A while back I (and others) have asked the eternal question about why the PFL has such a discrepancy between what the manual says and what Audi UK say is the required time between cambelt changes.
As a reminder, the manual gives no time limit and a maximum mileage of 133,000 miles. Audi UK have revised that themselves and suggest 5 years or 75,000 miles.
I messaged Audi in Germany last week and asked them what the reason was, given that the cars are all made on the same production line, etc. Here is their response:
"The information in the manual is only recommendations, which may vary from country to country for different reasons, such as weather conditions, road conditions, geographical location, warranty conditions and other factors. These factors affect the service life of timing belts, so there is no general and fixed replacement interval for all countries. In principle, it is the responsibility of the Audi partner to check the timing belts and replace them if necessary. For further questions or information, please contact your local Audi partner of your choice. Your Audi Germany team."
Now, the last time I looked the German climate was very similar to ours, as were the road conditions (although they probably have less traffic congestion). So this does not really answer my question. Also, another member here checked his vehicle with Audi Portugal and they have basically the same schedule as Germany. The climate in Portugal is not the same as Germany's. I did point this out to Audi Germany.
I still suspect a ruse by Audi UK in drumming up more business for themselves. Some on here will agree, others will have their belts changed regardless and decide that there must be a good reason for the vastly different service intervals. I'm considering pushing this a bit further but not sure what next to ask. Any ideas?
As a reminder, the manual gives no time limit and a maximum mileage of 133,000 miles. Audi UK have revised that themselves and suggest 5 years or 75,000 miles.
I messaged Audi in Germany last week and asked them what the reason was, given that the cars are all made on the same production line, etc. Here is their response:
"The information in the manual is only recommendations, which may vary from country to country for different reasons, such as weather conditions, road conditions, geographical location, warranty conditions and other factors. These factors affect the service life of timing belts, so there is no general and fixed replacement interval for all countries. In principle, it is the responsibility of the Audi partner to check the timing belts and replace them if necessary. For further questions or information, please contact your local Audi partner of your choice. Your Audi Germany team."
Now, the last time I looked the German climate was very similar to ours, as were the road conditions (although they probably have less traffic congestion). So this does not really answer my question. Also, another member here checked his vehicle with Audi Portugal and they have basically the same schedule as Germany. The climate in Portugal is not the same as Germany's. I did point this out to Audi Germany.
I still suspect a ruse by Audi UK in drumming up more business for themselves. Some on here will agree, others will have their belts changed regardless and decide that there must be a good reason for the vastly different service intervals. I'm considering pushing this a bit further but not sure what next to ask. Any ideas?