I have been reading about timing belt nightmares all night long. The car has 74,990 miles on it. Some say the timing belt issue ranges across the entire production of the b5, others say it was just the 96-99 cars. With the car having 75k miles on the clock, how many more miles can i safely put on this car?

Heres the link to the car. I've talked them down $900 so far..

I currently own a turbo 95 M3 so I need something that isn't going to break down once a week like my 600hp bmw. Obviously quattro handles well in the snow so thats not a concern. RELIABILITY
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=35

 

Not to discourage you from buying the 1.8t, as there are a lot of concerns and issues about replacing the turbos on those a4s after a certain amount of miles put on the car, as with your concern of timing belts. maintenance is a bit more than a 2.8 quattro of which i drive, but it's all out of preference and what you're into.

 

I believe recommended timing belt change is around 80K.

Are you planning to keep the car stock or are you planning to modify it?

Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

I plan on keeping it stock but we all know it will never happen. Right now I am buying the car so I can leave my turbo m3 at home and use this while I am away at college.

So for reliability purposes, 2.8 quattro > 1.8t ? What I really want out of this second car is something that can handle the west virginia winters and provide me with some luxury / enjoyment to drive. I refuse to drive an automatic..

 

As long a you get Quattro, you should be set driving in winter.

I have to agree that 2.8 would probably beat the 1.8T when it comes to reliability as NA would be more reliable than cars with forced-inductions.

However, I would say that the 1.8T should be reliable as long as you keep up with your regular maintainence such as regular oil changes (perhaps with synthetic) and such other things.

The only downside about the 2.8 is the limitation of engine modifications. Adding a supercharger is probably one thing that you can do to the 6 cylinder engine but that's gonna set you somewhere around 5 grand.

 

I change the oil in my bimmer every 1500 miles. I know about routine maintenance. I guess I have just grown paranoid over the past few hours after reading about everyone's timing belt breaking. Im ask for service records tomorrow to make sure its been done. If not, how much am I looking at to have this done? At a reputable shop..

 

Like I said, as long as you keep up you'll be fine!

Timing belt belt jobs should cost you around 400-900+ depending on where you get it done at.

I would say independent shops would probably charge you somewhere around 400 and up while the dealerships would charge you 800+ for this job; so at the end, it is your up to which place you trust most.

If the timing belt hasn't been done, tell them to deduct the amount from the price so you can get the job done.

Also there are probably couple of things you might also need to replace while the front half of your car is apart.

 

Will do. Anything else I should look out for when I check out the car tomorrow?

 

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/audi-a4-8/newbie-guide-version-2-a-80968/

I don't know if you've read that but it pretty much has all the informations you might need.

Good luck tomorrow and keep us updated!

BTW, silver is an awesome color!

 

Already read it before I made this thread =] Im not a novice to car forums haha. Only cars I've ever fooled around with to date are E36s..