Premature timing belt failures

I found this article listed in this group:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.a...d39993f41cdb09

Although the posting was from 2003, I'd like to inform everyone that
this problem is still very much an issue today.

I own a 2001 Audi TT Roadster and just experienced belt failure at 73K
miles. Despite the fact that I have maintained the vehicle per Audi's
spec's at the dealership, they are taking no responsibility whatsoever.
The owner's manual for my car requires replacement at 80K miles.

>From the research I've done, it seems clear that Audi knows about this
problem and is not acknowledging it. Looking back, I find it strange
that my service advisor reccomended that I should "think about
replacing my belt" even though he did not say there were any signs that
it would suddenly fail. I'm seeing this repeated all over various
postings on the web.

I have talked with a number of shops that specialize in Audi's and the
common knowledge in this community is that Audi belts fail early. I've
also found a number of informative sources on the matter and would
appreciate it if anyone out there who knows more could reply to this
group, especially related to the class action case.

Thanks,

Eric Davis

Link to a news article in the Boston Globe (posted 7-17-2005) about a
class action lawsuit that Audi settled related to early belt failures:
http://www.boston.com/business/artic...gine_of_change

Link to a helpful shop in LA that has experience with these failures:
http://stuttgartauto.com/Stuttgart%2...tive%20Inc.htm

On 8 Dec 2005 09:42:15 -0800, wrote:

>I found this article listed in this group:
>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.a...d39993f41cdb09
>
>Although the posting was from 2003, I'd like to inform everyone that
>this problem is still very much an issue today.
[snipped]

You should have come 'round here years ago, when folks would have advised you
not to push the belt much past 60-70K miles...

/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I found this article listed in this group:
> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.a...d39993f41cdb09
>
> Although the posting was from 2003, I'd like to inform everyone that
> this problem is still very much an issue today.
>
> I own a 2001 Audi TT Roadster and just experienced belt failure at 73K
> miles. Despite the fact that I have maintained the vehicle per Audi's
> spec's at the dealership, they are taking no responsibility whatsoever.

If you had all the services done at the dealer and they never replaced the
belt, they are liable, just threaten them with the court action and they are
liable for it.

You have followed the service plan, Audi are negligent for not changing the
belt "if" it required changing early, so go for it, I cannot see how you
could lose.

Audi will most prob say that it's a wear and tear item, but it should have
been checked at each service interval anyway, but you followed the service
schedule.

As far as I can see, Audi state the belt will last x number of miles, if it
breaks early due to wear then it's always going to be Audis fault, either
they failed to notice it on the last schedule service, or the belt was
faulty and Audi need to change the replacement intervals accordingly..

Timing belts are a nightmare situation, they can break due to numerous
reasons and you need to find out why...

Eric,
Sorry to hear about the loss of your timing belt (and, obviously, damage to
your car).
That said, and to all the newbies on this newsgroup, you should replace the
timing belt _and_ all associated seals and hardware such as tensioners,
water pumps, etc. at 60k miles or 5 years - yes, even if the car has been
parked for 5 years and has zero miles on it, you should replace the belt.
It's not a trivial job - but failure is seldom a trivial event - possibly
resulting in the replacement of the engine and downstream stuff like
turbochargers, cats, etc. Belt failures often result from the failure of
the tensioner, which takes out the belt. "Inspection" of the belt will
generally tell you little, as the heavily reinforced belt will look great
from the outside. The objective is to remove a good working part and
replace it with a new part.
As JPF said in his reply in 2003 - ask Audi why the replacement mileage
interval is different in California than , say, Germany or England - it is
called "Handbook Engineering" - same belt and hardware, different interval
(to meet mandated servicing intervals in California).
Regardless, according to the Boston Globe article, in your case, are you not
covered for the repairs to 105k? You might want to contact the Globe to get
to their contacts about the suit.
60k Miles or 5 years for Timing Belt Service - period.
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ - coming up on T-belt distance interval - need to change the
front crank seal anyway.
1980 Audi 5k - due for a T-belt based on date - it has sat for the last
couple of years
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - a T-belt?....do they hold
T-pants up??
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)


> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I found this article listed in this group:
> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.a...d39993f41cdb09
>
> Although the posting was from 2003, I'd like to inform everyone that
> this problem is still very much an issue today.
>
> I own a 2001 Audi TT Roadster and just experienced belt failure at 73K
> miles. Despite the fact that I have maintained the vehicle per Audi's
> spec's at the dealership, they are taking no responsibility whatsoever.
> The owner's manual for my car requires replacement at 80K miles.
>
>>From the research I've done, it seems clear that Audi knows about this
> problem and is not acknowledging it. Looking back, I find it strange
> that my service advisor reccomended that I should "think about
> replacing my belt" even though he did not say there were any signs that
> it would suddenly fail. I'm seeing this repeated all over various
> postings on the web.
>
> I have talked with a number of shops that specialize in Audi's and the
> common knowledge in this community is that Audi belts fail early. I've
> also found a number of informative sources on the matter and would
> appreciate it if anyone out there who knows more could reply to this
> group, especially related to the class action case.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eric Davis
>
> Link to a news article in the Boston Globe (posted 7-17-2005) about a
> class action lawsuit that Audi settled related to early belt failures:
> http://www.boston.com/business/artic...gine_of_change
>
> Link to a helpful shop in LA that has experience with these failures:
> http://stuttgartauto.com/Stuttgart%2...tive%20Inc.htm
>

In article > Steve Sears,
writes:
> at 60k miles or 5 years - yes, even if the car has been
>parked for 5 years

oh dear, better move that job up the priority list on my 1988 A100!
38000 miles, 11 years.

G.

"ovalking" wrote

>> at 60k miles or 5 years - yes, even if the car has been
>>parked for 5 years
>
> oh dear, better move that job up the priority list on my 1988 A100!
> 38000 miles, 11 years.

Does your '88 100 have the 1.8T engine??? Because that's what we're talking
about here. Well, maybe the 2.8 to some extent, too...

Cheers,

Pete

On Thu, 8 Dec 2005 18:46:28 -0500, "Pete" >
wrote:

>
> "ovalking" wrote
>
>>> at 60k miles or 5 years - yes, even if the car has been
>>>parked for 5 years
>>
>> oh dear, better move that job up the priority list on my 1988 A100!
>> 38000 miles, 11 years.
>
>Does your '88 100 have the 1.8T engine??? Because that's what we're talking
>about here. Well, maybe the 2.8 to some extent, too...
>


I just replaced the timing belt at 70,500 miles on my 2001 A4 (2.8L
V6).

The shop was amazed at how good of shape the belt, tensioner and
related parts were in.

I replaced it for preventative reasons, but definitely could have
waited quite a bit longer ... the problem is, how much longer.

A quick update on the timing belt thing...

I received a copy of the New Jersey class action settlement, which I'll
be glad to send to anyone who desires it. (Just e-mail me directly at
). The bottom line is that Audi agreed to pay
claims, etc to the defined settlement class which is A4 owners from
years 98-00.

Although I'm not part of the settlement class, I do have the same base
engine 1.8L w/ TC, so I brought this to the attention of the dealer as
well as Audi of America and the *best* treament I received from them
was a credit for the cost of the timing belt repalcement (~$1500). I'll
still be pursuing compensation from Audi of America for the balance.

In response to daytripper's comment, "You should have come 'round here
years ago, when folks would have advised you not to push the belt much
past 60-70K miles..." Yeah, me too. However, my belief is that the
cracks at Audi should have advised me 13,000 miles ago. I may be naive,
but as a consmer I don't feel the need to research and validate what
the manufacturer of a product tells me. I simply don't have the time to
do this. Anyhow, I'll never buy another Audi product after this.

Cheers!

Steve Sears wrote:
> Eric,
> Sorry to hear about the loss of your timing belt (and, obviously, damage to
> your car).
> That said, and to all the newbies on this newsgroup, you should replace the
> timing belt _and_ all associated seals and hardware such as tensioners,
> water pumps, etc. at 60k miles or 5 years - yes, even if the car has been
> parked for 5 years and has zero miles on it, you should replace the belt.
> It's not a trivial job - but failure is seldom a trivial event - possibly
> resulting in the replacement of the engine and downstream stuff like
> turbochargers, cats, etc. Belt failures often result from the failure of
> the tensioner, which takes out the belt. "Inspection" of the belt will
> generally tell you little, as the heavily reinforced belt will look great
> from the outside. The objective is to remove a good working part and
> replace it with a new part.
> As JPF said in his reply in 2003 - ask Audi why the replacement mileage
> interval is different in California than , say, Germany or England - it is
> called "Handbook Engineering" - same belt and hardware, different interval
> (to meet mandated servicing intervals in California).
> Regardless, according to the Boston Globe article, in your case, are you not
> covered for the repairs to 105k? You might want to contact the Globe to get
> to their contacts about the suit.
> 60k Miles or 5 years for Timing Belt Service - period.
> Cheers!
> Steve Sears
> 1987 Audi 5kTQ - coming up on T-belt distance interval - need to change the
> front crank seal anyway.
> 1980 Audi 5k - due for a T-belt based on date - it has sat for the last
> couple of years
> 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - a T-belt?....do they hold
> T-pants up??
> (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)
>
>
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >I found this article listed in this group:
> > http://groups.google.com/group/alt.a...d39993f41cdb09
> >
> > Although the posting was from 2003, I'd like to inform everyone that
> > this problem is still very much an issue today.
> >
> > I own a 2001 Audi TT Roadster and just experienced belt failure at 73K
> > miles. Despite the fact that I have maintained the vehicle per Audi's
> > spec's at the dealership, they are taking no responsibility whatsoever.
> > The owner's manual for my car requires replacement at 80K miles.
> >
> >>From the research I've done, it seems clear that Audi knows about this
> > problem and is not acknowledging it. Looking back, I find it strange
> > that my service advisor reccomended that I should "think about
> > replacing my belt" even though he did not say there were any signs that
> > it would suddenly fail. I'm seeing this repeated all over various
> > postings on the web.
> >
> > I have talked with a number of shops that specialize in Audi's and the
> > common knowledge in this community is that Audi belts fail early. I've
> > also found a number of informative sources on the matter and would
> > appreciate it if anyone out there who knows more could reply to this
> > group, especially related to the class action case.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Eric Davis
> >
> > Link to a news article in the Boston Globe (posted 7-17-2005) about a
> > class action lawsuit that Audi settled related to early belt failures:
> > http://www.boston.com/business/artic...gine_of_change
> >
> > Link to a helpful shop in LA that has experience with these failures:
> > http://stuttgartauto.com/Stuttgart%2...tive%20Inc.htm
> >

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>A quick update on the timing belt thing...
>
> I received a copy of the New Jersey class action settlement, which I'll
> be glad to send to anyone who desires it. (Just e-mail me directly at
> ). The bottom line is that Audi agreed to pay
> claims, etc to the defined settlement class which is A4 owners from
> years 98-00.
>
> Although I'm not part of the settlement class, I do have the same base
> engine 1.8L w/ TC, so I brought this to the attention of the dealer as
> well as Audi of America and the *best* treament I received from them
> was a credit for the cost of the timing belt repalcement (~$1500). I'll
> still be pursuing compensation from Audi of America for the balance.
>
> In response to daytripper's comment, "You should have come 'round here
> years ago, when folks would have advised you not to push the belt much
> past 60-70K miles..." Yeah, me too. However, my belief is that the
> cracks at Audi should have advised me 13,000 miles ago. I may be naive,
> but as a consmer I don't feel the need to research and validate what
> the manufacturer of a product tells me. I simply don't have the time to
> do this. Anyhow, I'll never buy another Audi product after this.
>
> Cheers!
>

If it happened to me, I would not buy another Audi car either. The dealer is
resposible for all maintence on the car as scheduled by the service booklet,
if they fail to notice or advice that a part needs changing then they are at
fault

Ronny wrote:

> If it happened to me, I would not buy another Audi car either. The dealer is
> resposible for all maintence on the car as scheduled by the service booklet,

They did, and it still failed. That's his issue. So, is it the dealers
fault?

Wolfgang