Audi A4 2.0TDI Cambelt and water pump cost

fred246

Haynes OWNER'S workshop manuals have been sold for the last 59 years. When. you buy a car you should always get a manual for it. They have a spanner system to grade difficulty of jobs. A cambelt would be pretty high 4 or 5. If you don't feel expert enough you shouldn't attempt it. I had a Meccano set when I was little so I was brought up with pulleys and drive belts. After reading the chapter I have a look for YouTube videos. The best one for my car is by SKF who make the drive belt kits. Then you do the job. I have never had a problem. You can do almost any job on the car and save a fortune. I had a work colleague who asked me how to change a bulb in his car. The main dealer had quoted over £200 because it involved removing the bumper. "I've no idea. Have you got a Haynes manual?" If you're keeping the car go and get one for £16. I bet you'll save that amount easily. The manual said "screw off lens. Replace bulb. Screw on lens". He did it himself in 5 minutes. He was furious with the dealers.

fred990

Indeed, its the same thing with an OBD lead and laptop - saved a small fortune.
If there's no Haynes manual or the section is not covered well try the manufacturers online service manual like VW erWin. Probably the only way for newer/upmarket cars. There's a ton of useful information out there from many sources.

motorguy

The O/P has already indicated that they are happy to pay for someone to do the work, which we all seem to be in agreement that using a recommended, experienced indy mechanic is the way forward in terms of a balance of cost and least hassle.

So i'm not sure why you are labouring the point with "advice" about how the O/P should go about it themselves?

fred246

This is a money saving site where people exchange money saving ideas. Cambelts are cheap but the labour cost to fit them is enormous. So to save money you have to eliminate or reduce the labour charges. If you are intelligent and called Fred there are massive money savings to be had. Obviously we don't find them complex. People who think they are can pay someone else. Surely a mobile mechanic would be the cheapest assuming they have the lowest overheads.

motorguy

fred246 wrote: »

This is a money saving site where people exchange money saving ideas. Cambelts are cheap but the labour cost to fit them is enormous. So to save money you have to eliminate or reduce the labour charges. If you are intelligent and called Fred there are massive money savings to be had. Obviously we don't find them complex. People who think they are can pay someone else. Surely a mobile mechanic would be the cheapest assuming they have the lowest overheads.

Suggesting people with no skills or inclination should start in and change the timing belt on their own cars is NOT a recipe for saving money, its a recipe for disaster. :eek:

This is a site to help people minimise the cost of the service or product they require. In this case the service the O/P required was how he could cost effectively get the timing belt replaced on his car. He was advised accordingly.

For example,

• If someone wants to go on a cruise they would come here for advice on how to minimise that cost, not to be told to go on a holiday to Bognor Regis instead.
• If someone wants advice on the best new laptop to buy and the cheapest way to get it, they're not expecting to be told to just make do with some old desktop computer from decades ago from a charity shop.
• If someone wants advice on which washing machines are best, they dont come here to be told how to find a scrap one, take it apart and repair it themselves.

And more pertinently

• If someone has a car under manufacturers warranty and are enquiring about servicing it, they dont want to have to endure you droning on about how you eke out your cars for 20 years, dont trust ANY mechanic and how you believe - yet never can back it up with evidence - that dealers actually do nothing but just stamp the book.
• OR in the case here - if someone is asking for advice on getting a timing belt changed, boring them with how you would do that on your driveway with a Haynes manual is NOT helping them.

Mercdriver

The freds should sail on this:

https://forums.shipoffools.com/

fred246

I have never suggested that people with no experience should change a cambelt.
I understand people have different priorities. I buy a nearly new car that I intend to keep for years. I want it servicing properly so it works perfectly year after year. I run it for years with no warranty.
People buying a new car that they intend to sell just want the main dealer stamps that they believe will give them the highest trade in value. They are not really bothered if it is actually serviced or not because they have a warranty and will sell it when the warranty expires. Any problems from lack of proper servicing will be passed on to the next owner so it doesn't matter to them.

fred990

Additionally of course you don't have to suffer the feeling of having been completely mugged by such sky high bills. Many of these belt changes (pre-TSI) were ignored on cost alone. A £745 belt change by Audi of after tax income would make it well worth taking time off work to diy it......MSE :beer:

Mercdriver

fred990 wrote: »

Additionally of course you don't have to suffer the feeling of having been completely mugged by such sky high bills. Many of these belt changes (pre-TSI) were ignored on cost alone. A £745 belt change by Audi of after tax income would make it well worth taking time off work to diy it......MSE :beer:

But, do it wrong and not very MSE...

You Freds are worse than someone else. He fantasises. You guys are irresponsible.

fred246

Mercdriver wrote: »

You Freds are worse than someone else. He fantasises. You guys are irresponsible.

There's nothing irresponsible about it. These jobs are all easier than they used to be. No marking belts or using tippex. You just buy the cheap locking tools. So the the crankshaft and camshaft are physically locked into position. This is clearly shown on the videos. You then put a new toothed belt on over the water pump and pulleys. Then just tension it correctly which is dead easy because they have a pointer, remove the locking tools and voila. It's just following simple instructions. I don't see why a mechanic would by any better than me at following them.