Anyone taking their "eligible" audi or vw 1.8L turbo to the dealer for any kind of service will have a "free" inspection of their timing belt performed.

This is an absolute money maker for the dealer. They have no motivation whatsoever to tell you other than that you need to replace your timing belt (at your own cost). This has to be the worst class action settlement in history.

But let's keep rants to a minimum in this thread. My question is, given that at some point it might be a good idea to replace the timing belt, what would a good mechanic charge for this service?

My local audi dealer said they would charge around $1800.

 

It depends where you go, ofcourse. I paid around $900. Make sure you are getting everything replaced, one shop would do it for $600, but that didn't include the waterpump.

 

I paid 550 for the belt , tentioner , & water pump. Life is good when you got hookups !!! =)

 

I had to change today, they asked me about $864 (water pump + belt)

 

Find a VW specific mechanic near you. My local one quoted me $500 after we chatted about VWs for a while.

 

I was quoted about $850.00 from 2 different dealers in my area.

this was for the belt, pump and tensioner

 

Dont take it to a dealer.....take it to a audi/vw specific tune shop. Labor will be cheaper.