so i have owned an audi before and i know the timing belts are a problem. Thinking about buying this b5 from a dealership and naturally the dealer has no clue about the timing belt.

I am going to go check it out to see how the car is, how it drives, blah blah blah. Car has 93k miles on it and the timing belt SHOULD already have been taken care of. Now i know there is a sticker somewhere around the radiator that gives timing belt details and i am NOT sure where it is located?

Any insight?

Also - is there any other way to visually check if the timing belt has been redone? Im not spending 7gs on an audi that is going to blow up in a month ><


-S

 

Look under the hood, there's usually a red sticker.

 

If theybothered to put one in there. I wouldn't rely on a visual - most timing belts I have removed looked great - what you need to worry more about is tge tensioner, but to inspect it you have to tear everything down and if you're gonna do that, you may as well put new parts in. Bottom line, tell them to prove it was done or adjust the price accordingly, or find a different car.

 

yea - i am honestly kind of hoping it isn't done yet so i can lowball this guy really badly hahaha.

However - what would be the easiest way to get the belt changed? Should i buy a kit and have my mechanic do it? He worked for audi for 30 years or so but doesnt anymore - he is pretty legit.

Or should i suck it up and just take it to the stealership???


thanks for your input

 

you should suck it up and DIY!

 

a honest mechanic that you know and trust is worth more than a stealership that you don't know/trust. Lets face it, theres not really any warrenty left on the b5's - so theres nothing to void. You just need quality work done by a trustworthy guy.

 

I am def not competent enough to do it myself otherwise i would. If i did - i would mess something up then have to pay triple to have it undone hahaha.


My mechanic is def trustworthy - cheapest place to buy a timing belt kit?

/discuss

 

Blauparts is very cheap. Comes with instructions as well as everything you'd ever need. Now I thought the TB change would be a pain in my ***, but after borrowing some tools and reading Blauparts instructions (coupled with some DIYs on AudiWorld) it wasn't too difficult. If you've got a mechanic buddy you can ask questions then you're set. But I know diving into something over your head can be dangerous financially. Its a pretty simple matter of unbolt and rebolt, just has bigger consequences. Plan on having the car down for at least two days if you're not profecient with repairs, you'll want some beer breaks. Just dont do it over the span of a month like i did while you're waiting for parts to come in. And one final word to the wise: Labels and ziplock bags are your friend in auto repair! Before you take something apart, snap a picture. Then write down any information on how it's put together you dont think is common sense, and write down what items are in the bag, (ex. 3 x 45 torx bolts (power steering)) Stay organized and it's a peice of cake!

You've got the collective knowledge of the internet at your fingers! There's nothing you cant fix!

 

If that thing has 93k on it, I can pretty well guarantee the TB was NOT changed and was left for the new owner...

Blauparts has a good kit with everything... if you buy through them, you can rent thier tools... hefty deposit though.

Good Luck.

 

When in doubt, change it. Spend 300 bucks now for piece of mind instead of paying 2-3k for a new motor because you "thought" it had been changed.

Visually the TB will generally look the same if it has 10k or 150k on it--simply looking at it is not a good judge of it's condition. It's easy to tell if it's definitely warn, but it's very hard/impossible to tell if it's definitely still good.