hello everyone,

so i got my 99 audi a6 a month ago.. and I did my pre-purchase inspection at a Midas by paying $100. At the time, they told me all i have to do is replace the front brake pads (~$260) and serpentine belt (~$300). Now I go in to replace the brake pads, and they tell me i have to get the brakes AND rotors (because my rotors are too thin already) and that my washer fluid tank is also cracked. They quoted me around $600 plus taxes for front brakes and rotors which is ridiculous since even the dealer quoted me less than that. On their courtesy check which they did for free (at this time i realized how stupid i was because their courtesy check was basically the same as what i had gotten by paying $100...) they wrote that the front rotors should be discarded at .906 (thickness) and mine were .879 and .881. This is my first car and I'm not really mechanically inclined so I really don't know what thin that is... Is it a good idea to get the rotors as well? or is that not much of a difference and can I just resurface them and just get the pads? In both cases, where is a good place to get the parts for cheap? I live in San Diego, so if anyone could recommend a shop or a retailer for parts, i would greatly appreciate it Another shop told me that on audi's, i should not resurface the rotors because then they become below spec. Is this true? How often do I have to replace the rotors?
Same goes for the serpentine belt.. does it usually cost that much? or can i get it done for less? I checked some websites which were selling them for around $100 but I don't know if they're trustworthy...
As for the washer fluid.. the seller lied to me saying that he had replaced them ( I saw from previous maintenance records stating that it needs to be replaced) and the mechanic who inspected my car was stupid enough to not notice them.. so can i just fix that somehow (mold it or something) or do i have to replace them (if so, how much)? It's not completely broken, so there is some fluid left in the tank and I can use it whenever I need it for now (since it almost never rains in San Diego..) but the washer fluid light comes on all the time and when i fill it up, i can see it leaking to below.
I already spent $600 to get new tires as soon as i got this car and the bills are just piling up and it's killing me!!
Thank you everyone for reading this long post and I would appreciate any recommendation!

 

Welcome to the club!
This is just the very beginning of piling bills.

Brakes:
It is a common procedure to replace rotors with pads altogether.

Serpentine belt gets replaced with (during) the timing belt replacement.

The washer fluid tank could be easily fixed - get a plastic glue gun and fix the leak.

I'd worry the most about the condition of the timing belt and the common oil leaks - what is the mileage on the car?

I'd go after the inspection guys as they are responsible for not discovered problems.

With Audi's you have basically the following options:

- dealers - most expensive; source for quotes
- independent expert - hard to find one
- DIY -
- combination of the above based on your pocket, time, other resources.

Get familiar with the repair shops in you area, get some recomendations and references.
Det familiar with parts supply - on line as well.

You have a lot of home work to do as an Audi owner.

 

1. Brakes and rotors: For european cars, it is pretty standard practice to replace the rotors when replacing the pads. $600 is a rip-off. I would say around $450 for new front pads and rotors. but if you do it, it should be a lot cheaper.

2. Replacing serpentine belt takes 15 minutes. The hardest part is squeezing the belt around the main pulley. www.ecstuning.com sells it for around $25.

3. Washer fluid tank leak maybe from the pump connection. Check that. Otherwise just use epoxy or silicone to fill the bastard. No need to replace the tank unless you are maticulous, aka ****.

Well consider this a good hazing program for owning a car. FYI, Audis are great cars but they are not cheap to maintain.

 

I do my own brakes because of the rip-off prices from the dealers and brake shops..

I get rotors for less than $50 each and pads for about $60 a set. If I need a caliper I get a loaded rebuilt caliper for a bit over $100. So front brake parts can run between $160 (rotors and pads) and $300 if you need to do both calipers.

The washer fluid tank can be either used or new.

Try Chris at Force Five in concord NH -- 603-223-6700 or one of the other Audi Parts suppliers--Stay away from the dealers...

 

Thank you all for your help!!
So I found a place who would do my brakes and rotors for $358 plux tax (labor included). I basically know nothing about fixing cars so i wouldn't be able to do it on my own.. i wish i could He said they are akebono brake pads.. I checked online and they seemed to go around $100 for the parts.. Are these any good? Also, can I use any of the replacement rotors? or does the brand really matter for OEM parts?
nemohm: the mileage is 105k. The mechanic said there's no leaks in the car but the serpentine belt should be replaced pretty soon. He said there's little cracks every 4mm or something. Does that mean the timing belt has not been replaced before either? and I should replace them together?
On www.ecstuning.com, there was a complete timing belt kit called "ECS Tuning Ultimate Timing Belt Kit - V6 30v" for $209.88. Has anyone used these before? It had the following:
1. Timing belt
2. Idler roller
3. Tensioner Roller
4. Water Pump
5. Thermostat
6. Accessory drive belt

Is the accessory drive belt the serpentine belt?
If anyone could recommend any websites/places they use for parts, I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks!

 

Accessory belt is the serpentine belt. I've used ECSTuning, Blau parts, no trouble with either.

 

Are those the only things i would need to replace when replacing timing/serpentine belts(and do I NEED to replace all of them)? is it a good deal if i get that kit for $209.88?
There's a ContiTech Timing Belt Kit on www.partsgeek.com for $125.95 which includes
1) 078 109 119J Timing Belt
1) 078 109 243R Tensioning Roller
1) 078 109 244H Relay Roller
1) N 017 717 6 8x40mm Hex Socket Head Screw (Proper Torque 7.4 ft lbs.) b) N 010 254 14 10x25mm Head Head Screw

then i can just get the serpentine belt separately for another $25 since i don't think i really need the thermostat or the water pump...
Any suggestions???
Thank you all!!

p.s. how much for labor for all that can i expect from a mechanic?

 

Suggestion: replace the water pump and thermostat while you are at it! They are very little extra work and you DO NOT want to go through all that work just for a sticky thermostat or leaky water pump!

If you are having a mechanic do it, it will cost $500 - $1000 in labor. If you find out over the winter that you need a new thermostat, again, $500 - $1000.

And, find an experienced Audi mechanic to do the work. There are several tricks that an experienced mechanic will know, but an inexperienced mechanic will have to learn.

Bob

 

A good source for the timing belt kit is Blauparts. They include everything that you should do (Belt, tensioners, water pump, thermistat, cam seals, front main seal, etc.) when you have it apart. Listen to Bob Martin -- do it all when your in there--- I was told it takes about 5-6 hours for a knowledgeable mechanic to do the work -- the kit cost around $200-$250 -including shipping. depending upon which vehicle you have.

If you do-it-yourself you can rent a tool kit from Blauparts for around $35 for a week that has all the special tools and instructions. Or you could purchase the cam holder and TDC pin from KDMAK for around $100. Just make sure you get the right one because there was a change in 98 or so...

 

If you never worked on a car before, then have a mechanic do it. A dealer will charge you around $1500 for timing belt, related accessories (rollers, tensioners and etc.), water pump and thermostat. It is okay for you to provide parts off the internet, but then you just killed your mechanic's warranty by trying to same some bucks. MOST mechanics do not provide warranty if they do not supply the parts. (It really doesn't make sense, but they need to make money off parts too.) So if you trust your mechanic and he or she is willing to stand by their work, then I would go off and buy internet parts.

While at it, have the mechanic visually inspect the cam seals as well.