Flywheel??

azzeretti

Just got told by the garage the they think the Flywheel is gone on my car (A3). They are being very cagy about costs etc. Does anyone know if this is a big job, how much it might cost? What the hell a flywheel is!!?? I did get the timing belt done about 3 weeks ago, could a dogy timing belt change have caused this?

$Leon$

Relatively big job.
It sits beside the clutch between the engine and gearbox.
Used to reduce engine vibrations.
Have you noticed the car was vibrating a bit more than usual recently?

azzeretti

yeah, I have, esp in lower gears. When you say big, are we talking 1000's?

MercMad

I would say the aprts alone could be €6-700 and labour will be about 5-6 hours so anothe2 €600 plus VAT !

It seems odd that the flywheel has "gone". Normally either the ringear causes a horrid sound when starting, or if the clutch goes the flywheel may be damaged, but I have never heard of one simply going out of balance !

what exact symptoms have you had ?

franksm

It would be about the same labour as a clutch job + maybe an hour (max) more - say three or four hours total, which might be EUR300. They can hopefully machine the flywheel (about EUR50) or replace it (EUR300 maybe) but it's just a bit of metal, so machining is the "old school" way of doing it.

On the other hand, they may see the clutch components are warped, and want to replace the clutch instead - about EUR180 for a clutch kit.

How many miles on the car ? If the clutch has > 60,000 miles on it, you should definitely get them to replace the clutch *anyway* since it's all the same work

azzeretti

The last two posts show differing opinions!

There are just over 50K miles on it, hence the recent timing belt change. Is this damage done by the "way the car is being driven" or just wear and tear.

Either way I'm looking at close to a grand :eek: happy christmas!

MercMad

Some of the newer cars have dual mass flywheels and cannot be skimmed !

And since its an Audi you can double normal prices, especially if its a main stealer doing the job !

azzeretti

MercMad wrote:

Some of the newer cars have dual mass flywheels and cannot be skimmed !

And since its an Audi you can double normal prices, especially if its a main stealer doing the job !

F*%K.
Any suggestions for a lower price? I'm pissed off with the rip-off nature nowadays. Would anyone trust buying the part and bringing it to a non-dealer to fit?

cjt156

A local garage would be usually happy to fit parts from a motor factor. Ask about for a decent mechanic in your area. If the car is out of warranty I'd run from a main dealer for service costs.

$Leon$

What age is the car?
Hardly still under warranty?
I've seen the dual mass flywheels on newish A4's give trouble on rare occasions. Not necessarly a common problem.
If the car is just out of warranty it may be possible that Audi will cover some of the costs.

franksm

azzeretti wrote:

The last two posts show differing opinions!

There are just over 50K miles on it, hence the recent timing belt change. Is this damage done by the "way the car is being driven" or just wear and tear.

Either way I'm looking at close to a grand :eek: happy christmas!

Well, I'm not conflicting what MercMad said. And the prices are off the top of my head from previous experience with an MX5 (bad clutch can score and warp the flywheel, hence the "machine" idea).

And I am assuming the Audi has a standard clutch and flywheel.

MercMad

I'm no expert on Audi pricing either Frank, its just I have experienec of Audi servicing costs and they are not pretty !

The best advise is as above, get a reccomended independent garage near you to quote for the work....................you still havent told us the problem yet though !

I wonder are they talking about a vibration damper or harmonic balance pulley. I dont even know if these cars have one but if they do it could have been disturbed/damaged when the belt was renewed !

Time for a second opinion methinks !

azzeretti

MercMad wrote:

I'm no expert on Audi pricing either Frank, its just I have experienec of Audi servicing costs and they are not pretty !

The best advise is as above, get a reccomended independent garage near you to quote for the work....................you still havent told us the problem yet though !

I wonder are they talking about a vibration damper or harmonic balance pulley. I dont even know if these cars have one but if they do it could have been disturbed/damaged when the belt was renewed !

Time for a second opinion methinks !

Thanks Merc. I don't really know the problem either, the garage are being very cagey about the whole thing. Outside warranty thought!

maidhc

Does an a3 have a dual mass flywheel?

Pretty common for DMFs to fail. The springs go weak/break, and the result is rattling and vibration.

VW recalled a lot of faulty DMFs. Might be worth getting in contact with them.

crosstownk

AKAIK,, your A3 will have a dual mass flywheel - and they are known to fail - not common but it does happen. Ask the Audi dealer to submit a goodwill request to Audi. Audi will most likely cover a certain percentage of the costs.

azzeretti

Upon further investigation (google is great) I have found the my chassis number is listed on the Audi recall list for possible failing Flywheels!?

This might explain why the garage has been so cagy. Does anyone know where i stand now? Does this mean the dealership will have to pay for all costs?

crosstownk

If it's on the recall list then you probably should have been notified - or maybe you will be notified in the near future.

To get some clarity, maybe you should call the importer for Audi (Motor Distributors Limited) and explain the problem. Call 01 409 4444 and ask for Audi customer service.

rinsedpie

Just an update on an old thread - might help someone with same problem and also makes it easier for people searching Topics and Threads: I had a Flywheel problem in Renault Megane 01; secondhand part eu300; labour eu150 from mechanic I know well.

Gazzmonkey

Got this work done a few months back on my B8 A4,

If your flywheel needs replaced a decent mechanic will change all 3 parts... flywheel, clutch & release bearings.

I got the part numbers from Audi then ordered them direct from LUK, gave them to an indy mechanic and had the car back 2 days later.

The cost was around €1,400 in total.

Good luck!