Magnet

Who do you intend to book it in with Sean? Whoever, change the auxiliary belt at the same time. If not using an Audi dealer (or parts from them) then I would recommend Gates as reputable aftermarket for this application. Regards, Gareth.

There were more questions which need answering Sean, to be able to help you further, so perhaps you can come back on these - if indeed you need additional comments to aid your decision. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding the threads if you follow the instructions given. I certainly don’t want to push you to make a decision, but equally, I don’t want to spend much more time trying to offer comments. Regards, Gareth.

Apologies for the delay Alan, I was away when I responded to your post. Back home now, and have the Alpine 6CD changer to hand. I’ll PM you the details before bed. No obligation. Regards, Gareth.

Well you have a sticking caliper or slide pins then. Well worth checking the brake shield while you are there.

Yes you have got a dishwasher - its name is Steve!

Hello Sean, I’m hoping some of the following will be of use in your decision making. As the insurance companies state ‘ we cannot decide what is right for you, but we can provide you with information that will help you to make a decision that best suits you’. If this were mine, this is what I would do:- Sit down with a glass of wine (or cup of tea) and thoroughly read all the threads on this topic on this forum - enter Cambelt into the search box, and select ‘Everywhere’ from the drop-down menu. Then take on board Stevey Y’s points about the value of the ‘All in Plan’. Take it that these insurance based schemes, are designed to make profit for the salesman and the dealership, and (please correct me if I’m wrong) is effectively a service plan. Does it include any warranty cover? If yes, work on the principle that they are capable of getting under a snake’s belly with a top hat on, to avoid paying out. Some questions that need answering Sean:- You bought the car in Nov 2025 at 25K miles and you’ve covered approx. 1K miles in a couple of months. Would 6K miles/a be a reasonable estimate of your ongoing annual mileage? How long do you intend to keep the car? Pardon the personal questions, but have you bought this with any element of finance? Can you afford to spend some hundreds of £s to get the belt and assembly changed at an independent? The answers to these questions will influence whether you can gamble on not getting it done? I think that’s enough to digest at the moment Sean. Give all this and the earlier threads a good read, and give the whole thing a good couple of coats of thinking about. You can then come back to the forum and give us some answers and an indication of which way you are leaning at that stage. Apologies for the ramble. Regards, Gareth.

Disc back plate?

Who did you phone Charles? Have you ( in caps) inputted your VIN into the website?

Hello Charles, If you enter your VIN into LLL Parts website it should come up with the part numbers you will need. ‘Parked have asked which……’. ?? Please let us know how you get on. Regards, Gareth.

Or dishwasher tablet Steve. Could then put it in the machine if the good lady isn’t about!

This thread is now locked due to poster’s claim that the forum has been of no help to him.

Hello Sean, Have to be out and about today, but if you can wait until this evening, I will knock something together which should help you to come to a decision. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks for your views.

That’s clearer now Peter. With you living in the W. Midlands, you know ‘midland vw’ are independents. Members on here have no idea whether Midland VW are independents rather than main dealers.

Yes please. You know the background - we don’t.

Very confusing Chris - we aren’t meant to be mind readers. Please explain the situation clearly at the point of posting, otherwise we waste our time, and you get incorrect information. All of which isn’t what anyone wants.

And you are really taking a 12 year old car to an Audi main dealer to fix?? Hope you’ve warned your wallet!

Hello Chris, Not absolutely certain for your model, but it would be highly unusual for a 2004 Audi to need to have its battery coded? What prompted you to buy a Moll battery for this 22 year old car? I recall reading up on these batteries some time ago, and if memory serves me well (which it doesn’t always) then these batteries were troublesome and VAG discontinued using them - ? Regards, Gareth.

So for absolute clarity Peter, is it a 2014 or a 2024 vehicle? Regards, Gareth.

Welcome Lizy and sorry to hear of your issue. First things first:- Did you buy this car from a dealer, and if so when? If yes, to the first question, and within the last 30 days to the last part, then you have grounds to reject the vehicle. Trying it pick the bones from what you say, the vehicle should never have been sold in the condition it’s in, and you would have done yourself a favour to have had it inspected prior to buying it. Apologies for a semi personal question, but was there any finance involved in its purchase? If so, this may aid to your case. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks. Yes we know, and it’s well recorded, what the dealer told you. Which equates to no recommendation to change on an age basis. Boiling it down, it’s now up to you (in caps) to decide which of the recommendations you go for. In your case you can wait a long time before you cover 149k miles. Perhaps it’s worth bearing in mind that the cambelt and its associated assembly takes more of a hammering on low mileage vehicles, where numerous gear changes occur, and particularly where stop/start is deployed. Perhaps you’ll come back to us with your decision Sean. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks Sean, So what are you going to do regarding your cambelt?

Welcome Toby, A forum search will come up with the information you need, but yes, one at fault and none of them work. Long bleep indicates fault. It’s identifying which one is question. Some have claimed all except the faulty one will make some noise - never found that myself. Squirting WD40 - no good. Diagnostics will identify the offender. You then have a choice of paying VAG north of £120 per sensor, or about £20 ish for an EBay one which is likely to have the VAG number imprinted on it. No brainier? Um, my experience - EBay one works fine during long periods of dry weather, but fails in damp or rain. So…. Regards, Gareth.

So does that mean you have checked on EBay etc. to see what sellers are selling as the original for your model year?

Thanks Alan, I very much respect the originality bit, but if it were mine, I would be searching out a trusted local car audio specialist and taking advice there. I’d be surprised if it isn’t possible to link in a concealed USB port - or whatever - retain your original headset and use that to play music from your phone. Re.my Alpine CD changer - being mercenary, I wasn’t really intending to give it away for a reimbursement of postage costs. Regards, Gareth.