i recently helped my girlfriend buy a '98 A4 Quattro 1.8t with 114,000 miles on it. i found a receipt in the glove box from a dealership stating "all 3 belts replaced" at 80,000 miles. i assumed this meant timing belt included, but the bill came to a little over $700... which seemed kind of cheap to include the t-belt, considering it had an oil change, air filters, and one of the accessory belt tensioners replaced also. when i look at the car, i swear i see 3 different accessory belts... did some of these have 3 belts AND a timing belt, total of 4? i don't want to sound like an idiot, but everywhere i go people say there are 3 belts including t-belt, and i may need my eyes checked, but i see 3 accessory belts alone (not including t-belt). please help. also, what else should i do to the car to ensure it is "up to speed"?

 

well, i couldnt say for sure. i only have experience with an 01, which has an internal water pump. i do belive yours is driven like an accesory. i only have two accesory belts, one for ac, the other for the rest. with that said, logic says 700 for all that is way too cheap. should be a grand, and even thats a steal. on the other side, if the timing belt wasnt replaced at 80K like the other belts, it would have almost surelyt snapped by now. i think the audi change interval is 90k and people had them snappin at 60k. personally, i wouldnt risk it. even if it was changed at 80k, and you change it again, you know its good till 175k at least. i know its a lot to spend without being sure, but its IMO your only option. however you could try a little to contact the previous owner and ask what exactly was done.

 

Nah - the timing belts don't normally snap. The issue on the early A4's was the tensioner design. It was an old ball joint style where the ball socket stretched and cracked and eventually the ball came out of the socket, causing the belt to slip or shred. You should still replace the belt if it is over 5 years old or shows signs of cracking. The water pump can sometimes seize as well, throwing the timing belt off and *boom*. Always change the pump when doing a timing belt job.

By the way Redline, your water pump runs the same as a 98's - off the serpentine belt. The 1.8t engine did not change water pumps between 1998 and 2001.

Here's a pic of my tensioner (compared to the new style) when it failed at 85K - you can see the difference:


A 98 A4 has 3 belts total. The Timing Belt, the Serpentine Belt (which also runs the water pump and steering pump) and the A/C Belt. The A/C belt is the smallest - wrapped on the two pulleys on the lower right in the picture below. The water pump is behind the A/C pulleys on the serp belt.

A timing belt job for $700 is not unheard of from an indy mechanic - seemed really low for a dealer or euro mechanic tho.

 

This info is not exactly correct. The belts do snap or strip, no matter the year. It should be replaced every 80K miles. Audi goofed on this and originally set the service interval for 120K miles, which turns out is way too late. This is the reason for the recent workshop campaign... the letter we all got about checking our T-belts. Additionally, more often the water pump impeller often breaks apart, causing over-heating, way before the bearing seizes. There is a new metal design, which eliminates this design flaw. But I do agree, change the pump with the belt, regardless of the impeller. Its a cheap part in comparison to doing the job twice.

Incorrect. The AWM (2001+) water pump is not the same as AEB or ATW. AWM is T-belt driven.

Brrman, that pic clearly shows 3 accessory belts plus a timing belt. Only AWM (01+) has only two accessory belts. The water pump belt is eliminated in AWM due to the t-belt-driven water pump design.

The A/C compressor is on the bottom left of the picture. The power steering pump is the lower right pulley. The belt off the PS pump drives the water pump, whose pulley is just below the fan clutch.




So to answer grantly's question: Your eyes serve you correctly. There are 3 accessory drive belts. No, the T-belt was not done on that repair bill. If there is no record of the T-belt being done, do it now.

 

thanks for the help and info guys, especially tweaked. i've ordered the complete kit with new water pump and all that good stuff. and i was going to say, in those pictures brrman, there are clearly 3 acc. belts... i thought i looked at my girlfriends car very closely and it really angered me when she went to PepBoy's and the guy told her it had 2 acc. belts. watch out for those guys!

 

My bad, redline - yeah I just checked. I was thinking you had the ATW engine.
And as far as the belts go - I dunno what I was thinking. Must have been the 3AM post. LOL... I even got the pulleys mixed up...

 

No problem. Good thing she's datin' you and not a Pep-Boys mechanic


Brrman, it's ok. It happens to the best of us. I try and avoid the forums during my bouts of insomnia!