Ok, my wife's 2001 just broke its timing belt at 85000 miles! $6600 repair estimate! I have seen 3 posts (Alan, Michael, Jim) on FAQs that state similar ocurrances. I am VERY upset and would like to hear from everyone that has had the same problem. My stealership is unwilling to cover this since I didn't have them do the routine maintenance past 52000. I'm ready to go after Audi of America--there should have been a TCO or some posted change in maintenance interval. Please write or call me ASAP! 774-232-0751 or stafford@wpi.edu.

Had you bothered to check this forum or the Audiworld forum anytime in the past 3 years you would have seen ample evidence that the TB and/or water pump that is driven by the timing belt are 5 year/60K parts. This is common knowledge. (In fact I wrote a FAQ on the topic to this board which has never been published?)

Many have had experiences similar to yours and have taken legal action to try to get Audi to take responsibility. All have failed. Bottom line is that the published service intervals are only recommendations which you are supposed to shorten depending on your driving environment. If you EVER experience what they define as a "severe" condition (stop & go traffic, high ambient heat, mountain travel, etc.), then they say you must cut the recommended service interval in half. It's just their way to CYA. I feel for your financial loss but personaly I'm getting tired of people who only hit the internet to learn about their car after the disaster occurrs. Posts like yours appear on the Audiworld and Vortex forums almost daily.

Sorry to read about the belt. I have been looking at extended warranties mainly because about what I have read about timing belts going before their recommended time - mainly read this and the audi forum, another thread below. Hope you get $ back some how. I wonder though whether your dealership would have covered this in any event, whether you have routine maintenance or not?

Yeah, this is my first time on this site--and I have spent the last hour copying dozen's of posts on similar issues. This is my wife's car--I have had 4 Audis and currently drive a '91 V8Q with 225,000 that has been superb. I do the TB on it at the recommended intervals of 60000. There was a factory alert sent to all owners to lower the interval from the driver's manual "90000" to the new "60000". This was done because a few failed at 75000. When you consider that only 527 of these '91 V8Q's were sold in America (another 1500 in '90), this was quite responsible and what I had expected from Audi of America. Sorry to say based upon A of A's reluctance to stand up to this clear misinformation, this TT will likely be our last Audi.

What a drag! Thank goodness for this web site or I'm sure the same would have happened to me. I recently had mine done at 50k ($1000 at SAE in Waterford, MI) just to be safe, and would have had no idea if I hadn't found this site - actually before I bought the car. I have to agree I think Audi should step up to the plate on this one, especially as it looks like they are on a roll with some excellent product (I might pull an equity line for that R8!). It would go a long way towards P.R. How many could there possibly be? Ford recalled about 10 million explorers for God's sake! But on the other hand, "forewarned is forearmed", but at least a vigorous campaign to notify all owners would be/have been nice. The results of not having it done are total catastrophy. You are done. Parked. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Your weekend is over. On top of that, you are possibly bankrupt, because $6000+ is a lot of money, I don't care who you are! Oh it's your only car? Need a rental? Cha-Ching! No insurance on this one. Okay. That's what COULD have happened, but did not. Truth is, like I tell everybody, "I love my Audi, but better yet, it loves me" It is absolutely the best, coolest car I have ever owned. I get compliments from 8 year old boys and 80 year old women, and everbody in between. I'm sorry about your loss, but if it happened to me, I think I'd just suck it up. There haven't been many cars I've owned that I would take that kind of hit for, but this is one of them.