I love how everyone comments on this guys work, yet have never changed a timing belt in thier lives! I did the one on my Audi and it wasnt that bad. I made my own timing cam tool out of a piece of metal and my car runs like new!
Hi Bill, hello people! I'm writing this 5 years after uploading the video. This guide helped me to replace thermostat in my A4 2.8 - thank you! It may be done much easier - disengagement the condenser and draining refrigerant is not necessary. Presure hoses are very flexible. You need detach the condenser from the cooler and set it aside. That's all. It may be helpful for somebody else. Best regards from Poland.
I think its very cool that the entire front end of the car comes off for maintenance sure its a lot of work but that V6 is a very tight fit in there probably the only way.
The service manual tells you to put the car in the "Service Position" which means the front just pulls forward, no need to evacuate the A/C or remove the front end. Obviously this method takes more time but makes things a lot easier to work on. Most shops will never do it this way though.
I do these timing belt jobs all the time, I have never once removed the front clip. All you need to do is use the long bolts that hold the front bumper on, place one on either side into the threads that bolt the bumper shocks to the frame. Then slide the whole clip forward. Then undo the clips that hold the A/C condensor and swing the condensor over to the pass side, I usually secure it with a bungee. Now you have plenty of room to reach in and change the pump and belt. Takes 3-4 hours.
This is useful because it helps appreciate the extent of work involved. So when a garage gives a quote, you can gauge if they're going to do a proper job, and giving you good advice - e.g. recommending changing the thermostat and water pump. The large proportion of cost is labour, removing the whole front of the vehicle before the timing belt and other components can be replaced.
Having a Covered Garage and a second vehicle makes the difference, this can be done by anyone over the weekend with some knowledge and some elbow grease.
This kid does a+ work. This is not a nightmare for someone who appreciates a well built car... sure it's a lotta work but that's the price you gotta pay for quality.
Fantastic video! This is what you need to show every customer that complains about how big their bill is. Really good to see everything is being done correctly.
wow. such a lot of work , I hope the owner is appreciative. it is good to see a proper mechanic at work. Im a hobby mechanic so i like he way he cleaned off the old gasket.
I have an 05 A6 Quattro 4.2. Alternator belt went bad. Looking at this vid almost inspired me to do the job myself. It's about a 4 hour job removing the nose of the car. Any who, Thanks for the video.
I'd still rather own an Audi. I'm a mobile mechanic and did my own A4 Avant in around 6-7 hours first to last bolt, on jacks and stands,......including a full service, cambelt, water pump, new tensioner and pulleys thermostat, etc,...etc,...., but still love my Audi!! BOLTED TOGETHER and SOLID! Love mine!!!!!
What a insane amount of work I have seen timing belts on other cars take 15 mins to replace. This has to be one of the most difficult cars to swap the timing belt. Why do engineers built engines like this? I am sure with a little creativity they could have made this process alot easier.
Damn, maybe for these guys this is easy, but for us who are not initiated in the "art of complex mechanics" this looks like a daunting task. Very nice video, I see why shops charge what they charge for these jobs.
@Joeasia1981 They do have timing chains also. The two cam pulleys you saw in the video are the driving cams (exhaust cams), then a chain in the back of the motor connects the driving cam to the driven cam (intake cams), so each side has two chains. One for each pair or cams in the heads.
@pimpb0tt Service position is for replacing the accessory belt and minor work. Not replacing the timing belt and water pump. Audi's timing belt/water pump replacement video proves that. They remove the front end to have maximum access to the front of the motor. Also they mentioned NOT disconnecting the AC lines, since they simply can be swung around the right fender and hung free of stress on the lines. I've done it many times. It's sure better than having to refill your AC later on.
@rcflyer40t Why does everyone think it is hard to fill an A/C system it is easy and gets done while you are putting it back together takes maybe 30 seconds longer to hook up the hoses and punch some buttons.
Every new model is a culmination of doing things wrong for years. But that is the paradox of engineering. That Audi should have a big displacement hexagonal pushrod v-twin. Yes. with Texas longhorns on the front hood, and Yosemite Sam on the mudflaps.
Thank you for putting this up. How long did it take? You have to be impressed how they design the things so well for manufacture, ie to be built from the inside out. But not to be serviced, or may be designed to keep the less than complete work shop owner from tampering / fixing it themselves.
This kids, is the side the car manufacturers and auto dealerships WON'T tell you. How much effort it takes to fix that pretty little German car once it is time to take it in!
As a young man you would have to be "really" excited about working on todays cars and also you would have to be a small framed person too!...but this isn't so bad when people "restore" whole cars!...now "THAT'S" a lot of work!!.
there are these threaded metal rods with big plastic balls on the end that supports the front clip so you can put it in "service mode" and you don't have to mess with the A/C
Did the belt on the V6 TDI brother of this engine once. Engine code AFB. With those you also have the injector pump belt to deal with. As with most things its pretty straightforward if you follow the workshop manual and are able to be creative with tools and material to stand in for all those factory special tools that you cant get anywhere. I did make a photo repo but no video unfortunately..
I worked on cars for 50 years. I still don't know very much. If any young folks want a good career one would specialize in fixing these tvrds. Audi's problems will increase with time and a very good living can be made for technicians who know these vehicles. People who buy these cars will not work on them themselves. If you do the same car everyday you get pretty good after a year or two. When you are young look for a career, not a job.
Great video, no matter what other people say i think taking your time and doing it right the first time is what matters. If you complain about it costing too much then sell it and buy yourself a honda.
This video is scarry in a sense (thanks for taking the time to make it btw) because it makes me wonder if most mechanics will actually bother going through this ordeal to change a timing belt (by the way is cambelt and timing belt the same?) On all my cars when the cambelt was due to be replaced it showed absolutely no signs of wearing apart or craking, so how would I know for sure the job has been done...
@hero21ctw I am guessing you are referring to the ignition timing? If so no we did not have to check it. We do rotate the engine and ensure that the timing marks are lined up correctly.
In fairness the front dosen't have to be removed completely. Insert 2 long skinny head bolts into the holes where the bumper bar is mounted, you can then slide the front of the car maybe 5 inches out without having to mess around with AC gas and heaps of other stuff.
This is 100% true. I actually found out that I had chain when I serviced my car at the Audi Dealer. I was worried my costs would be $1k+ if it was timing belt lol
Nice job.I1ve done a couple of them ,good fun!I usually invite the owner of the car to watch me while im working!During the job i always watch their faces,when its finished they usually give me a nice tip...
Service position is more than adequate for any tech that's worth being allowed to work on your car. It's really not necessary to waste time tearing the whole thing apart; I've never had any problems. Also, service position is not necessary for the ribbed belt replacement procedure, just clutch fan removal.
@foop1 We did not charge extra to remove the front end we can remove it just as fast as trying to swing it to the side and this puts no stress on the lines.
All because Audi wanted to cram that engine in there. Could have pushed the engine back into the firewall area like a Jeep 4.0 I6 or could have extended the front end about 4" to make this necessary repair easier to do. You guys do a great job though.
i believe somebody else ask you that all i say was that the A/c shouldn't be disconnected and the lines are made of rubber for that reason any how excellent work and video
Actually if you get a 1993 or later BMW (2.5/2.8/3.0 straight six engine) with VANOS, there is no timing belt to worrying about. Even the water pump is easy to do. It's an O ring type and not anywhere near such things like timing belt tensioners etc... Put 230k miles before selling mine and only replaced fuel pump and alternator. Alt only because the bearings started to whine but still charged battery.
@gettinsmeegy wrong it doesnt havnt had a problem with heather core at all still goes up to 90 degrees in the winter and the ac still cools to 60 in the summer.
Ha! I guess nobody at that shop ever read the manual and learned about the 'Service Position'. That way, you leave the AC lines and Washer Pump lines and wiring harness attached to the bumper, and just pull it out enough to get to the front of the engine. Woulda saved you a couple hours of shop time. DOH!!!
i know right? I got my 609 and using a A/C machine, you literally press a button and it takes a/c R134A out in the time you can change another car's oil, get the front end off, get that timing belt done, and press Vac, and refill. in auto class all we did since we were all issued a single car, was while the car was being recovered, most of us were on facebook lol.
Well Done! My 94 AudiCabriolet needs this work and I am a mechanic without a suitable workspace so after seeing this, I just may have to bite the bullet. Was wondering how many total hours hours it took this ace? cheers, md
Wow, and I thought a timing belt job on a Porsche 928 was hard! This car definitely takes the cake! I would never buy one because of this reason! What a maintenance nightmare!
you don't have to remove the the condenser u just put it aside on the passenger side that's what i do and it is a good idea to change the crank seal at the same time good work.
FYI that is not the correct way to use the timing belt tool. The cam sprockets need to be loosened and pulled off the tapered interface on the cams. Then the belt is tensioned while the pulleys FREEWHEEL on the cams, and then the cam sprockets are re-torqued.
Авто/Мото
I love how everyone comments on this guys work, yet have never changed a timing belt in thier lives! I did the one on my Audi and it wasnt that bad. I made my own timing cam tool out of a piece of metal and my car runs like new!
Hi Bill, hello people! I'm writing this 5 years after uploading the video. This guide helped me to replace thermostat in my A4 2.8 - thank you! It may be done much easier - disengagement the condenser and draining refrigerant is not necessary. Presure hoses are very flexible. You need detach the condenser from the cooler and set it aside. That's all. It may be helpful for somebody else. Best regards from Poland.
I think its very cool that the entire front end of the car comes off for maintenance sure its a lot of work but that V6 is a very tight fit in there probably the only way.
The service manual tells you to put the car in the "Service Position" which means the front just pulls forward, no need to evacuate the A/C or remove the front end. Obviously this method takes more time but makes things a lot easier to work on. Most shops will never do it this way though.
I do these timing belt jobs all the time, I have never once removed the front clip. All you need to do is use the long bolts that hold the front bumper on, place one on either side into the threads that bolt the bumper shocks to the frame. Then slide the whole clip forward. Then undo the clips that hold the A/C condensor and swing the condensor over to the pass side, I usually secure it with a bungee. Now you have plenty of room to reach in and change the pump and belt. Takes 3-4 hours.
This is useful because it helps appreciate the extent of work involved. So when a garage gives a quote, you can gauge if they're going to do a proper job, and giving you good advice - e.g. recommending changing the thermostat and water pump. The large proportion of cost is labour, removing the whole front of the vehicle before the timing belt and other components can be replaced.
You guys seem to do very solid, clean work. I like it.
You've convinced me. I wouldn't touch an Audi with a barge pole.
Having a Covered Garage and a second vehicle makes the difference, this can be done by anyone over the weekend with some knowledge and some elbow grease.
A professional mechanic in about 3 to 6 hours because you have to quit a lot of things to get to the timing
How are you going to recover the refrigerant for the air conditioning system?
... You aren't. OK.
This kid does a+ work. This is not a nightmare for someone who appreciates a well built car... sure it's a lotta work but that's the price you gotta pay for quality.
Fantastic video! This is what you need to show every customer that complains about how big their bill is. Really good to see everything is being done correctly.
This video... I've been waiting for. Thank you so much, perfect angle.
Well said, when I bought my Audi A6 I new what I was getting into and I never regret buying it.
wow. such a lot of work , I hope the owner is appreciative. it is good to see a proper mechanic at work. Im a hobby mechanic so i like he way he cleaned off the old gasket.
I have an 05 A6 Quattro 4.2. Alternator belt went bad. Looking at this vid almost inspired me to do the job myself. It's about a 4 hour job removing the nose of the car. Any who, Thanks for the video.
I'd still rather own an Audi. I'm a mobile mechanic and did my own A4 Avant in around 6-7 hours first to last bolt, on jacks and stands,......including a full service, cambelt, water pump, new tensioner and pulleys thermostat, etc,...etc,...., but still love my Audi!! BOLTED TOGETHER and SOLID! Love mine!!!!!
nice thorough video. tired of these hacks that skip half of the procedures when repairing a vehicle.
Vw vehicles are very difficult to work on. Great video, you make it look easy
What a insane amount of work I have seen timing belts on other cars take 15 mins to replace. This has to be one of the most difficult cars to swap the timing belt. Why do engineers built engines like this? I am sure with a little creativity they could have made this process alot easier.
Damn, maybe for these guys this is easy, but for us who are not initiated in the "art of complex mechanics" this looks like a daunting task. Very nice video, I see why shops charge what they charge for these jobs.
Thanks for taking the time to make this.
I was under the impression that audi had timing chains, good job.
@execct That light is a Central Tool Light. It works great and has a super strong magnetic base.
if i had opened even 1 part of this car i would't have remembered shit.This guy is great
Nice work dude!
thats just sick dude, i wish i can work on cars like that
Awesome car. Awesome Video!
Audi A4 Quattro here. Need this work done soon but dont have the big gonads ...yet!
Gonna have shell out. :(
Good
I did a a6 a few years ago and these cars are a pain in the ass to work on ... I did a timing belt and rack ....
he's got my respect; great job!
@Joeasia1981 They do have timing chains also. The two cam pulleys you saw in the video are the driving cams (exhaust cams), then a chain in the back of the motor connects the driving cam to the driven cam (intake cams), so each side has two chains. One for each pair or cams in the heads.
@pimpb0tt Service position is for replacing the accessory belt and minor work. Not replacing the timing belt and water pump. Audi's timing belt/water pump replacement video proves that. They remove the front end to have maximum access to the front of the motor. Also they mentioned NOT disconnecting the AC lines, since they simply can be swung around the right fender and hung free of stress on the lines. I've done it many times. It's sure better than having to refill your AC later on.
@rcflyer40t Why does everyone think it is hard to fill an A/C system it is easy and gets done while you are putting it back together takes maybe 30 seconds longer to hook up the hoses and punch some buttons.
great job !! you R the fastest tech in the whole USA
Thanks for posting this, you just reminded me why I wouldn't own or work on these cars.
good vid. I enjoy watching it.
awesome job!
Every new model is a culmination of doing things wrong for years. But that is the paradox of engineering. That Audi should have a big displacement hexagonal pushrod v-twin. Yes. with Texas longhorns on the front hood, and Yosemite Sam on the mudflaps.
awesome video!
Thank you for putting this up. How long did it take? You have to be impressed how they design the things so well for manufacture, ie to be built from the inside out. But not to be serviced, or may be designed to keep the less than complete work shop owner from tampering / fixing it themselves.
This kids, is the side the car manufacturers and auto dealerships WON'T tell you. How much effort it takes to fix that pretty little German car once it is time to take it in!
As a young man you would have to be "really" excited about working on todays cars and also you would have to be a small framed person too!...but this isn't so bad when people "restore" whole cars!...now "THAT'S" a lot of work!!.
there are these threaded metal rods with big plastic balls on the end that supports the front clip so you can put it in "service mode" and you don't have to mess with the A/C
Did the belt on the V6 TDI brother of this engine once. Engine code AFB. With those you also have the injector pump belt to deal with.
As with most things its pretty straightforward if you follow the workshop manual and are able to be creative with tools and material to stand in for all those factory special tools that you cant get anywhere.
I did make a photo repo but no video unfortunately..
Wish I could change an audi timing belt in 6.5 minutes working at that pace, I would make bookoo bucks
I worked on cars for 50 years. I still don't know very much. If any young folks want a good career one would specialize in fixing these tvrds. Audi's problems will increase with time and a very good living can be made for technicians who know these vehicles. People who buy these cars will not work on them themselves. If you do the same car everyday you get pretty good after a year or two. When you are young look for a career, not a job.
Wow! Good job, Thas next level repair work.My old 2.8 is not quiet that complicated
Great video, no matter what other people say i think taking your time and doing it right the first time is what matters. If you complain about it costing too much then sell it and buy yourself a honda.
This video is scarry in a sense (thanks for taking the time to make it btw) because it makes me wonder if most mechanics will actually bother going through this ordeal to change a timing belt (by the way is cambelt and timing belt the same?)
On all my cars when the cambelt was due to be replaced it showed absolutely no signs of wearing apart or craking, so how would I know for sure the job has been done...
Charles Roucher Request the old parts when the job is done. all parts have part numbers on them and can be traced to a Make and model.
@hero21ctw I am guessing you are referring to the ignition timing? If so no we did not have to check it. We do rotate the engine and ensure that the timing marks are lined up correctly.
In fairness the front dosen't have to be removed completely. Insert 2 long skinny head bolts into the holes where the bumper bar is mounted, you can then slide the front of the car maybe 5 inches out without having to mess around with AC gas and heaps of other stuff.
This is 100% true. I actually found out that I had chain when I serviced my car at the Audi Dealer. I was worried my costs would be $1k+ if it was timing belt lol
Nice job.I1ve done a couple of them ,good fun!I usually invite the owner of the car to watch me while im working!During the job i always watch their faces,when its finished they usually give me a nice tip...
Geeesh. that explains why maintenance is so expensive at Audi.
You scared shit out of me. I will change it myself when it is due.
This wasn't necessary at all, Service mode eliminates 4 of these hours
Great video it helped me allot.
Cool Video
thanks for the great video
Service position is more than adequate for any tech that's worth being allowed to work on your car. It's really not necessary to waste time tearing the whole thing apart; I've never had any problems. Also, service position is not necessary for the ribbed belt replacement procedure, just clutch fan removal.
Nice ! Love it !
@foop1 We did not charge extra to remove the front end we can remove it just as fast as trying to swing it to the side and this puts no stress on the lines.
All because Audi wanted to cram that engine in there. Could have pushed the engine back into the firewall area like a Jeep 4.0 I6 or could have extended the front end about 4" to make this necessary repair easier to do.
You guys do a great job though.
i believe somebody else ask you that all i say was that the A/c shouldn't be disconnected and the lines are made of rubber for that reason any how excellent work and video
Lot of work there :D
What kind of light is that you're using? The output looks amazing. Nice video.
@foop1 We don't charge extra to remove the freon for this job. This only takes 15 minutes extra and for the ease of access probably makes up the time.
Amazing video....Thanks
That Audi is quite clearly not designed to be serviced. At all. It's a disposable car.
Wow great job
This why a good mechanic makes more than a doctor
holy balls that mechanic better get PAID
I believe this particular job only took one day.
Awesome video ! How long did that take ? Must have been a couple of hours ?
That is amazing.
You're AWESOOME!
Edward Norton-looking mechanic. Good video.
Actually if you get a 1993 or later BMW (2.5/2.8/3.0 straight six engine) with VANOS, there is no timing belt to worrying about. Even the water pump is easy to do. It's an O ring type and not anywhere near such things like timing belt tensioners etc... Put 230k miles before selling mine and only replaced fuel pump and alternator. Alt only because the bearings started to whine but still charged battery.
@gettinsmeegy wrong it doesnt havnt had a problem with heather core at all still goes up to 90 degrees in the winter and the ac still cools to 60 in the summer.
the worst thermostat location ever seen !
Ha! I guess nobody at that shop ever read the manual and learned about the 'Service Position'. That way, you leave the AC lines and Washer Pump lines and wiring harness attached to the bumper, and just pull it out enough to get to the front of the engine. Woulda saved you a couple hours of shop time.
DOH!!!
we need more video like this.. would like to see one like this for a B6 3.0. 2002. other than that awesome video. Is helpful!!!
thank you for this video
It's true. Setting the front in service position is more than enough.
@trumpio this is correct, according to the bentley manual. No pre-tensioning was done here
great job men
It has 2 chains as well. one for each pair of cams.
i know right? I got my 609 and using a A/C machine, you literally press a button and it takes a/c R134A out in the time you can change another car's oil, get the front end off, get that timing belt done, and press Vac, and refill.
in auto class all we did since we were all issued a single car, was while the car was being recovered, most of us were on facebook lol.
Well Done! My 94 AudiCabriolet needs this work and I am a mechanic without a suitable workspace so after seeing this, I just may have to bite the bullet. Was wondering how many total hours hours it took this ace? cheers, md
Wow, and I thought a timing belt job on a Porsche 928 was hard! This car definitely takes the cake! I would never buy one because of this reason! What a maintenance nightmare!
Lo hice en 4 horas, exelente video
you don't have to remove the the condenser u just put it aside on the passenger side that's what i do and it is a good idea to change the crank seal at the same time good work.
that guy is fast.. wish i could move that fast and precisely :)
I like the trouble light that he uses .Where can I get one of those?What brand is it?it looks like this light is very versatile.
Great Video Thanks
brilliant! how long to do this altogether in real time?
I rather removing everything out of the way It is so comfortable to work like this.
he forgot to turn the belt several times to guarantee the original timing. cool video tho
Good job good video, where u get the light?? I need 1 of those
I so glad that my BMW has a timing chain after I saw this
Genius, they made it nearly impossible to fix without taking it to a dealer...
@owenmataiti This is a 2001 A4, 2.8L V6 30 valve engine.
FYI that is not the correct way to use the timing belt tool. The cam sprockets need to be loosened and pulled off the tapered interface on the cams. Then the belt is tensioned while the pulleys FREEWHEEL on the cams, and then the cam sprockets are re-torqued.
wow thar guy knows what he is doing,very nice job