how often to change cam belt?

[missmouse]

how often should the ABY cam belt get changed? (mileage & time) I did mine 5 years ago but have only done about 20K miles since then.
thanx,
Simon

[Rusty]

Cahnge it. 5 years or 60k, they perish over time and wear with miles so it's either or. For the cost of a timing belt it's worth sorting.

[EspenW]

Opinions are split on this one. Audi said 120,000km (75K miles) and made no note about age. However some brands now say xx miles or xx years.
Rubber breaks down with age, but it is not the rubber that keeps it from snapping. That job is handled by the kevlar reinforcement inside the belt. The kevlar does not break down with age, but wears from use. Pulleys, etc. also wear down from use, not age. However, the teeth are made from rubber and can shear off in case the rubber rots.
From the records, I see that mine was changed for the first time 5 years ago, when the car was 9 years old and had covered 76K miles.
The car has only covered 12K miles since then, and I have not planned to change it anytime soon, even though 5 years have passed.
In the unlikely case that it should snap, with the resulting bent valves, that will just give me the excuse to port the head and throw in some oversize Supertech valves:mischeif:
Even the top Audi specialist shop in this country says that the 5 year no matter mileage rule is overkill.

I also spotted form the records that the Audi dealer actually had the timing belt off without replacing it when trouble shooting a non start condition. Car was 8 years old and had covered 70K miles at that point

60K miles is a good rule of thumb, and sticking to the 5 year rule is of course the safest option. Aftermath of a snapped timing belt is mighty expensive to fix if you're not doing the work yourself.

[missmouse]

lucky! lucky!

phew!
so glad i decided to change the belt. When i dismantled everything, I found the cast-in key on the bottom cambelt pulley had broken off & was only sitting there 'cos it couldnt go anywhere!
it looked ok at first glance but then I noticed I could move it & it came out completely.
I was very lucky the way it had broken in that was still a lump of metal reaching into the wheel so stopping any movement when all bolted up. But it was only a matter of time!
Be warned!
Ordered a new one today from stealers at about £70! But I need it so they can charge anything unfortunately!
Is front crank oil seal worth changing at this time? looks nice & easy to do (famous last words!)

Simon

[Rusty]

That sounds way OTT, got mine off VAG Parts, just checked and it was £20 + vat

[s2_bo]

I also spotted form the records that the Audi dealer actually had the timing belt off without replacing it when trouble shooting a non start condition. Car was 8 years old and had covered 70K miles at that point

They removed the belt and replaced it with the same one? That sounds ludicrous, for the sake of a few quid you could put on a new belt and not worry about it again for 5years.

[Jamo]

£70???!!! you've been had unfortunately https://sslrelay.com/s74326199.onean...34105263A%3D29

£22 plus vat and thats not including the forum discount!

[BrianSmith_S2]

£70???!!! you've been had unfortunately https://sslrelay.com/s74326199.onean...34105263A%3D29

£22 plus vat and thats not including the forum discount!

How much forum discount do we get then? i didnt realise they offered one

[Jamo]

I don't know the exact figure Acidburn will however, I believe it's near enough 10%

[Rusty]

Yes, that ties in with what I paid.

[missmouse]

Hmmm, certainly quite a difference in price but I have used vagparts a few times but always find the stuff takes ages to come. Dealer is getting it tomorrow for me.
I think actual price is £59 +vat which comes to £69. (pet hate of mine this plus vat s**t, I just want the bottom line not how much tax goes to who. They may as well say plus 5% electricity!)

[missmouse]

typical dealers! sent me the complete belt tensioner thats why it cost so much! They finally got right bit on friday at £21. (including bloody tax!)
I did phone vagparts but they said it would be a couple of weeks & its about the same price actually.
job done & car running fine again.
Bruvs UrS4 next!
simon

[Rusty]

Glad you got it sorted. Did you put an RS2 water pump in whilst you were there?

[Jamo]

Glad you got it sorted. Did you put an RS2 water pump in whilst you were there?

That requires a change to the RS2 cambelt as well to preserve timing.

[missmouse]

interesting, no i changed the pump before (std ABY one)