It's not an engine out job they're blagging you.

I'd go down and get my car back pay for the battery (which to be honest mate for £25 can't be a very good one) and get the belt done elsewhere. You can't tell if a belt is worn and will snap in the next 1000 miles just by looking at it, unless it's completely shagged which is doubtful if the car has been kept to the correct service shedule.

A new belt for the 1.9tdi is £28 + VAT and a new tensioner if it needs one is £48 + VAT, keep that in mind if they charge you the earth for them.

Full service is pretty involved there is noway you could do that for £225 with a cambelt change, or does that not inc labour?

 

Yep that includes labour.

The service has been thrown in for free aparantly as an apology for the £600 quote in the first place when every where else said £250

 

Nothing comes for free, if you know them and think they'll do it properly then go for it but i bet they won't do it right for 'free'

 

2nd that there is no way to tell, unless its obviously cracked which is doubtful. Also I'm not sure on the diesel but I'm sure its similar, the belt very rarely fails, its the tensioner that goes bad so you'd better make sure they replace that as its much more important that the belt! Good Luck

 

My thought is that if they change the belt for 225 pounds. The belt however isn't the thing that breaks, at least on the 1.8T. Usually it is the tensioner that goes, or the water pump bearing.

So far, you went in there for a battery. They upsold you to a new timing belt. I suspect that when they go in there, they will tell you that you need a new tensioner and waterpump and that it will cost an extra 400 pounds to replace those.

Again, my experience is on the 1.8T. Parts cost less than 300 dollars for timing belt, tensioner, idler pully, waterpump and thermostat and fluid. Labour charge was about 5 hours to replace all those and the front engine cam seals.

I still suggest you go down and see your car. I doubt that they would have your car in bits.

 

I am going to do a 'surpise visit' on my car in the morning.

Should be interesting.

 

eh? that sounds kinky...

 

I called in yesterday and the report from my friend that the whole engine was out was incorrect.

They had just removed the front assembley (grill etc.) to allow access to the cam belt and were in the process of changing it while I was there. I felt a bit more reassured by this.

I drove past last night when the garage was shut and saw my A4 in the completed area, meaning it's ready to go to the spray shop on Monday for it's stone chips to be removed.

Having spoken to the garage carrying out the work and seeing it being done I should be able to relax and if there's anything wrong when I get it back I know where to go.

Not sure how they quoted £600 to start with and then dropped to £200, but I will look in to this when I get the car back.