Hi, I have a 95 A6 Avant Quattro with just over 93,000 miles. Last week I had the serpentine and cam timing belts replaced (along with the cam timing they replaced the water pump, roller bearings and thermostat. Since these repairs have been done my car hasn't started three times. The 1st time was right after picking the car and going to mall. I called the shop and they suggested, turning the crank and holding down the gas until it caught. Drove the car a few days later, and I had a slight issue with the engine light being on for about a minute after my final stop. Yesterday I took a short trip and the car didnt start, I tried the cranking thing, no luck. Called the shop again and they suggested waiting and trying again, that worked, however after getting my grogeries it didnt start, and not after the waiting period either. I left the car the grocery store and am about to go bring it back to shop. Could my problem be a faulty thermostat? The only pattern Ive noticed is the car restarts after highway driving, but not when I stay on city streets? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appriecated. Thank you.

 

Did your CEL (check engine light) come on at all? If it did, you must be having some fault codes that need to be read. It may be that they didn't get the timing right.

If you didn't get a CEL, then you may have some other problem(s) that coincidentally appeared right upon picking up the car after the timing belt work.
It could be the ignition control module, it could be the fuel pump, it could as well be a dieing starter or something else. Nevertheless, the car should start no matter if they installed the thermostat right or wrong.
Although I suspect that the shop is an indie place (do they really work on Audis on a regular basis?), you should definitely took the car back and have them fix it. There's no reason whatsoever for holding the gas pedal down on this car to start it.
Good luck.

 

Possibly your alternator is going out, or they messed something up when replacing the serpentine belt. The alternator might explain why you have a harder start after short/low speed trips and not after highway driving. Could also be the battery going. Keep an eye on your gauges and see if you notice an issue.

And I agree with chefro, you should not have to touch your gas pedal at all to start your car. Though I'm not sure I would take my car back to a shop that recommended that as a short term solution.

 

Alternator? You smokin something?

If it was the alternator the battery would be dead.

I'd look at the the crank sensor wires or ETS

 

Sounds like a connector wasn't pushed all the way on during the TB job. It is NOT an alternator.

Good luck,

Bob

 

Thanks to everyone for their responses. The car is an auto, the shop is an indepenent shop (in business since the 70s and specializes in German cars) and my battery is less than two years old and hasnt been cranked on a lot.
The cam position sensor had error codes and was replaced for less than cost with no labor since I just had major service done. I'll let you know if I had any more issues.