have repair estimate, need advice

Hello folks. I need a new water pump for my 1998 Audi A4 (V6, 2.8
liter, 06/98 manufacture date). It has 84,000 miles on it. I was
referred to a mechanic who specializes in Audis. Here is the repair
estimate that he provided:

Parts: tensioner & timing belt kit - $350.00
water pump - $125.00
serpentine belt - $35.00
Labor: $460.00

TOTAL = $970.00 plus tax

He said that we could go cheaper by replacing only the water pump, but
he highly recommends getting the other parts replaced because there is
a good chance they'll break down within another 10,000 miles or so.
Would you say that this is a fair price or am I paying too much? Many
thanks for any thoughts you have.

You can get a timing belt kit from ECS tuning for about $350 that includes the
water pump, serpentine belt, tensioner, etc.
http://www.ecstuning.com/

Replacing the timing belt and associated stuff is definitely needed.

Labor is in the range of realistic if may be a bit high. It is about a five hour
job. Be sure that the mechanic is familiar with Audis and has the special cam
timing tool.


wrote:

> Hello folks. I need a new water pump for my 1998 Audi A4 (V6, 2.8
> liter, 06/98 manufacture date). It has 84,000 miles on it. I was
> referred to a mechanic who specializes in Audis. Here is the repair
> estimate that he provided:
>
> Parts: tensioner & timing belt kit - $350.00
> water pump - $125.00
> serpentine belt - $35.00
> Labor: $460.00
>
> TOTAL = $970.00 plus tax
>
> He said that we could go cheaper by replacing only the water pump, but
> he highly recommends getting the other parts replaced because there is
> a good chance they'll break down within another 10,000 miles or so.
> Would you say that this is a fair price or am I paying too much? Many
> thanks for any thoughts you have.
>

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello folks. I need a new water pump for my 1998 Audi A4 (V6, 2.8
> liter, 06/98 manufacture date). It has 84,000 miles on it. I was
> referred to a mechanic who specializes in Audis. Here is the repair
> estimate that he provided:
>
> Parts: tensioner & timing belt kit - $350.00
> water pump - $125.00
> serpentine belt - $35.00
> Labor: $460.00
>
> TOTAL = $970.00 plus tax
>
> He said that we could go cheaper by replacing only the water pump, but
> he highly recommends getting the other parts replaced because there is
> a good chance they'll break down within another 10,000 miles or so.
> Would you say that this is a fair price or am I paying too much? Many
> thanks for any thoughts you have.

This proposal is quite reasonable. Your TB is due to be changed anyway and
you will save significantly on labor to do all this together with the water
pump. I would add that it wouldn't hurt to change the thermostat as well.

Thanks for the feedback! Tony I went to the link you provided (ECS
tuning), but I could not find the timing belt kit that you spoke of.
If you can point me to the exact link that would be great. In any
case, I'm a little concerned that there is a $160 disparity in the
parts estimate that the mechanic provided. Is the markup typically
this high?

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thanks for the feedback! Tony I went to the link you provided (ECS
> tuning), but I could not find the timing belt kit that you spoke of.
> If you can point me to the exact link that would be great. In any
> case, I'm a little concerned that there is a $160 disparity in the
> parts estimate that the mechanic provided. Is the markup typically
> this high?

Your mechanic will probably be making a profit on the parts plus his cost
may be fairly high if he's getting them from the Audi dealer. That said, you
may want to ask him if he's OK with you supplying the parts before you show
up with parts in hand. Many mechanics don't like to do that and may not
warranty the work. When I was thinking about doing the TB myself on the same
car as yours, here is where I looked for a parts kit
http://tinyurl.com/79m3a Note they will also rent the special tool that
makes the job much easier to do. Ultimately, it was a job I didn't want to
get into so I had an independent mechanic do it for about the price you're
being quoted. BTW, the consequences of TB failure are severe - many
thousands of dollars in damage to the engine.

The link:
http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/...egor y=Timing

This is if you are DIY but if not, Ian S is correct in saying that the mechanic
may not want to work with parts you supply and, yes, he may charge more but that
is how mechanics earn their living. This is not an inconsequential job. A person
can do it by themselves but only if they are experienced and have the special tools.

I did it with my son on his 98.5 A4 2.8q and borrowed the tools. It took 14
hours for a first time experience.

Ian S wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>
>>Thanks for the feedback! Tony I went to the link you provided (ECS
>>tuning), but I could not find the timing belt kit that you spoke of.
>>If you can point me to the exact link that would be great. In any
>>case, I'm a little concerned that there is a $160 disparity in the
>>parts estimate that the mechanic provided. Is the markup typically
>>this high?
>
>
> Your mechanic will probably be making a profit on the parts plus his cost
> may be fairly high if he's getting them from the Audi dealer. That said, you
> may want to ask him if he's OK with you supplying the parts before you show
> up with parts in hand. Many mechanics don't like to do that and may not
> warranty the work. When I was thinking about doing the TB myself on the same
> car as yours, here is where I looked for a parts kit
> http://tinyurl.com/79m3a Note they will also rent the special tool that
> makes the job much easier to do. Ultimately, it was a job I didn't want to
> get into so I had an independent mechanic do it for about the price you're
> being quoted. BTW, the consequences of TB failure are severe - many
> thousands of dollars in damage to the engine.
>
>

Forgot to mention in the last post:

ECS Kit $254 + shipping.

I have no affiliation with ECS but have bought from them and I am happy with
their support.

Also, I would not attempt this without a shop manual, a friend who is mechanical
and familiar with Audis and a case of your favorite adult beverage.

I wouldn't worry about the $160 disparity in parts costs. That much gets lost in
rounding errors and is made up for many times over if your mechanic is a
competent Audi technician by getting the job done correctly.

Ian S wrote:

> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>
>>Thanks for the feedback! Tony I went to the link you provided (ECS
>>tuning), but I could not find the timing belt kit that you spoke of.
>>If you can point me to the exact link that would be great. In any
>>case, I'm a little concerned that there is a $160 disparity in the
>>parts estimate that the mechanic provided. Is the markup typically
>>this high?
>
>
> Your mechanic will probably be making a profit on the parts plus his cost
> may be fairly high if he's getting them from the Audi dealer. That said, you
> may want to ask him if he's OK with you supplying the parts before you show
> up with parts in hand. Many mechanics don't like to do that and may not
> warranty the work. When I was thinking about doing the TB myself on the same
> car as yours, here is where I looked for a parts kit
> http://tinyurl.com/79m3a Note they will also rent the special tool that
> makes the job much easier to do. Ultimately, it was a job I didn't want to
> get into so I had an independent mechanic do it for about the price you're
> being quoted. BTW, the consequences of TB failure are severe - many
> thousands of dollars in damage to the engine.
>
>

"Tony" > wrote in message
...
> Forgot to mention in the last post:
>
> ECS Kit $254 + shipping.
>
> I have no affiliation with ECS but have bought from them and I am happy
with
> their support.
>
> Also, I would not attempt this without a shop manual, a friend who is
mechanical
> and familiar with Audis and a case of your favorite adult beverage.

Just don't start into the adult beverage too early. ;-) I bought both the
Haynes and Bentley manuals when I was seriously thinking about doing it
myself. Plus I have a decent tool set and experience in rebuilding various
and sundry car systems years ago when I was a poor grad student. Ultimately,
I decided it was not worth my time, effort, and aggravation.

>
> I wouldn't worry about the $160 disparity in parts costs. That much gets
lost in
> rounding errors and is made up for many times over if your mechanic is a
> competent Audi technician by getting the job done correctly.

As a businessman running my own small manufacturing operation, I mark up
both labor and materials and don't begrudge a mechanic doing the same.

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello folks. I need a new water pump for my 1998 Audi A4 (V6, 2.8
> liter, 06/98 manufacture date). It has 84,000 miles on it. I was
> referred to a mechanic who specializes in Audis. Here is the repair
> estimate that he provided:
>
> Parts: tensioner & timing belt kit - $350.00
> water pump - $125.00
> serpentine belt - $35.00
> Labor: $460.00
>
> TOTAL = $970.00 plus tax
>
> He said that we could go cheaper by replacing only the water pump, but
> he highly recommends getting the other parts replaced because there is
> a good chance they'll break down within another 10,000 miles or so.
> Would you say that this is a fair price or am I paying too much? Many
> thanks for any thoughts you have.
>

Don't forget the thermostat, that also needs changing at the same time..

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 19:17:07 -0700, "Ian S" >
wrote:

>As a businessman running my own small manufacturing operation, I mark up
>both labor and materials and don't begrudge a mechanic doing the same.

You are a very wise man, one after my own heart. May your cars always
be reasonable to fix and run well. Mine have been, with this very
same philosophy.