I am looking at a 2001 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro to buy. I was wondering, as I have been told different things, does this engine have a belt or chain? Is the chain less likely to break than the belt? I have also looked at the DIY walkthroughs for changing the timing belt and they dont look bad. Is the chain any harder? Thanks in advance for the help

 

It's a belt.

 

And when it snaps the whole engine screams "**** YOU" and you'll need a top end rebuild.

 

The owner says it has been done is there any way to check?

 

Only with service records. You can look at the belt but that'll tell you nothing. I can't tell you how many timing jobs I've done where the belt coming off (one with upwards of 100k miles) looked perfectly fine. It's the tensioners that are usually to blame when an engine blows - the tensioner doesn't hold, the belt jumps, and you have valve salad. If the owner can't prove it, assume it wasn't done and negotiate accordingly.

You've heard belt and chain because there are both - the belt drives the exhaust cam (and is what gets done in a timing service along with a host of other parts). The intake cam is driven off the exhaust cam via a tensioned chain assembly inside the head. The tensioners do wear out but not always - mine are original at 203k miles and going strong. In any event, if you have decent tools and are both mechanically competent and understand engine mechanicals, you can tackle either job with confidence, and there's a wealth of info on here both in the form of DIYs and posts, and in the many members who are experienced with these cars.