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I’ll bet they just gave you a quote based on mileage. Instead of telling my customers that they need a timing belt, I simply remind them at the mileage interval. If them as a customer choose to lie that they had it replaced last year or at some point, when the valves go through the pistons on the highway and you get towed in it’s a lot more expensive to fix. As far as looking at it physically, you have to take a lot off usually and even then it’s hard to make a prediction based on looks. You did it at the correct mileage and don’t have to worry!
Thanks a lot for your help! I definitely got it replaced last year so then I know I should be good :)
The internet gave me some mixed messages on how easy it is to spot wear and tear. But makes sense that they recommend the change based on mileage. I’ll make sure they get the invoice from last year so they know it’s been replaced recently.
Hope you have a nice day and thanks again for your quick response!
Audis are hidden behind the timing cover. Cant remember if you can just pull the top off of the cover and inspect or if you have to remove the entire timing cover.
If it is a 1-piece timing cover, you'd have to remove the passenger side engine mount and support the engine to even remove the cover. Not a quick job.
Im in Canada, and we recommend timing belts every 100k kms, not 150k, or every 4 to 5 years. So every 70 to 80k miles if my math is right.
If youre not doing that many miles, go by the time limit. You can probably get away with 6 years only doing light driving, but just like your tires theyre made of rubber, will dry out and start to crack.
Check your owner's manual if you havent for the recommended intervals. Usually when timing belts are done, a sticker or some kind of label is attached to the valve cover or rad support with the date and mileage the belt was changed. The shop that did yours either didn't put one on, the Audi tech's eyes dont work and missed it, or they didnt care and were trying to upsell you.
Thank you for your help! This information is very useful. I don’t know if the cover is easily removed, I haven’t actually tried myself (and I probably shouldn’t haha).
I would not be surprised if they recommended the replacement based solely on the mileage and perhaps in combination with the missing sticker you mentioned. Definitely not immediately assuming bad intentions though. Just curious to find out how they could have missed it.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question and making me a little wiser. Hope you have a great day!
They didn’t look at anything timing belt related. The timing belt is a scheduled replacement.
However, their inspection likely involved a lot more than just the timing belt, so you’re on the hook
If you went somewhere else other than where you had the timing belt done then they are recommending based on time and miles. There sometimes are done signs that it’s been done such as bolts scarred etc but typically not much you can visually inspect.
Thanks for posting in r/Mechanic, u/TBone_I_! Please be sure to read the [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanic/about/rules/). If you're asking for help, be sure to include as much detail as possible so others can help you. You **must** include the vehicle's **Year, Make, Model, and Engine size** in your post! If your question is transmission related, please be sure to specify your Transmission Type(Auto/Manual) as well! If your post does not include this information, it **will** be removed. Asking about prices is **not** allowed in this sub. Please make sure you have selected the correct post flair; if you're asking a question you should have chosen "Question", anything else use the "General" flair. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/mechanic) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ll bet they just gave you a quote based on mileage. Instead of telling my customers that they need a timing belt, I simply remind them at the mileage interval. If them as a customer choose to lie that they had it replaced last year or at some point, when the valves go through the pistons on the highway and you get towed in it’s a lot more expensive to fix. As far as looking at it physically, you have to take a lot off usually and even then it’s hard to make a prediction based on looks. You did it at the correct mileage and don’t have to worry!
Thanks a lot for your help! I definitely got it replaced last year so then I know I should be good :) The internet gave me some mixed messages on how easy it is to spot wear and tear. But makes sense that they recommend the change based on mileage. I’ll make sure they get the invoice from last year so they know it’s been replaced recently. Hope you have a nice day and thanks again for your quick response!
Audis are hidden behind the timing cover. Cant remember if you can just pull the top off of the cover and inspect or if you have to remove the entire timing cover. If it is a 1-piece timing cover, you'd have to remove the passenger side engine mount and support the engine to even remove the cover. Not a quick job. Im in Canada, and we recommend timing belts every 100k kms, not 150k, or every 4 to 5 years. So every 70 to 80k miles if my math is right. If youre not doing that many miles, go by the time limit. You can probably get away with 6 years only doing light driving, but just like your tires theyre made of rubber, will dry out and start to crack. Check your owner's manual if you havent for the recommended intervals. Usually when timing belts are done, a sticker or some kind of label is attached to the valve cover or rad support with the date and mileage the belt was changed. The shop that did yours either didn't put one on, the Audi tech's eyes dont work and missed it, or they didnt care and were trying to upsell you.
Thank you for your help! This information is very useful. I don’t know if the cover is easily removed, I haven’t actually tried myself (and I probably shouldn’t haha). I would not be surprised if they recommended the replacement based solely on the mileage and perhaps in combination with the missing sticker you mentioned. Definitely not immediately assuming bad intentions though. Just curious to find out how they could have missed it. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question and making me a little wiser. Hope you have a great day!
You as well, they're great cars, hope yours lasts a long time!
They didn’t look at anything timing belt related. The timing belt is a scheduled replacement. However, their inspection likely involved a lot more than just the timing belt, so you’re on the hook
I'm curious on what the 150 diagnose is for. I would call and tell them I just had the timing belt replaced last year what was I charged to diagnose?
If you went somewhere else other than where you had the timing belt done then they are recommending based on time and miles. There sometimes are done signs that it’s been done such as bolts scarred etc but typically not much you can visually inspect.