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Just had 4 new cams and associated components fitted to my 120K miles RS4. Excuse my limited mechanical knowledge but, according to Listers Coventry (RS masters, or so I am led to believe), the teeth on the cam sprockets have worn excessively and they can only be sourced as complete kits (with cams).
The knock-on effect has also resulted in new valve timing units also being required. The total bill over £2K.
The root cause seems unclear but with high mileage guess what Listers are saying?! Wear and tear...
The car has FASH including 3 cam belt services.
In some ways you could say I was lucky I still have an engine as the problem only came to light at a recent service - a fault on the computer and an unfamiliar metallic noise spotted by the technician. But with a £2K bill on its way its hard to feel lucky.
Anyway if anybody else got any comments, advice or similar experiences I'd like to hear especially if theres some recourse with Listers or Audi.

seems ordinary requirement every 40k miles for cambelts and associated components not sure about the valve timing units.

What mileage was on when you bought? May have been offloaded prior to this service interval with previous owner well aware of impending costs?

Had mine changed @ 40k for £ 6-700 + vat so 2k + seems rather alot imho

2K for 4x cams, lifters..?, valve timing units, chains, gaskets, consumables etc... + extortional hourly rates...
not forgetting its all OEM gear..... is an expensive bill at any means...

Where did you buy the car, I would say its very excessive wear & tear....
possibly i would be looking closer at my warranty or bill of sale .. if you have just purchased..?
David ....

Harry , £6-700 is ok for a cambelt change , the job of changing the cam shafts & timing units is much bigger . The timing unit are £250 +vat each(x2) plus the cams ,I can see why it's £2k as it's a lot of work & parts .

Yeh there you go I'm a total nonce when it comes to engines - cambelt shmambelt. Loving yer knowledge and understanding Grizz. Ta.

Very sorry and concerned to hear the news. This is very relevant to all as this issue has been rumoured here before, it is the case that many large tuners MRC included have been suggesting that more regular oil changes and higher spec oil be used in these motors, rather than the recommended Audi Weak Tea and especially the variable service .

Can you please let it be known if you are on fixed or variable service?(fixed will be every 10k shown in your service book)

How often have you had your Maf changed?(have you changed it)

What Dv,s are u running?(have you changed them)

How long have you had it?(miles)

Does it make a his / piss noise on gear change when accelerating hard?

Has your car been running slowly in your opinion.

Is it modded and if so to what degree.

Has your car been tracked for 30 minute periods or driven excessively for such periods to the best of your knowledge?



At least your car now will be better that any other with regard to the work carried out I hope this will compensate you for the money you are spending.

It seems strange that S4 owners are not also having these issues here in the Uk. Again it may be that S4s are mainly on fixed service.

I wrote to Audi 1 year ago specifically raising this issue but got no response.
I hope you get on well with the car when it is finished
G


Harry, a nonce ,never!

For 2k, I'd be shopping around.... Dialynx maybe?

It seems strange that S4 owners are not also having these issues here in the Uk. Again it may be that S4s are mainly on fixed service

I find it quite remarkable that RS4 engines can be on variable and S4 fixed. I opted for the fixed.

Good to hear that Listers picked it up, hats off to them.

I my opinion, cam chains and gears should always be considerd to be servicable items, as to how long they should last is another matter. We all talk about changing our cam belts at regular intervals but it seems that knowone considers our cam chains. Failure of these will cause considerable damage as will the cam belt.

Thanks for all the replies. In answer to some of the questions...
I bought car 18 months ago with high miles (80K+) but price reflected it and history etc seemed in order, had both AA check and Dealer pre-warranty check. Sadly now out of warranty. Its on the variable servicing. Its not been modified.
I drive it fairly hard but not done any track days although previous owner did couple Audi track days. Its done lots miles as it was his and my everyday car for a while. Now its a weekend toy.
The money for what I've had done seems fair price, especially as Listers Coventry reckon they undersold the labour by half.
But it was serviced + cam belt by Listers Worcester 12k miles previous and nothing was reported.
Regarding FlashyG questions:-
Its on Variable Servicing;
Not sure what 'Maf' and 'Dv's' are?;
Had it for 35K miles now;
There is a bit of 'hiss/piss' noise but nothing like the gasps of a pumped-up jap import;
The car had indeed lost a bit of performance recently;
But now its back I cant test it properly as I've broken my arm (great!);
(Any volunteers near the Cov area fancy come over and compare - seriously!?);

Deanoskill

You need to research dv,s maf, and air leak.
Seriously, take the car to the most highly recommended tuner. If u don't know what these items are they are lightly to be broken and are very important to the health of your car.

Service your car every 10k and if u do drive it hard change the oil and filter between service your self, its so easy and enjoyable.

My guess is if you look at the service book oil could have been changed more often and this is lightly the cause of top end wear.

what was ur car in for did you have a problem or did listers pick it up during servicing