Replace timing belt or replace car?

BottomLess

This might be a question for Paddy Power but I'll ask here first

Should I spend €750 on a timing belt and water pump job on this car?

It's a 2005 Audi A4 1.8T which I bought 2 years ago with 195,000 km on clock. I have no reason to doubt the seller and the car is genuinely immaculate. The seller told me the timing belt had been done "about 10km ago" (lets say at 185,000 km) but he didn't have any record/receipt.

It now has 245,000 km (say 60,000 km since then) done and at the last service my mechanic advised that as he could find no record of the TB being replaced I should replace the TB and water pump now and estimated €750 allowing for unexpected complications.

Immaculate as the car is, I doubt it's worth more than €1500 even with it's new NCT and with a new €750 TB.

I know it's a gamble not to spend the €750 but ...

Would you replace the TB or would you replace the car?
Please advise

George Sunsnow

When cars get down to that value,you’ve two things to consider when spending that percentage of value on it and car valuation isn’t one of them
Do you want to keep a reliable car or go looking for to start again with another one you’ve no experience of?
And second,If you don’t want that hassle then I’d look at the €750 the same way I’d look at having to pay insurance
It’s insurance against your reliable car going to junk

Cee-Jay-Cee

I doubt you’d get €1500 for the car so my advice would be to just drive the car. The belt may never break and you could get another 2 or 3 years motoring from it.

I took that risk years ago with a 1994 Civic ESi which has 150k on the clock. I knew the belt had never been changed but the car only cost me €400 and so i decided I’d take the chance. I drive it for 18k more miles and sold it for €400. The lad who bought it done the same and put another 25k on it and sold it on. The last I heard was it had over 220k miles on it all on the original belt.

Drive it on.

BottomLess

George Sunsnow wrote: »

... I’d look at the €750 the same way I’d look at having to pay insurance. It’s insurance against your reliable car going to junk

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

... my advice would be to just drive the car. The belt may never break and you could get another 2 or 3 years motoring from it.

Those two quotes very nicely summarise my dilemma.

George Sunsnow

Then again it might blow next week...
That’s not a dilemma it’s a gamble

Ubbquittious

750 for a timing belt :eek:

Hebegeebee

A timing belt and water pump alone wouldn't cost €750 to do on a 05 A4 1.8T, and I know because I have one.
I got the timing belt, water pump and hydraulic tensioner (due to a leak supposedly) replaced at a main dealer for less than that a little over 2yrs ago.
AFAICR the Belt and pump replacement was of the order of €450 all in at the main dealer.

BottomLess

George Sunsnow wrote: »

Then again it might blow next week...
That’s not a dilemma it’s a gamble

That's why I'm waiting for Paddy P to give me odds

George Dalton

As another poster above mentioned, €400 is a more realistic price for the timing belt and water pump job on your car.

BottomLess

Thanks all.

Good info and good advice.
Much appreciated

commited

I'd shop around for best price and then do it, nothing worse than being stuck on the side of the road on a wet miserable winters night.

grogi

Would you get a better car for €1500+€750?

If the car is sound, corrosion free, you like driving it and you are insured with someone who does not treat you like an idiot, I would service it and drive.

NickNickleby

I know someone who had a Skoda and the timing belt went on it. THe car was old-ish (probably 6-7 years) but was immaculate. Timing belt went, car dropped in value from about 3.5 k to zero. Sold it to a breaker for little more than the price of towing it.
Then had to scrape enough cash together to get a car in worse condition than the poor old Skoda.

So, can you get your hands on ~700euro ? If it failed, would it be easy to get your hands on 4 or 5k to get a replacement????

When faced with a similar dilemma this summer, I spent 500 getting a new clutch and the timing belt checked on an 05 fiesta, using my criteria above.

hope that helps

grogi

George Dalton wrote: »

As another poster above mentioned, €400 is a more realistic price for the timing belt and water pump job on your car.

There are two belts in 1.8T from that era AFAIR.

One on the front, driving one of the camshafts. There is a second one, at the back of the engine, driving the second camshaft from the first one. Both should be changed really.

cruizer101

Yeah I've a similar dilemma 99 honda accord with timing belt over due, over on time not mileage.

I don't want to put a few hundred into changing belt only for it to either fail nct on something costly or as is more likely and is more of an influence on me, that insurance will be near impossible to get on it next year. I'm thinking of hanging on til I can at least confirm I can get insured on it in the new year and will probably do it then.

737max

I'm a big believer in actually taking the side casing off and looking at belts to see if they are frayed on a car which is worth near nothing.
It is not 100% proof but it could be the difference between motoring on for another year or not.
However, that 400 or 500 euro saved on a skipped belt change shouldn't be spent down the pub but set aside in the credit union to get you in to a newer car a year down the line.

iomusicdublin

the whole kit is 110 euro

get somewhere else to do labour

grogi

grogi wrote: »

There are two belts in 1.8T from that era AFAIR.

One on the front, driving one of the camshafts. There is a second one, at the back of the engine, driving the second camshaft from the first one. Both should be changed really.

Two points:

1. Completely wrong. It’s an internal oil bathed chain that couples the camshafts with a separate tensioner and it’s own replacement schedule/spec which is not at all determined by condition or schedule for replacment of the timing belt. That information isn’t even hard to find (It took me less than a minute!) so why muddy the waters with ‘AFAIR’ contributions? Wrong or poor advice is bad advice.

2. George Dalton is in a much better position to advise on the approximate cost than you are, seeing as his recollection is based on experience as opposed to regurgitated speculation. You’re here long enough to know that. He’s probably changed at least twice as many of them as you’ve owned cars. Before you question his contribution you really should do even a litte bit of research!

JohnBoy26

JayZeus wrote: »

Two points:

1. Completely wrong. It’s an internal oil bathed chain that couples the camshafts with a separate tensioner and it’s own replacement schedule/spec which is not at all determined by condition or schedule for replacment of the timing belt. That information isn’t even hard to find (It took me less than a minute!) so why muddy the waters with ‘AFAIR’ contributions? Wrong or poor advice is bad advice.

2. George Dalton is in a much better position to advise on the approximate cost than you are, seeing as his recollection is based on experience as opposed to regurgitated speculation. You’re here long enough to know that. He’s probably changed at least twice as many of them as you’ve owned cars. Before you question his contribution you really should do even a litte bit of research!

Im sure George can speak for himself.

EPAndlee

Do the belt and keep on motoring

JohnBoy26

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Im sure George can speak for himself.

I'm sure Grogi can also. :P