How do they get away with it??!!

[IOLAIRE]

Well my afternoon was thoroughly ruined by a distressed call from my daughter to tell me her Audi had broken down.
It's an early A6 2.8 V6 Avant that I got for her in London just a few months ago.
Absolutely pristine, beautiful to drive and full VAG service history, the last service including changing the cam belt at obscene hourly rates.
It is utterly hewn in stone that when you replace the cam belt in these engines you MUST replace the tensioner pulley as well.
No, no, not these jokers; they left the old one in place and it has just attempted to machine it's way through the front timing cover and cause major engine failure!!
Fortunately and incredibly the belt didn't break even though it's in tatters, so the RAC managed to deliver the car back with no permanent damage.
Guess what I'm doing in the morning?
Full service history?
It's not worth the service book it's stamped on!

>>> Edited by IOLAIRE on Thursday 21st April 01:21

[agent006]

This is something that's always puzzled me. How does your average man in a backstreet garage know the requirements for servicing every engine ever produced? Is there some big motortrade book that's got mileages listed and what needs doing when and how?

Mine's had 5 in 140k miles due to some rather suspect fault finding that turned out to be a PAS leak making the belt slip. So i assume at least some of it will be relatively new!

[IOLAIRE]

agent006 said:

This is something that's always puzzled me. How does your average man in a backstreet garage know the requirements for servicing every engine ever produced? Is there some big motortrade book that's got mileages listed and what needs doing when and how? Mine's had 5 in 140k miles due to some rather suspect fault finding that turned out to be a PAS leak making the belt slip. So i assume at least some of it will be relatively new!

Hell Alec,
I see from your profile you have the same car only it's the saloon version.
They are just superb and I don't think they have the same build quality in the new models; they have become overcomplex and too dependant on electronics.
To answer your question about technical knowledge.
It's a matter of accumulated experience and the right kind of lexicon to refer to.
Most engineers use Autodata books that are available in various forms and contain a vast amount of information about virtually every vehicle made.
They are also available in CD format and give details about things like timing belt intervals and procedure complete with technical drawings.
They are expensive but worth it if you are really interested in doing your own work properly to a truly professional standard; by that I mean an engineering standard, not the kind of over-priced nonsense you get from many of the dealerships.
By the way I had to buy the tensioner today from Audi as no other source had one in stock.
It was 22 quid!
Imagine any motor engineer risking total engine failure on a 2.8 V6 for the sake of 22 quid!!! Madness!!!

ps. forgot to say Autodata is available through branches of Brown Bros.

>> Edited by IOLAIRE on Thursday 21st April 18:59

[thong]

I ring the customer with prices of guides and tensioners for the timing belt,if they dont have them changed you dont garente the belt job,these pulleys work hard always advise them to be changed.

Dale.

[iguana]

agent006 said:

This is something that's always puzzled me. How does your average man in a backstreet garage know the requirements for servicing every engine ever produced?

Quite a few little garages just have lots of old Haynes manuals.

[mcflurry]

I agree with Iolaire. If you may for a main stealership to service a car, you would expect them to do a full and complete job. That's why they are paid the best part of £100 credits an hour!!