I'm thinking of buying my first Audi which is a '95 Cabriolet. the current owner says the water pump needs to be replaced. Whats the level of difficulty in replacing the water pump? Also, being new to Audi ownership, what should I expect to give attention to for repair and how durable are Audi's?
Thanks for your input.

 

I just did the water pump on my 94 cab, took me 2 days (about 16 hr total). It was fun really, I learned alot. The main thing is if your gonna do it you might as well do the timing belt also because the pump is right there on the belt. I searched the web and found a DIY on the 2.8 v6, its a newer audi model ( www.audidiy.com ) so the step by step isn't exact. My problem was I when took the radiator out to make room, this took forever because I took it out wrong... I'm definatly going to buy the Bentley Manual next time I do anything major. I didn't do the tensioner and roller because I didn't know what they were before I took it apart and didn't order the parts in advance. I had a time limit so I replaced without them... probably a bad idea but I got 1500+ miles on the new timing belt so far and all seems fine. I hear there is a 200 dollar kit somewhere with all the stuff, I'll do that next time for sure. IMPORTANT !! either get the audi tools (cam shaft bracket and crankshaft pin) or be very carefull that neither The crankshaft moves or the cam sprockets move !! I used whiteout and marked the old belt and mulitple places on the diffrent grooves then counted all spaces (3 times to make sure ) so I made 100% certain the new belt went on exactly how the old belt was on. I've done some backyard auto stuff since I was in high school, but really don't have to much exp doing major work and I figured it all out...

I love the Cabriolet, i'm still sorting out some of the issues mine has (electrical atm) but its worth it to me, I love the way Audis drive and nothing else looks as good on the road to me

 

Yeah, I feel the same about my bimmer but I want an Audi cuz they look good and drive well. Anyway, thanks for the info. I've down a few timing belts as well but never had a problem wiht anything, crank or cams, moving. What does the tensioner look like, is it spring loaded or an off center pulley?

 

I'm not sure This is my first time working with tensioners. The one on the serpentine belt (you gotta remove it to get to the rest) is a spring loaded I think, had to pin it. The one on the timing belt is diffrent, didn't have to pin it. It is a round circle, both use torc bolts ?? (allen wrench head) to apply/remove tension.

hope that answers your question