Audi 4.2V8 cambelt Change Interval

The original stated US interval was 75K. It's on the sticker under the hood of a US car. It's a big red one.

90K is a fair interval, but I have seen a few fail before. 60K seems a bit premature, as the component quality went up over time.

2-valve engines, 90K. (Except turbo, 60K)

4-valve engines, 60K 5-valve engines 75K.

As your car is a 1996, I'd say now is appropriate. 40-valve engines make a huge mess when the belt lets go.

The official US >Can anybody confirm the correct cambelt change interval for an Audi

I concur with JPF. 60-75k miles. I'm about to send in a parts order to do mine.

If you're doing it yourself, look here:

Even if you're not, you'll learn some things. There are a lot of parts you should consider replacing while you're in there. Incremental labor is almost nil.

JimR

snipped-for-privacy@iol.ie (Pat Torpey) wrote:

Good point. It's never the belt that fails. A water pump, some roller, puking seal, etc. is what takes the belt out.

I just acquired a new TT and the manual indicates 10,000 mile routine service and a 90,000 mile cambelt interval. However, I think that I will change the oil at 5,000 mile intervals, change the cambelt in the

60k to 75k mile range, and have rout>Can anybody confirm the correct cambelt change interval for an Audi

Thanks for your various replies.

However I still can't get my head around the issue. Surely someone must know with certainty the Audi recommended cambelt change interval for a 1996 4.2l V8 engine? It should be a black and white issue and we should not have to guess the best change interval. Presumably no-one would lightly undertake a cambelt change on the Audi A8, because of the amount of work involved, at any shorter interval than necessary, just to be "safe" The other factor is that in my own case, due to the lack of suitable roads here and the speed limits, the engine rarely sees high revs and is just pottering along most of the time. This I would have thought wouyld be a factor in deciding the cambelt life.

Does anyone know for sure if cambelts deteriorate with age (i.e chronological age an.dt not hours run)?

Thanks

Pat, In the case of older cars that remain parked for a long time, yes, you should replace the belt based on time (possibly, say, 5 or 10 years of inactivity or so). The belts do have rubber in them - rubber does degrade with time and atmospheric exposure. Actually, in the case of tires inactivity is somewhat detrimental to the rubber, as the rubber is somewhat "kneaded" while driving. Take a look at an old car that has been parked for a long time - look at how cracked and brittle the rubber has become. The belt would be similar. Problem is, that saying that "I only drive the car on short trips - never get up to flat out speeds - etc." I would actually think that the most strain on a belt would be during starting. Actually - in many cases this is when the belt fails - turn it over and *snap* nothing catches. Except the pistons and valves have a little head butting session and the valves lose....then the whole engine loses...sort of the "Mutually Assured Destruction" thing the Cold War was based on. Use the intervals that JPF gives. If you drive on the same belt for

200k....Good for you! you beat the "Bell Curve" of belt failures. I'd pay the price for the belt and avoid the headache and expense of a new engine. As far as a "black and white" issue - well, you'll hear many stories on Audifans, Audiworld and here about premature belt failure and the costs. It's far from "black and white". Cheers! Steve Sears 1987 Audi 5kTQ - following 60k mi belt change schedule 1980 Audi 5k - following time based belt change schedule 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - belt? For your pants? (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

Thanks once again for your inputs.

JPF says that the original US change iunterval was 75k. The Bentley CD rom which is presumably either official or semi-official for 1997 cars is 90K (I was under the impression that the A8 was not introduced into the US market until 1997, so I assume also that this is the "first" US recommended change interval) My European A8 doesn't have any sticker.

Does anyone out there have a European A8 with a positive identification of the Audi-recommended change interval for a 1995/1996

4.2 V8? (My car was built towards the end of 1995 though first registered in 1996)?

I have the same mysterious discrepancy between the recommended service inbtervals- Bentley says 7.5k, European current received wisdom is for

10k.

Agaon does anyone have a 1995/1996 official European Audi service book or equivalent which states the service intervals?

Thanks