Greeting, thanks for taking the time to read my post.

I just got a 2002 A6 C5 3.0L quattro from an auction with 91K miles but no vehicle maintenance history (carfax has very little)

I took it to an independent Audi guy and he said the timing belt looked new, but the accessory belt looked pretty old. Then I took it to Audi dealer and they took a deeper dive for me.

The Audi tech at the dealer took the covers off the timing belt and said it looked newer.He seemed certain it wasn't original because the belt will usually wear on the top when it rubs against water pump and this one wasn't worn, and the teeth were in excellent shape and overall the thickness of the belt was very good relative to an old one. I definitely trust the opinion, but I'm still unsure.

So my question for all of you then...If this was your car would you trust that and drive the car and keep an eye on it? Is there anything else I should consider? I want to avoid the dreaded broken timing belt. From what I know, this isn't something that usually goes overtime w/ a bunch of warning...rather its "snap!" and your out $4K (or some large amount of money).

Justin

 

I would change it for the peace of mind of knowing "for sure" that it was replaced & when.

Do you have any major oils leaks, such as @ cam tensioner gaskets or cam seals?
If so, you could combine doing these while doing the timing belt. If you're turning the wrench, be aware there will be some investment in some unique tools for the timing. There are on-line places that rent them , if you buy the TB from them.
If you don't have these major leaks, then it's possible that previous owner took care of things, including the TB. It's a gamble.

If you trust the Audi tech, then possibly just go ~50% over the recommended replacement mileage. However, I'm uncertain of the experience history of how long people have run before changing TB.

 

Thanks for the input, CRuby. I think I'm going to play it safe and get it done. There is a ticking noise on the driver-side bank so inspecting that is probably a good idea, too along w/ doing TB replacement. ayeyaya

I've done a few hours research on the ticking and it appears it could be anything from nothing (just a normal audi tick) to a worn cam lobe/lifter or a sign the whole cylinder head is going.

I paid $3,300 for the car so I'm not trying to get nuts, but I'd like it to last.

 

Here is a story for you to consider.

My 1993 Audi 100 had a head gasket leak just around 60k miles. The dealer replaced the head gasket at a reduced rate because it was just out of warranty and he replaced the timing belt at the same time. Since the timing belt interval was 90k on that car I figured I was good 'till about 150k. Well at about 125k the tensioner gave out suddenly. I was fortunate, nothing was damaged but then I did not find that out until I pulled the heads.

The moral of this story is - just because the T-belt was changed you do not know if the tensioner and the water pump were changed. If it were me I would install a new T-belt, water pump and tensioner within the next 10,000 miles just to be safe.

 

Thanks for the information. Glad to hear you didn't have any major damage when the tensioner broke. I'm going to take your advice and get it done in the next 6 months. Justin