s4 timing chain rattle what the hell do i do now

[TURBOTRONICS]

had a start up rattle on my s4 now for ages and its never got any worse untill the other day when the usual startup rattle didnt go away
iv asked several local mechanics and they all say no they wont touch it part from one who said yes but it will cost £4000
what can i do now ?
what is it worth as it is ?

 

[V8Guzzler]

£4000 is a bit rich mate.

Midland VW did mine for £2.5k which included clutch and DMF

 

[dsmclark40v]

I'd get it to audi or a specialist indy for proper diagnostics if I were you. Southampton Audi only quoted me £3,149.51 to change mine when mine went. Get them to run a compression test as well to make sure none of the valves have bent. If you then have compression problems then either buy a second hand engine or start selling parts off the car until you're just left with the bare shell and then scrap it as unfortunately it's worth sweet FA as it is

 

[beachbuggy]

£4000 oh my god! Now assuming its just the timing chain tensioners that causing the issue then that's a crazy price. New tensioners at worst, new chain tensioners pads at best. Either way, a £10 tensioner tool and a few hours per head and they can be changed. This is assuming it is the tensioner or pads, a faulty head, valve etc gets more expensive. I would get a few quotes and opinions as its all too easy for a garage to say it'll cost £4k when actually its a simple fix.

 

[dsmclark40v]

I think the tensioner tool costs a bit more than £10. and simple fix its is not, you have to remove the engine to change it which is why the costs are so high. £4000 sounds a little high but then if you take into account they might be changing all of the tensioners and chains for that. Have a read of this for more info of what it involves B6/B7 S4 Timing Chain FAQ / Information / Discussion Thread

here is a break down southampton audi sent me when I had mine quoted.

To replace cam chain tensioner Parts: £166.75
Labour £2,513.70 (28.5Hrs inc diagnosis, complete engine removal and wheel alignment).
Vat £469.08
Total £3,149.53

The garage that actually did the job ended up charging about £5000 because they changed all the tensioner and also mine needed a new intake manifold which was a £1000 part. Luckily mine was covered by warranty though. You get what you pay for I think and I wouldn't scrimp on something like this. If you go through audi or a good indy then you are going to be covered if it goes wrong again. Don't be afraid to try audi, the older a car gets they give you a discount. They call it a quadra 4 discount or something.

 

[quattrojames]

I had the same issue when my 2.5 chewed itself. Sadly there's no alternative but to dig deep and fix it. The car as a non runner is worth barely the sum of it's parts. Mine cost me £4.5k to sort out, it just means I have to keep the car longer than I was intending, a pain but just one of those things.

At least with the collective knowledge of the forums you'll enter into the job as prepared as possible.

 

[jutlis 3.0]

if you commit to it then be prepared for more expense as there is no point in doing half a job if it is a keeper, you do not want to scrimp as bear in mind there are the chains,guides,tensioners and maybe the vvt units. its all very well identifying the damage but you have ascertain what caused it. believe me a broken s4 is worth nothing!(by the way the correct tool is the only way of setting them up and it is more than £10 and it is deffo engine out)

 

[beachbuggy]

if you commit to it then be prepared for more expense as there is no point in doing half a job if it is a keeper, you do not want to scrimp as bear in mind there are the chains,guides,tensioners and maybe the vvt units. its all very well identifying the damage but you have ascertain what caused it. believe me a broken s4 is worth nothing!(by the way the correct tool is the only way of setting them up and it is more than £10 and it is deffo engine out)

F
unny I thought the tensioner was exactly the same as the transverse engines, obviously not and certainly didn't realise it was an engine out job! I feel for you then as in the a4 1.8t and s3/a3 it's a £10 tool and an hour job, I was recently given some 2.8 Vvt tensioners which my £10 tool fitted assumed wrongly they'd be the same so appologies.

 

[jutlis 3.0]

i couldnt believe it either and was absolutely horrified at the cost of the parts. it appears that most jobs on the s4 are an absolute w*****! even the starter is verging on engine out i believe, the unfortionate thing is that you cant even inspect the timing gear without removing the engine! as for not knowing dont apologise its what we are all on here for

 

[TURBOTRONICS]

i dont belive it iv been out to start it tonight and no rattle only a faint one
could this be down to me putting the wrong oil init ?
if i put the right oil init might the bad rattle go away ?

 

[jutlis 3.0]

it might do and if you have put the wrong oil in then get it out asap. if it continues and gets bad enough then you may get eml light on depending on what is causing the rattle.

 

[dsmclark40v]

i dont belive it iv been out to start it tonight and no rattle only a faint one
could this be down to me putting the wrong oil init ?
if i put the right oil init might the bad rattle go away ?

What oil did you put in it? When mine went and southampton audi had it they called me up and said it was fine and there was no problem. Then they called me a few hours later and said when it warmed up the rattle returned. Have you been driving it since the rattle first started?

 

[rjm180]

+ 1. What oil did you put in and if incorrect, get an oil change done ASAP. My engine performs so much better after an oil change and I do them very regularly.

 

[dsmclark40v]

I do remember a tread about some 10w40 was that the stuff you put in? I think if it has been making the noise then that's mechanical and down to the tensioner being broken and the chain catching on the edge of it. If you keep running it now then you run a risk of having some valves touch as that is what happened to mine. Get who ever is going to do the work get them to do a compression test first as you might be better off trying to source a second hand engine

 

[V8Guzzler]

Only use 5w30 either platinum grade or long life, but always change every 10k. I use longlife which is designed to last 20k but change every 10..

 

[rjm180]

Any update Turbotronics?