than age?

AudiCO

In my opinion mileage is more important than age, however you don't want either to extend too far. I did the TB job on my '02 this past January with 75K miles. The timing belt itself looked fine, but of course I had heard all the horror stories about the water pump impeller disintegrating, so I was happy to see that my pump was in good shape too. Naturally, I replaced all the critical components. Still, it is the peace of mind that far outweighs the cost of the procedure, especially when undertaking it yourself.

mullardel34

Yes, the timing-belts do fatigue due to both age as well as wear-and-tear from use. Failure to heed either timing-belt mileage or time-in-use puts your engine at risk; the engine re-build will cost far more than the timing-belt replacement... ;-)

Type_Audi

AudiCO,

I always love to see the front of an A4 with the entire front removed. Once that section is gone it's a great time to do a lot of things given the effort to remove it all.

kron0s,

When I did the belt on my 04 a4 1.8T the belt, idler and waterpump looked fine after 74k miles. A good 40k of those miles were pure highway so I had the engine rev's/mile advantage. Since it's only about $300 in parts and a couple days of time (if you take it easy), I would go ahead and do it.

I've never waited to do a timing belt. When I had my 944 Turbo I did it every 40k religiously (I do miss that car!).

kron0s

Thanks for the input guys. My mechanic is charging me 1350 to change the belt, water pump, air filters, spark plugs, and oil change. Does that sound fair for the amount of work that needs to be performed?

ct_esq

cheap - take it and run!!!1

lyleswk

Cheaper than a dealer, but I have seen it closer to $1000 ($250 in parts and $800 ish in labor).

Reggie

Make sure he does the tensioner too - look on Pure Motorsport for the timing belt kit and look at the items for the full kit. You need to have all those things done