Facelift Cambelt change, Audi prices & underwhelming Indie advice

[ElHussler]

Hi all, looking for some advice.

The 67-plate 1.5L A3 I bought a couple of years back is at its 5 year cambelt interval. I've had quotes for a cambelt change, which were (Parts+Labour+VAT included):
£939.32 - Audi Nottingham/Derby
£819.49 - Local VAG Indie

A cursory look over the forum shows a bunch of posts with quotes at half of that price in the last 2-3 years!

I'm aware this is a major component that needs considerable care and expertise to do it right, and of the two VAG specialists near me that responded to my calls: one gave me that quote after I had to chase the query the following week and the other said they couldn't do it because "the newer 1.2/1.4/1.5L Petrols need special diagnostics from Audi to get the timings otherwise the dashboard will be lit up with warning lights". Suffice to say I'm not thrilled with my local specialists so far. For context, I want to keep the digital service history as full as I can (despite it already coming with a late brake fluid change and missing a pollen filter change.)

So am I going to have to bite the bullet and pay Audi almost a grand for the privilege of doing this or am I missing something here?

Cheers!

 

[NHN]

Tbh quite allot of garages fit them wrong & cause timing issues, so best to stick with Audi that way of they feck it up, they will cover the car so to speak.

 

[ElHussler]

That's fair, I should ****** hope so! I was leaning toward Audi as it's a high risk item and the indies round here haven't left a good impression so far. It's just a bit hard to swallow when I see people being quoted £595 for the same thing also from Audi.

 

[NHN]

Prices have gone through the roof for parts & tbh 2-3 years is a fair while, prices rise & so do costs, it's not really unexpected, it is what it is bud, yes it's allot, but not as much as repairing a broken belt, fecked engine.....

 

[ElHussler]

Lesson learned for the next car at least, buy something that's already had the big parts done properly already! Appreciate the input, cheers mate

 

[A3E]

I have just had this point raised to me whilst booking in my MOT/Service. I have a 67 plate A3 and was quoted a similar price of approx. £900. I will need to get some quotes from local independents, unless people suggest against this?

 

[Neil C]

Tbh quite allot of garages fit them wrong & cause timing issues, so best to stick with Audi that way of they feck it up, they will cover the car so to speak.

As would any garage.

 

[Spencer589]

Have you tried Midland VW?
They can update the online sevice history as well.

 

[A3E]

Have you tried Midland VW?
They can update the online sevice history as well.

Looks a bit further afield for me, are they worth travelling for?

 

[AudiA3B]

If you have any doubt about using an independent garage (hopefully a VAG/Audi specialist) then go directly to Audi as soon as possible and just pay the higher (and slightly eyewatering) price to settle your own mind.

Not sure why a VAG/Audi specialist wouldn't have the required tools to change a timing belt, what could they need from Audi to avoid warning lights on the dashboard :/ sounds like a "vag specialist" to just avoid tbh.

I had mine done recently at my local vw/audi independent for £480 (Belt, roller & tensioner).

They updated the online service too.

£800 seems ridiculous for an independent garage.

 

[Spencer589]

Looks a bit further afield for me, are they worth travelling for?

I honestly trust them more than any main dealer. If you look at their reviews on Google or Facebook you'll see people drive from all over the country to have them take care of their cars.

 

[ElHussler]

Midland VW seem to be highly recommended on this forum after a quick search. I'll give them a ring tomorrow when I ring around the Audis over that way in the vain hope that they have more competitive prices. An independent VAG specialist that uses genuine parts and updates the online history for a decent price is my dream right about now.

A strange observation: on MidlandVW's website they have a separate booking option for Interim & Full Services on 1.5L engines which are £15 and £115 more than non-1.5s, respectively. Anyone know why would that be?

 

[Spencer589]

Midland VW seem to be highly recommended on this forum after a quick search. I'll give them a ring tomorrow when I ring around the Audis over that way in the vain hope that they have more competitive prices. An independent VAG specialist that uses genuine parts and updates the online history for a decent price is my dream right about now.

A strange observation: on MidlandVW's website they have a separate booking option for Interim & Full Services on 1.5L engines which are £15 and £115 more than non-1.5s, respectively. Anyone know why would that be?

I always book over the phone but if you do call them, they'll explain the pricing and options and they'll know what your car needs based of mileage/age.

 

[kev1973]

Have you thought about a quote from c&r enterprises in Nottingham?

 

[lgooch]

£500 from Volksmaster in Oldham. Had both mine and my wife’s cars done. Both 1.4 TFSI


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harvey]

Also give these a try for a quote, opposite IKEA Nottingham www.bettafitautocentre.co.uk

 

[A3E]

Midland VW seem to be highly recommended on this forum after a quick search. I'll give them a ring tomorrow when I ring around the Audis over that way in the vain hope that they have more competitive prices. An independent VAG specialist that uses genuine parts and updates the online history for a decent price is my dream right about now.

A strange observation: on MidlandVW's website they have a separate booking option for Interim & Full Services on 1.5L engines which are £15 and £115 more than non-1.5s, respectively. Anyone know why would that be?

Could you let me know the quote from Midland VW please?

 

[Audi Ashley]

I was quoted about £350 for my 1.4 at a very reptuable VAG specialist near me. Im not doing mine untill I hit about 70/80k

 

[Damo S]

Just double check what you are getting for the money. Cheapest isnt always best. If the general advice when doing the cam belt is to replace everything else in the loop also (idler, tensioner, water pump? <- disclaimer: based on knowledge from previous cars and may not apply to yours), then pay more and get it all done. The last thing you want is to have the cheaper job done and then end up paying twice when something in the loop that wasnt replaced packs up a week later (been there, got that t shirt). Maybe its not relevant on your engine but is worth checking anyway.

 

[Audi Ashley]

Just a note to any 1.4 owners. The water pump is on the opposite side so doesnt/will not get dont with cam belt.

 

[ElHussler]

FWIW I've just been told by an Audi service dept that my 67-plate 1.5l A3 also has the water pump on the other side from the cambelt so doesn't need doing at the same time

 

[ElHussler]

So Midland VW quoted cheaper than Audi for the cambelt and a few other smaller bits. However, they said they had only done a small number of cambelt changes for the 1.5l in my A3 and were still getting to grips with it as they're only reaching that age around now. Also when I asked they told me that some of the parts to be used wouldn't be genuine Audi, belt kit included.

Props to them for being upfront about everything though, I'll definitely be using them in future if the work to be done warrants the trip. I'll pay a bit more and get Audi to do it this time, mainly for my own peace of mind.

 

[a3rob]

For my 2.0 tdi my local Audi quoted me £1200 over the phone for the privilege. I went in to dealer and the quote dropped to £799. Bizarre.