There should be a few independent Audi repair facilities in the
immediate San Jose area to choose from. My advice would be to find one
with a solid reputation for customer service and "by the book"
maintenance strategies and build a relationship with them.

Yes that service writer probably gets a commission and loves his percentage
of your extra $2000 job.

What year is your Audi and would the longer warranty on the powertrain help
you in this situation?
Did you contact the Audi customer center in the USA?

Now you might have needed the belt but I like to have proof that it is
needed.
If the belt was oily then did they change the seals or gaskets that caused
the oil problem too?

things have to make sense!
later,
dave
(One out of many daves)

60K miles may be overly cautious for the timing belt changeout but many
would also say that 6 years is not terribly unreasonable. What does seem a
bit much is the $2000 charge for the T.B. change. I hope for that price they
also changed out the water pump and tensioners. You'll always pay a premium
to have the dealer work on your car else there'd be few independents out
there. Check on Audiworld's forum for advice on a good independent in your
area.

If it is the 1.8T engine, the timing belt/tensioner/waterpump should be
changed at 60K miles.  They are known to fail on that engine anytime after
60K, resulting in upper engine damage and a $3-4K service bill.  Even with
low-mileage vehicles, that maintenance should be performed at no more than 6
years, even if the mileage is less that 60K.

As far as what they charged you, that is, at most, about a $1K job at an
independent shop in the SF Bay Area.  Yes, dealerships charge premium prices
for parts and labor, and there service is usually no better (and sometime
much worse) than a good independent shop.  There are a number of good
independent VW/Audi shops in the area, such as Streetwerke in Palo Alto, and
Bugformance and Autowerkstat in San Jose.

If it is the 1.8T engine, the timing belt/tensioner/waterpump should be
changed at 60K miles.  They are known to fail on that engine anytime after
60K, resulting in upper engine damage and a $3-4K service bill.  Even with
low-mileage vehicles, that maintenance should be performed at no more than 6
years, even if the mileage is less that 60K.

As far as what they charged you, that is, at most, about a $1K job at an
independent shop in the SF Bay Area.  Yes, dealerships charge premium prices
for parts and labor, and there service is usually no better (and sometime
much worse) than a good independent shop.  There are a number of good
independent VW/Audi shops in the area, such as Streetwerke in Palo Alto, and
Bugformance and Autowerkstat in San Jose.

Actually, if you have the 1.8T, you did the right thing by replacing
the belt at 60K.  Because you have no idea if/when the belt will snap
(a very expensive proposition), I believe the service advisor was
doing his job to tell you it was wise to replace.  There were some
issues with the tensioner on the 2001 model.

Now, $2000 for a timing belt is unreal; did they do any other
service??  The dealer in Colorado Springs charges $1100, but they have
20% coupons, so it would actually be less than that.

If you have the 2.8L, then the belt could have waited quite a bit
longer.  Audi says 105K, but I believe most of the guys on Audiworld
believe 80K is a good (read:  safe) interval.

I agree with the others, find a good independent in the area.

The Audi dealer in Palo Alto isn't much better.
They wanted to chanrge me USD500+ to replace a broken hood cable.
Getting the hood open when the cable is broken, on a '93 90S is pretty
trivial if you can raise the car. They wanted to try and take the grill
off without opening the hood (wtf?) and all sorts of things.

On Oct 27, 12:56 am, xcw...@gmail.com wrote:

It continually amazes me when people complain about getting ripped off
by a dealer. I mean, c'mon, it's a DEALER. They don't make a lot of
money selling new cars any more - they make their money on service and
used cars.

In your case, 60 - 80k miles is when you should replace the TB in ANY
car. It's much cheaper than a rebuild, as others have noted. But a TB
can be done anywhere, it's not rocket science. Doesn't have to be an
Audi specialist, even.

Dan D
'04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6
Central NJ USA

I hate reading stories like this.

I am a Service writer at an Porsche/ Aud/ VW dealer on the east coast.
I started with VW in 1974 and Porsche/Audi in 1986.

It is with this practice of upselling that has given the title of
"Stealerships" to dealerships.

I will always follow what Audi recommends.  I cannot tell you how many
times I have discoraaged a customer in not going for a supplemental
oil change that other dealers may reccomend.

As far as the timing belt being replaced before it is due. There are
some items to think about.

First Audi puts a reccomended belt replacement and if the belt should
break prematurely I know they have stepped up and helped a customer
with the repairs. However each case is judged on an individual basis
and nothing is set in stone as to coverage.

If I have a customer who has a water pump leak and the are close to
100k I will give them the option of changing the belt while changing
the pump. Since the belt turns the pump anyway

Second when a customer is due for the belt change I will mention to
the customer that "You are about to spend a lot of money and I hope
you plan to stay in the car for atleast 2 years" and if you are
thinking about trading out than take the money for the TB and put it
towards a down payment on hopefully another Audi.

Just my 2 cents