40k checks?

[ohmyaudi]

Had an interim service done a few months ago and the guy mentioned I should give him a call when I get to 40k miles as there's a load of things that need to be checked and done. Is that right?

Audi S3 PFL.

 

[RichardT]

I had the same discussion after my service this month. When it’s due for service next year it will have done 40K miles.
He said cam belt (and recommend water pump while at it), brake fluid blah blah. Bottom line £1000.

 

[oli356]

When the Audi website worked properly it would say some items that needed servicing and there were a few around 40k.

Gearbox oil change was one I believe. Might be spark plugs then too etc.
Not sure if the haldex has a set schedule.. .

 

[Invicta]

just means to try and eek more money out of you;

Cam belt - Just inspect it yourself every now and again, if it's cracking/fraying then yeah sure. You'll also know if the cam belts on its way out because of a horrible squeal it'll make.
Brake fluid - ehh, no, not really. If there was something up with the brake fluid it would probably give you a good sign like a spongy feel to the brake pedal.
Water pump - pfff no.

 

[leshkin]

just means to try and eek more money out of you;

Cam belt - Just inspect it yourself every now and again, if it's cracking/fraying then yeah sure. You'll also know if the cam belts on its way out because of a horrible squeal it'll make.
Brake fluid - ehh, no, not really. If there was something up with the brake fluid it would probably give you a good sign like a spongy feel to the brake pedal.
Water pump - pfff no.

A fraying or cracking cam belt is you driving on borrowed time and you absolutely should not wait till that's the case... That's just stupid.

Your manual should say what needs servicing and how often for a given engine. Common sensible approach is to do it at around 65k if the manual says it's due at 85k. They have been known to snap well before that. As it can perish over time there's a time based interval too... Around every 5 years is normal, but again, check the manual.

Find a good specialist independent garage and use them if you don't like being fleeced by the main dealer, but do service it on time if you don't want to be changing engines if it snaps.

Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

 

[Ozmosis]

just means to try and eek more money out of you;

Cam belt - Just inspect it yourself every now and again, if it's cracking/fraying then yeah sure. You'll also know if the cam belts on its way out because of a horrible squeal it'll make.
Brake fluid - ehh, no, not really. If there was something up with the brake fluid it would probably give you a good sign like a spongy feel to the brake pedal.
Water pump - pfff no.

Sounds like you're getting the cam belt and auxilliary fan belt mixed up. Fan belts can squeak when they slip. Cam belts throw a tooth or two and potentially destroy the engine internals as piston meet valves... The water pump is driven by the cam belt and is worthwhile doing with the belt as they are cheap, you have access to it and if they fail again it's not good for the engine...

Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture. Changing the fluid every 2 or 3 years is advisable due to the tendency of this to affect the boiling point of the fluid. Spongy brake pedals are usually because of air in the system.

 

[farmerpalmer]

I thought 8V S3 was chain rather than cambelt?

 

[RichardT]

I thought 8V S3 was chain rather than cambelt?

Some A3’s have belts, some have chains.

 

[ohmyaudi]

It was an independent Audi specialist that mentioned coming back at 40k. I think he said for gearbox and haldex. Have a feeling might be an expensive bill though!

 

[Svenedin]

As mentioned, brake fluid is hygroscopic and attracts moisture. Over time the water content of the brake fluid rises until it contains so much water that the water can boil. This causes the water to turn to steam and expand creating disastrous bubbles in the brake fluid. Water in the brake fluid also causes corrosion as I can attest as the owner of a very elderly car as well as my Audi. It is absolutely standard and good, safe practice to change brake fluid at set intervals and it is not a scam in any way.

 

[sparkymark75]

It was an independent Audi specialist that mentioned coming back at 40k. I think he said for gearbox and haldex. Have a feeling might be an expensive bill though!

Should be around 250 - 300 from an Audi independent specialist for an S-Tronic and Haldex service. I'm just over 36k and getting mine done on Tuesday.

 

[Fatbloke]

It was an independent Audi specialist that mentioned coming back at 40k. I think he said for gearbox and haldex. Have a feeling might be an expensive bill though!

Check out my recent post regarding the Haldex oil change and pump clean at 25,000 miles. I will be getting it changed at 15,000 interval next time.

Don't leave yours until 40,000 although think it's a bit different on the PFL if it's the Gen4. Worth a bit more investigation.

Brake fluid should be changed every 2 years or so.

 

[Invicta]

Sounds like you're getting the cam belt and auxilliary fan belt mixed up. Fan belts can squeak when they slip. Cam belts throw a tooth or two and potentially destroy the engine internals as piston meet valves... The water pump is driven by the cam belt and is worthwhile doing with the belt as they are cheap, you have access to it and if they fail again it's not good for the engine...

Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture. Changing the fluid every 2 or 3 years is advisable due to the tendency of this to affect the boiling point of the fluid. Spongy brake pedals are usually because of air in the system.

Apologies, I posted that reply quite late and was safe-to-say quite tired by that point. Although the drive belt can operate the cam, some are also geared or chained within the engine, which I believe it is in most VAG engines so true, changing that is a good idea but changing a drive belt when it's still in good condition.. Matter of opinion, but I like to get my money's worth out of things. Although it's good practice to replace brake fluid, it's not completely necessary.
Only reason why I said that they're trying to eek more money out of you is because they'll probably charge you £300 just to change a drive belt. Services are worse enough at £470 for two oil services and an inspection? But I'm trying to say that you don't need to get this changed or that replaced, it's just that they always charge you an arm and a leg for something that might not really need to be replaced.

 

[Ozmosis]

Apologies, I posted that reply quite late and was safe-to-say quite tired by that point. Although the drive belt can operate the cam, some are also geared or chained within the engine, which I believe it is in most VAG engines so true, changing that is a good idea but changing a drive belt when it's still in good condition.. Matter of opinion, but I like to get my money's worth out of things. Although it's good practice to replace brake fluid, it's not completely necessary.
Only reason why I said that they're trying to eek more money out of you is because they'll probably charge you £300 just to change a drive belt. Services are worse enough at £470 for two oil services and an inspection? But I'm trying to say that you don't need to get this changed or that replaced, it's just that they always charge you an arm and a leg for something that might not really need to be replaced.

I see what you're saying and agree that they always try to get that extra bit out of the unweary customer. Certainly 40k miles seems quite low even for a cam belt, though the age of the car/belt needs to be taken into consideration too.

Using an independent for servicing is the way forward in my opinion anyway

 

[Damo S]

Not sure if the haldex has a set schedule.. .

Haldex oil change was due every 20k on my old 3.2 quattro. I don't see why it would be any different now.

 

[HertS3]

First post here.
I just bought a 15 S3 with 44k miles on the clock which hadn’t had Haldex (recommended every 20k miles by Audi) oil ever changed nor DSG oil (Audi recommend every 40k). Got those done along with brake fluid and engine service (oil, spark plugs and ignition coils as those were knackered). Set me back some cash but hopefully prevented any issues!