I bought my 3.0L A4 with 145,000km, it now has 180,000km. when i bought it, just to be safe, i took it to the audi dealer and told them to take the timing belt cover off and check to see if the belt was replaced. they said that the belt has been replaced because the belt looks like its aftermarket judging from the "white stripe" running down on the side of it...

anyways..ive been getting mixed opinions...some say the belt has never been replaced and has 180k on it....some say it looks ok and has been replaced 60k ago.

what do u guys think? should i run to the mechanic or can i milk this belt for another year?

 

Take pictures of the back side of the belt and I'll let you know. In general...don't frick around with time belts - just get it changed every 120,000km.

 

Its cracking in some sections, as you can tell. I would replace it just for the piece of mind, either way it didnt cost you anything even if it was replaced. It looks like it is stressed and the ribs are showing on the other side already.

 

Personally I wouldn't risk it...sometimes you can't tell just from looking at it on the outside. When you get it off there may be a lot more wear.

 

The belt is only one part of a group of parts that should be replaced as a kit. You'll want a new water pump, belt tensioner, idler, etc. Any one of these components can fail and worst case may cause a belt to immediately shred.

The 3.0L is one of the more difficult Audi engine to replace the Timing Belt Kit. You'll need the special tools that lock the cams together.

 

Anybody know a good place in Toronto to get the Timing Belt and Water pump replaced?

 

Independant Tuning !