Hey guys (and gals),

I'm a relatively new owner of a 2004 TT 225Q. It just hit 100k miles. I bought the car back in April, and realized about a month later that I really didn't care for it. No offense. It's fast, somewhat nimble, and looks cool, but it's just not my thing. (To be perfectly honest, I'm a two time MINI owner, and I fell in love those cars. It kinda felt like I was cheating. )

At any rate, I've been saving up since then and paying extra on my payments to get ready to trade it off this month, and wham... clutch slave cylinder dies (I knew on the spot that it was either that or the master). "Not a huge deal," I thought, "It'll only be a $200-$300 job." Wow... I was wrong. I, of course, found out (and was appalled) that the slave was inside the tranny. $3k at Nalley Audi. Wound up taking it to a local shop and had the whole clutch replaced for $1200. Much better!

That's all fine and dandy, but here's where I need the advice. The mechanic warned me that timing belts on the 1.8t are prone to failure, and advised me to check the service history. I did that, and found no evidence of it being replaced. That said, I only have complete service records for the car up to 2008. My mechanic did a visual inspection and said that it looked okay (no fraying, missing teeth that he could tell, or abnormal cracks in the belt). Basically, he said it didn't look like imminent doom was approaching, but that he couldn't be 100% sure (when can we ever?).

So here's the deal. I'm planning on trading the TT this month (probably next week), and getting a new car. Should I be super worried about this? I'd really rather not spend another $1k-ish on a car that's getting traded the next day.

PS - Yes. I did a search for timing belt. But I'm a researcher who believes in individual differences.

The cliffs:
- 2004 Audi TT 225Q w/100k miles
- Getting ready to trade, and I'm concerned about the timing belt making it until then given that there's no evidence that it's been replaced (because I'm paranoid like that)
- Mechanic says it looks fine
- Should I be worried?

Thanks!

 

You bought the car in April, and are now worried that the Timing belt will go in the next week? I'd certainly be willing to roll the dice on the car making it another week. Why are you trading the car in, as for a high mileage eight year old car no dealership will give you much credit for it. Better to list the car privately.

On a side note, we have a MINI and I came very close to picking up a Cooper S instead of the TT, as there is no way to match the driving pleasure of the MINI with the TT, but as I get more familiar with the TT it's charms are winning me over. The high quality interior, smoother ride and awd are nice features.

 

Thanks for the reply, man. I actually traded it today for a GTI on a 36 month lease (they made me a deal that was too good to pass up; glad I decided to check it out). I still don't like it as much the Cooper S, but it was cheaper and required no money down.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten much more for it on a private sale in ATL, and I just didn't want to have to deal with it anymore. It really is a major relief to have a car under warranty and worry free for the next three years. The Cooper S will happen next time.

 

hello I have a 2002 ttQ with 43k on it and was wondering if I should replace the timing belt/water pump? the dealer inspection was fine but they suggested due to the age I should consider replacing it. if so is there a better than oem kit available? please advise. thanks darren

 

Hi there,

I would get it done.

On my 2001 TT 225 the last owner waited too long and the belt failed and caused about 3k worth of damage to the engine.

Even though it has had 70k put on it since the rebuild I am doing it again due to an oil leak in the same area as the belt.

I have copies of the previous owners bills from when it self destructed.

It did a lot of damage when it went.

It should cost no more than $1200.00 from a reputable VAG Audi mechanic.

There are a few guys on this forum that could also do it but I am not sure if any of them are near you.

I think the OEM kit is fine for the belt but there is a better kit for the water pump which you should do at the same time.

The original kit has a plastic wheel/impeller which has been known to disintegrate.

The better kit has a metal wheel/impeller.

Randy.

 

I'm going to agree here with Randy, it's (relatively) cheap insurance. I haven't done it yet on my TT as it was done not long ago, but I have done it on other cars and it wasn't too bad of a job (I would plan on giving yourself the weekend to complete it). The engine is an interference design, and pistons meeting valves is an expensive proposition.

 

I replaced my timing belt after 6 years, even though the car had only 60,000km. The belt does deteriorate with age as well as use. The 2011 and newer TT's have a timing chain.

 

As a general rule, you should do it without hesitation. 100K miles is a lot of miles. In your case, you're ditching the car so leave it to the next owner is my advice. But you should know it's not so much the belt that is the problem, it's the tensioner. And while you've got the right front end off the car, the thing to do is to get the water pump outta there for a new one. The water pump with the plastic impeller got replaced by a metal one in 2003, I think. So no plastic there.

Not only kms should be looked at when it comes to deciding whether or not to replace a belt, there's a lifespan to those things so the 2002 TT Q with 43K might be well advised to look into replacing it. That and the water pump. Audi themselves recommend the belt be changed after 7 years max. Belt/tensioner failure leads to CATASTROPHIC - therefore massively expensive - engine failure. No matter if your engine is a BEA like mine or an AMU.