I had recently CVC work done on my 2004 A6/S-Line( stock except for a chip upgrade) with 72k miles. The dealer gave me a list of additional work needed soon, one of which was replacing the camshaft oil seals which he said were leaking into the cylinders and since they'd have done the labor already I should have the timing chain replaced at the same time. The camshaft oil seals is mostly a labor thing (estimate $1800). So has anyone else heard of this issue and did the cost sound about the same?

 

This sounds kind of strange. The camshaft oil seals would leak into the timing belt area at the front of the engine or perhaps around the camp position sensor (if this car has one) at the rear, not into the cylinders. The valve oil seals would leak into the cylinders. The timing chain should last at least twice as long if not longer. They are not maintenance items and should not need to be replaced.

 

Thanks for that info, I guess I will wait till my 75k maintenance and see if they tell me the same thing again, and then I'll ask a) how did they find out the camshaft oil seals are leaking? and b) how can they leak into the cylinders? maybe if they can show me a schematic of how they can leak into the cylinders will convince me.

 

Assuming your car is a 2.7T, your car's camshaft seals are likley leaking, but not into the cylinders. It could be leaking down the cylinder head, onto your exhaust/turbos. Do you smell burning oil smell after your park your car? Common problem. $1800 sounds a little steep, but i did my own.

If assumption above was correct, your car does not have a timing chain, it has a timing belt, that at 8 years old and 72K miles, is due for replacement very soon. It would be a good idea to do the seals, and other maintenance items related to the timing belt removal at the same time, including water pump.

Gary

 

Did he say Valve seals Maybe?

If not go somewhere else. Dealer or no dealer that's not right.

Sounds like they need your wallet to leak into their bank account.

 

x2 on that and how would they know oil was leaking into the cylinders in the first place?? it would burn off.....

 

A quiet motor with bad compression could mean that the valve seals are leaking.

It's more likely that one or more of the following cylinder head seals are leaking:
1. Tensioner (2 seals per bank)
2. Valve Cover gasket
3. Spark plug gasket
4. Cam sproket seal (1 per cam shaft, 2 per bank)
5. Cylinder head caps (1 cap per bank)

I found oil on the top of my spark plugs before I replaced all of my seals. So maybe this is why the dealer says it's getting into the piston? I'd be weary of their abilities unless they simply mispoke or were trying to dumb it down for you.

OP, make sure you clean or replace the PCV hoses. When they clog, the cylinder head seals become the weakest link.

Edit - For almost $2k, you should be able to get a timing chain service and all of your seals (excluding valve seals) replaced.

 

My car is a 2.7T S-line with 73k miles. Its not smoking, I don't smell any oil and have any oil on the ground where I park. I can believe the camshaft oil seals could leak into the timing chain side or even drip down on the headers. But I don't seem to have any visual problems of leaking.

So 75K is about it for the timing belt according to one person. Do I need to replace the water pump at the same time?

 

Yea, I'd hold out in the seals if you don't smell anything or you don't here the cam chains making a slapping noise when you start the car. Just make sure you check the oil. It's very unlikely that it's leak through the timing belt covers and onto the belt but you'll find out if the belt is dry when you change it.

You'll need to replace the water pump and the timing belt pulley. Might as well donthe thermostat while you're in there. Make sure you pop off you PCV hose from the valve covers and check it for clogging. At 75k miles I'd bet you'd have some. It's a relatively cheap replacement and it will make your seals last longer.

Good luck