Can I get some advice please?
I recently bought an A4 and questioned the dealer about the cam belt. He gave me a bit of the run around and I am in the process of talking to their customer service dept after having filled out one of their customer satisfaction questionnaires rather negatively.
Anyway in the service book, the prvious owner had had the car serviced at 60K and an independent servicer ticked the following boxes:
air cleaner element renewed
spark plugs renewed
ribbed v-belt renewed
toother belt renewed
Now I know that a diesel car does not have spark plugs (or I could be very wrong!!!) so I am a little suspicious about the cam belt having been changed.
Question - is there any way that I can check whether the belt has been changed (or rather if I drop it down to Audi can they tell)?
The other thing with the cam belt is that I cannot find when Audi recommend it be changed. they say 60k for the 90bhp diesel ONLY but then do not mention when the 110 should be changed. I presume that 60k is the safe side of things.
|
|
If the belt had been renewed recently then any experienced mechanic would be able to spot that it was a fairly new belt. Similarly, a trained eye can spot when fastners have been underdone recently etc. - you always leave 'footprints' when working on a car.
|
Thanks - I will see if Audi will be helpful and have a look under the hood as I would not know what I would be looking for.
C
|
Reminds me of the time I took my Fiat 131 in for service. I had replaced the points and coil with a new fangled (then) breakerless ignition plate (hall device) and enhanced coil.
The service sheet stated the point had been changed, and a bag containing all the old bits (including a set of points) was in the boot.
I took the car back and asked them to show me where they had fitted the points. - very embarasing.............
|
|
|
|
Could they have replaced glow plugs rather than spark plugs?
Ian L.
|
Very unlikely at this mileage - Glow plugs do fail but are normally replaced individually.
Only exception I can think of is if inferior glow plugs have
been used to replace OEM - I'd probably replace all of them in
this case.
|
WARNING : the belt tionsioner should be changed as well...if not and it fails.. BANG!
madf
|
You assume your Audi Dealer will be helpful??
If so, you're in for a shock!
My advice?
Get someone you can trust to peel back the top cover - not the easiest job on an A4 and have a look at the belt. If any markings (usually white or yellow) are visiable, the belt might have been changed.
I'd hope the tensioner had been changed - these are date-stamped, so it is relatively easy to suss this out, but it requires disassembly of the cambelt train to see it!
If unsure, have it changed.
Whereabouts are you in the country?
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
Reply |
Report as offensive
| Link
|
I would say that the two comments about belts indicate that the belt was changed, and 60k is the Audi's mileage to have its belt changed anyway so its on the Audi service schedule.
Well this applied to my 60k Passat which has a 110 engine too.
My cam belt cost £350inc vat and included a service to give you a guide as to independent cambelt change costs.
|
|
|
|
In theory all work done on Audi's, VW's etc. by authorised dealers should be recorded on the dealer's computer system so that any dealer can access the service history of a particular car. If the work was done by an independent then there will be no computer record. I certainly would be suspicious of a repairer that doesn't know the difference between spark plugs and glow plugs. As other people have said, glow plugs are usually changed when required.
Some of the VAG tdi engines required a belt etc. at 40k.
For real piece of mind, and if it's a car you intend to keep, then I would have the cambelt, tensioner, etc. changed anyway.
|
|
60k is the recommended mileage as given by Audi for the 110 TDi.However it is only sensible to have it done sooner.On accquiring my A4 1.9 TDi 110 at 94k the car had already had one cambelt change at 60k.I had it changed at 100k by a main VAG agent but I wouldnt go back there again as they failed to tighten the front valance bolts!!.Anyones guess what other downright incompetence took place.Also they couldnt tell me if the tensioner had been changed.On 140k it was changed again this time at an independent who also changed the plastic tensioner which is vital.So if you intend running the car for a number of years 40k is a decent interval.
|
|
|
|
|
Why spend your life worrying. When buying any new secondhand car I always replace any critical bits, and start off fresh e.g distributor cap, fan belt. You have a nice car, change the belt and tensioner (get it in writing on the receipt) and then enjoy 5 years of freedom. If not, the belt will go and it will always go and leave you in an Italian lay-by in the middle of now where.
|
|
|
