Cambelt change - confusing!!

[peterb]

I'm suffering a tense 36 hours - my car's gone in to Reading Audi for the cam belt change today. I'll see how they've got on when I get it back tomorrow.

[bobjebb]

I'm quoted £600 inclusive for cambelt change.

[peterb]

Right, I've just collected the car after cam belt change, the bill is made up of £371.71 labour, £377.23 parts, plus VAT, which comes to the £880 I was quoted.

The belt itself was £35. In addition there were 2 rollers (£106.40), a relay roller (£41.56), a damper (£81.28 ) and a lever (£96.68 ). In addition, there is a charge for coolant, 3 screws and 5 bolts.

So, if it really is a 7.5 hour job, I think the labour charge isn't too bad - at least it's less than the cost of parts!

It looks to me as though Reading Audi have charged £50/hour and the Ridgeway (Newbury) quote was based on £75/hour.

[Wolverine]

Bob .... which dealer was that and do you know what their hourly rate is ?

[bobjebb]

You have PM

[Wolverine]

Peter ... I think their labour rate was £85 + VAT the last time I called. Then that makes the job about 3.7 hours which was what I was quoted and what Audi CS think it should be around.

[peterb]

Peter ... I think their labour rate was £85 + VAT the last time I called. Then that makes the job about 3.7 hours which was what I was quoted and what Audi CS think it should be around.

Ridgeway Audi certainly told me that it was a 7.5 hour job and both Ridgeway and Reading told me that they would need the car for two days.

There does seem to be a lot of work to do - removing the whole front of the car - headlights, bumper, cross-member, PAS cooler, gearbox cooler, aircon heat exchanger, main radiator etc, putting it all back and re-aligning/re-filling etc.

[bobjebb]

It is a full day's work, can't understand 3.7 hours!!! Wonder if thats all the necessary rollers?

[Wolverine]

Well, I don't know what the real truth is about the cambelt. All I know is this ... Dulwich Audi charged me 3.7 hours to do all the belts + tensioners. Audi CS said the job is 2.9-3.2 hours + maybe a bit extra for tensioners, but their technician confirmed to me that it is definately no more than 5 hours !!!

What maybe happening is that the more knowledgeble garages have found a way of doing the cambelt which doesnt require taking the whole front end off. I remember with Ferraris, alot of the specialists can now do cambelts without completely removing the engine, instead simply tilting the engine enough to get to the parts they need. In a Ferrari 360, someone told me they can do it by removing the passenger seat and getting to the engine from the inside.

However .... I agree that it is pretty ludicrous that no one can get a DEFINITIVE answer on this.

[installer69]

Just to add my voice to this I asked the dealer about the cambelt change as I was hoping to slide it in to my fixed price servicing before the end of the 3 years.

Having just had the latest update through, the dealer told me that it is 4 years or 60k on the RS6! Do they just make it up as they go along?

Has anyone enquired how much it would cost at a French/Belgian dealer? With the help of the tunnel I can be in France in 1 hour - usually takes longer to get round the M25 to West London!

Even if it's a 2 dayer, what better than a comfy hotel and stocking up with the duty free on the way back.

Maybe we'd get a deal if we filled up a French dealers workshop with a few cars at the same time.

[installer69]

Just to add my voice to this I asked the dealer about the cambelt change as I was hoping to slide it in to my fixed price servicing before the end of the 3 years.

Having just had the latest update through, the dealer told me that it is 4 years or 60k on the RS6! Do they just make it up as they go along?

Has anyone enquired how much it would cost at a French/Belgian dealer? With the help of the tunnel I can be in France in 1 hour - usually takes longer to get round the M25 to West London!

Even if it's a 2 dayer, what better than a comfy hotel and stocking up with the duty free on the way back.

Maybe we'd get a deal if we filled up a French dealers workshop with a few cars at the same time.

[bogie]

I was told 3 years or 60K and the dealer I bought it from did it before I picked it up (3.5 years/35K miles) along with new tyres, pads, disks etc.......

[BigMo]

mine was done last Thursday/Friday (picked up Saturday morning. £1.3k - bummer. Looking at this thread makes me sick when someone was charged half my price!!!! Does anyone know the absolute bottom line - don't think Audi CS do.

[installer69]

I found this dealer in Calais. Who has good enough French to email and ask for the price to do the cambelt?

contact@snab.fr

http://www.snab.fr

[peterb]

The 4 years/60k miles is now the standard service interval for all Audi cam belts (as of the beginning of this month, I think). However, the RS6 is still the odd one out, at 3 years/60k. Call Audi customer services and ask them. My dealer wouldn't believe me that my cam belt was due - the invoice for my 3 year service even had "Cambelt change due at 40,000 miles" printed on it (that was the RS4 interval)! However, I then got the service receptionist to call Audi and, after about ten minutes, she came back with the correct info!