My audi a3 8y is five years old and I enquired to two Audi dealerships regarding a cam belt change and the answer I received from both was that after extensive research Audi are saying it’s 100000 miles with no time limit!!? I feel that this is rather contentious 

1 hour ago, Mollie said:

 I feel that this is rather contentious 

It is indeed, as you will find if you look through recent discussions on the forum. I, and several others here, suggest you ignore the official Audi line and change the cambelt sooner. What mileage has the car done?

58 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

It is indeed, as you will find if you look through recent discussions on the forum. I, and several others here, suggest you ignore the official Audi line and change the cambelt sooner. What mileage has the car done?

25000

25000 it is going in to a Audi garage shortly for a mot and service. I purchased the car in March 2025 and it is currently on a service plan 

I will talk to the service manager about the cam belt change and intervals 

If it was mine I wouldn't worry about it for another 50000 miles or three more years unless it makes unusual noises. Those limits are not hard and fast because belt life is dependent on the way an engine is used, but given the consequences of belt failure it would be wise to to err on the side of caution.

Hello Alan,

As Cliff says. The best advice ( with reasoning) will be found in a number of threads over the last year or so. I would be very surprised if the Service Manager, or anyone else at Audi would agree with the comments you will find on here in relation to cambelt changes, but might be worth looking at a recent post where a cambelt has snapped on a low mileage vehicle, and examine the consequences of that happening.

Why a main dealer service plan on an out of warranty car Alan? 
If this were mine, I wouldn’t be entrusting this job to a main dealer, if you wisely decide to get it replaced. 
Always renew the auxiliary belt at the same time. 
Regards,

Gareth. 

The service plan came with the car when purchased 

Thanks Alan,

Just watch them on consumables such as brake pads and discs, borderline MOT issues - all at silly prices to get done with them. 
Regards,

Gareth. 

Some independant garages have  access to audi digital service records and when service plan comes to an end worth trying to find one.

On 11/9/2025 at 2:39 PM, cliffcoggin said:

If it was mine I wouldn't worry about it for another 50000 miles or three more years unless it makes unusual noises. Those limits are not hard and fast because belt life is dependent on the way an engine is used, but given the consequences of belt failure it would be wise to to err on the side of caution.

Hi, I get what you're saying, not to worry about it for another 50,000, but would you want dealership to inspect the belt for wear during whichever is the right scheduled service, before it reaches 75,000 miles total, otherwise how will you know it's time to replace the belt? Not be provocative, just trying to understand how the cost of preventative maintenance pays off to avoid corrective maintenance, especially if this car is on an Audi service plan?

Hello John, 

I think you are barking up wrong trees to consider a dealership would inspect a belt ( and assembly) at intervals to ensure it is still serviceable. Reality is they don’t, and highly likely won’t. 
The reaction you are going to get is that it’s now not scheduled for replacement until 125k miles ( or whatever it is - without looking back). That dictate is either followed, or the belt and assembly is renewed at 5 years or c75K miles, whichever comes first. 
That decision (and risk) rests with the owner.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

Hi Gareth, yeah, you're probably right, unlikely the dealership would schedule preventative maintenance to inspect timing belt and assembly, despite the risk of not doing it. Interested in your last statement though, that belt and assembly replaced at 5 years or c75k miles, whichever comes first, because this car is 7.5 years old, 66k miles on the clock, still under an Audi Smart service plan, contract still active, and none of the service records show either a timing belt and assemble replaced, or inspected, or advised to do either of these on the service documents.

2 minutes ago, JohnB said:

Hi Gareth, yeah, you're probably right, unlikely the dealership would schedule preventative maintenance to inspect timing belt and assembly, despite the risk of not doing it. Interested in your last statement though, that belt and assembly replaced at 5 years or c75k miles, whichever comes first, because this car is 7.5 years old, 66k miles on the clock, still under an Audi Smart service plan, contract still active, and none of the service records show either a timing belt and assemble replaced, or inspected, or advised to do either of these on the service documents.

Gareth, sorry, this is related to my post I started, didn't realize I was in a different thread here.  

How long are you going to keep it John and how many miles are you expecting to cover? 

I seriously doubt if any warranty would cover the damage caused by a belt failure. 
 

The reason cambelts are not routinely inspected is the need for significant dismantling of the engine for access to see it, which causes high labour charges. By the time such dismantling is done one might as well change the belt, because the cost of the belt is minor in comparison to the labour. Incidentally the water pump is recommended to be done at the same time as the belt for the same reason.

Thank Cliff, makes sense, and agree with you on your point about the water pump at same time, would you expect dealership to make this point as you have.

i didn’t ask the obvious question, does timing belt issue ever show up on diagnostics, or is it a case of an experienced mechanic (not just a technician) a real mechanic listening to the engine to know it’s not right. It seems like this one particular part is the hidden achilles heal of the engine?

Diagnostics? No. 
It seems that by your last statement, you have (understandable?) concerns regarding the potential for belt failure.

When this assembly starts making noises, it’s too late! 
I think all the pros and cons of following VAG’s latest recommendations have been clearly laid out, and are adequately presented to allow you to make a decision in regard to what you (in caps) want to do. 
Perhaps you would be kind enough to let us know what you decide to do John. 
Regards,

Gareth. 

39 minutes ago, JohnB said:

 would you expect dealership to make this point as you have.

I would not trust dealers to say anything that did not line their pockets.

23 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

I would not trust dealers to say anything that did not line their pockets.

Yeah, I'm getting that feeling, and once I've got past this nightmare, I'll post the details on the forum. Appreciate reading all the posts and the knowledge here from you guys. Thanks

I was always told 5 year regardless of mileage ( and that was not from someone doing it just for the sake of it or to profit )

Chris, it seems odd why you join and post responses to old thread, when the ‘full cambelt recommended changes’ have already been defined.

5 hours ago, Bally 67 said:

I was always told 5 year regardless of mileage ( and that was not from someone doing it just for the sake of it or to profit )

Believe what you will. Search all these forums for more opinions which generally differ from what you have been told.

13 hours ago, Magnet said:

Chris, it seems odd why you join and post responses to old thread, when the ‘full cambelt recommended changes’ have already been defined.

Morning, I have only just joined the forum I must be using it incorrectly, can you advise where I’m going wrong?

Thanks Chris,

It always raises suspicion when someone signs up and immediately replies to old threads which already have a comprehensive set of responses.

To add to that, your post in this case included wrong/incomplete information.

Many thanks, but it isn’t a case of using the the forum incorrectly.

Regards,

Gareth.