Cambelt question

[bazza]

Hi all

It’s coming up for my RS6's annual service and i was wondering if i needed the cam belt done...here’s the scenario

I got the car in 2006 @ 29,000 miles and had the cambelt done at 30,000.
5 years have nearly gone by and i have only covered 10,000 miles in this time and was wondering if the cambelt needed to be changed again. (Current mileage 40,200 and car is dry stored at a const temp of 16C and only driven in the rain once)

Any thoughts?? I like my cars to be in perfect condition but didn’t want to waste money if it’s not needed.
I know what Audi's recommendations are for the belt but i wanted to know "real world experiences" rather than the usual manufactures BS

Thanks in advance

Baz

[TechNick]

It all boils down to how good your crystal ball is, and/or whether or not you prefer to gamble or play safe...!!

Sorry it doesn't help much, but at the end of the day no-one can really predict if/when the cambelt on your car is likely to go.
From what you say, it sounds as though the risk should be much less than 'normal', but of course it will always remain a 'risk'.

[lindowkid]

Good question, mine was done at 46k Dec 2006 and now at 76k so technically 10 months and/or 10k left before it shoudl be done and I do about 3-4k a year in mine. Brakes and major service this year so was hoping to leav this until next service. Kim @ QST raised it with me, but did say he had never seen on go.

[philroach]

every 4 years as a max , regardless of miles , double check with Grizz , but it's your service history that a purchaser will be looking through , not a cheap job though

[RichRS6]

If you have it done don't forget to do the Water pump and thermostat too.

[el_ringo]

Yeah defo 4 yrs max. It would be a shame to keep it in such good condition and then a belt go ping!

[grizz]

At the end of the day it's a rubber belt ..It goes it's £££££ ....At low speed a few grand .. Hi speed £££££ . new full engine is £16,000 ..

[bazza]

And on that note from the grizzmiester....a new cambelt it is.

Thanks for the reply guys.....just needed a sanity check I think.

Cheers

Baz

[lindowkid]

Grizz - have you ever seen one go ?

[grizz]

I've seen lots of snapped cam belts but only 1 rs6 ...More to the fact they are looked after properly.

I had a 1.8TT Come in last year 500 miles over due that had snapped ..... 4 pistons & a full set of valves ..£2k

[batty]

grizz - have you seen an RS6 belt snapped due to age rather than mileage ?

my service schedule states every 40,000 miles or every 8 years, whichever the sooner.
is there an Audi Service Bulletin that states every 4 years ??

don't misunderstand my reasons for these questions - I'm very much in favour of following the manufacturer's schedule, or indeed any advice that saves money or inconvenience through preventative maintenance.

as a side note - I remember MRC had a wrecked b5 rs4 engine a couple of years ago, because it had covered 138,000 miles on the original cambelt. does this prove that there is a healthy margin ??

[bilko1]

It's a reinforced rubber belt and will deteriorate through age and use which how the manufacturers determine replacement intervals (although on the safe side) but there's lots of other factors to consider, contamination, extremes of heat and cold and the condition of the pulleys and bearings / idlers they run on. Personally i'd stick to manufacturers figures or even change it sooner if you have other work done which requires belt removal.

[lindowkid]

Is there any savings to be had on changing the cambelt and servicing at the same time ? Not sure what other work would invoke a saving bilko 1?

[RichRS6]

If the thermostat or water pump need replacement then that's a good time to do the Cam Belt and pulleys as it has to come off to get to the Pump and stat.

[bilko1]

Is there any savings to be had on changing the cambelt and servicing at the same time ? Not sure what other work would invoke a saving bilko 1?

No saving when servicing i'm afraid. I meant like above thermostat waterpump, or anything that involves removing the engine or front end.