Got a 99 A4 1.8 and my timing belt went on me. Mechanic say it bent the valves and needs to replace them...

Anyone else have the same problem? I was under the impression that the heads have been designed to minimize this problem?

 

nope its an interference engine, timing belt breaking will almost always bend a few valves. and the tensioner on these cars suck, which is why it is recommended you change your timing belt every ~70k.

 

pretty much what he is saying is your screwed and are going to spend some bucks

 

Former owner said he replaced it at 70 or 80.... went at 106.

OK so I gotta replace the head.... any suggestions on whewre to get a rebuilt head at a reasonable price? Also any issues I should know about the timing belt when I replace the head? Intend on doing th ework myself, used to working on VW Diesels, so a gasser TB shouldn't be too difficult right???? Or am I just kidding myself?

 

Check the classifieds here - several people are parting out cars, and your best bet is probably a head from one of them.

 

dude, if you don't have documentation of it being done than you should have had it done.

if you do have documentation then you should take it back to wherever it was done...call the previous owner...

timing belts should not break w 25-35K...it just doesn't happen....if you just recently bought the car than you need to have the previous owner comp repairs or come up w a receipt...

alright well, I think I have heard about a new head costing 600$, but I can't remember where i read that...you can get a port and polish while it's apart though!

sorry to hear about your realling fuc,king sh!tty situation...gl!

 

Problem with that idea is caveat emptor - buyer beware. And as I assume this to be a private party transaction, the former owner is not liable for anything. There are no warranties of any type if you're buying a car from anything other than a licensed auto dealer. The former owner unfortunately could tell him to sh*t in his hat and that'd be the end of it. There might be a case in court if the former owner intentionally misled him, but even that may be shaky at best. If the prior owner is a decent person, they may offer or agree to help with the costs, which would be nice, but make no mistake - it's not required by law, nor is it really enforceable.

 

former owner lied

you can buy a head from a car being parted out. check here, audizine, audiworld, and vortex. and yeah you should be able to do it yourself. here- http://audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165946 and here- http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng35.shtml