2007 Audi A8 D3 4.2 timing chain advice..
05-08-2019, 06:01 PM
#1
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
2007 Audi A8 D3 4.2 timing chain advice..
Hey everyone, looking to buy this gorgeous black on black 2007 Audi A8 4.2 shortwheel base, I've heard with the timing chain engines (especially 2007s as Audi just switched the A8s engines from belt driven to chain driven) that the timing chains or timing chain tensioners go out which as we all know is a big money fix. The issue is the car currently has 184,000 kms and the owner claims that the timing chain and tensioner were done in 2017 but he has no proof whatsoever. What should I do? Is there any other way to check if the chain has been done? Any feedback/advice is much appreciated, thanks.
05-08-2019, 07:47 PM
#2
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That job requires removal of the engine from the car, surely he must have some sort of receipts even just for the chains, guides or tensioners?
Ask him how he completed the work, by himself??? Ask him how hard it was to change the chains, if he doesn't mention anything about pulling the engine from the car he's most likely blowing smoke up your a$$...
It would cost a couple thousand dollars in parts for the chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets. It's very unlikely he would have zero receipts.
I would be very cautious believing that the chains/tensioner were done without proof. That doesn't necessarily mean run from the car either though.
Ask him how he completed the work, by himself??? Ask him how hard it was to change the chains, if he doesn't mention anything about pulling the engine from the car he's most likely blowing smoke up your a$$...
It would cost a couple thousand dollars in parts for the chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets. It's very unlikely he would have zero receipts.
I would be very cautious believing that the chains/tensioner were done without proof. That doesn't necessarily mean run from the car either though.
05-08-2019, 07:50 PM
#3
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
That job requires removal of the engine from the car, surely he must have some sort of receipts even just for the chains, guides or tensioners?
Ask him how he completed the work, by himself??? Ask him how hard it was to change the chains, if he doesn't mention anything about pulling the engine from the car he's most likely blowing smoke up your a$$...
It would cost a couple thousand dollars in parts for the chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets. It's very unlikely he would have zero receipts.
I would be very cautious believing that the chains/tensioner were done without proof. That doesn't necessarily mean run from the car either though.
Ask him how he completed the work, by himself??? Ask him how hard it was to change the chains, if he doesn't mention anything about pulling the engine from the car he's most likely blowing smoke up your a$$...
It would cost a couple thousand dollars in parts for the chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets. It's very unlikely he would have zero receipts.
I would be very cautious believing that the chains/tensioner were done without proof. That doesn't necessarily mean run from the car either though.
05-08-2019, 07:54 PM
#4
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
That job requires removal of the engine from the car, surely he must have some sort of receipts even just for the chains, guides or tensioners?
Ask him how he completed the work, by himself??? Ask him how hard it was to change the chains, if he doesn't mention anything about pulling the engine from the car he's most likely blowing smoke up your a$$...
It would cost a couple thousand dollars in parts for the chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets. It's very unlikely he would have zero receipts.
I would be very cautious believing that the chains/tensioner were done without proof. That doesn't necessarily mean run from the car either though.
Ask him how he completed the work, by himself??? Ask him how hard it was to change the chains, if he doesn't mention anything about pulling the engine from the car he's most likely blowing smoke up your a$$...
It would cost a couple thousand dollars in parts for the chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets. It's very unlikely he would have zero receipts.
I would be very cautious believing that the chains/tensioner were done without proof. That doesn't necessarily mean run from the car either though.
05-08-2019, 08:11 PM
#6
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
05-09-2019, 12:20 AM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
FWIW, I would challenge the underlying premise. If you look through this board, you will find close to no timing chain issues specific to D3's. Very much corner case, and more D3 blown belts on the port motors in general. While anecdotal, this is the largest English language D3 board by far and has posts all the way back to day 1 shipments in 2003/2004. I trust that more than "somebody said that somebody said, which I heard" type stuff. Chains actually started BTW in the 4.2 with the 2004 (?) C5 based A6 allroad with the 4.2 motor. They wanted to shoehorn a 4.2 motor in the standard C5 A6 front clip, but the belt driven regular A6 4.2 took a different stretched clip assembly. Hence first chain motor 4.2 to save the old belt drive added inches. Thus longer chain experience specific to 4.2 than just 2007 D3; even C6 A6 4.2 came out a year earlier.
What honestly I think people often hear are echos from S4's in the V8 era. Setting aside that those cars are probably more likely to be abused and modded as stereotypes of the driver profile and could be had with sticks that probably also got over-revved more than a few times, I think there are also internal differences in the chain drive related set up. The A8 FSI motor is in same group IIRC as old Q7 4.2 and the C6 A6 4.2, but I think those in turn have internal differences from the S4/S5. Find the 4.2 FSI SSP for more info perhaps. Chain guides were a crap area in those latter ones from what I vaguely recall reading in past, but again little heard about them here from real D3 FSI owners.
What honestly I think people often hear are echos from S4's in the V8 era. Setting aside that those cars are probably more likely to be abused and modded as stereotypes of the driver profile and could be had with sticks that probably also got over-revved more than a few times, I think there are also internal differences in the chain drive related set up. The A8 FSI motor is in same group IIRC as old Q7 4.2 and the C6 A6 4.2, but I think those in turn have internal differences from the S4/S5. Find the 4.2 FSI SSP for more info perhaps. Chain guides were a crap area in those latter ones from what I vaguely recall reading in past, but again little heard about them here from real D3 FSI owners.
Last edited by MP4.2+6.0; 05-09-2019 at 12:33 AM.
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05-09-2019, 02:10 AM
#8
AudiWorld Super User
The timing chain is an issue in the 2005/2006 4.2 in the C6, which did have the timing chain. Trust me. I know. Dealer charged me about $9k. 
05-09-2019, 08:12 AM
#10
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
FWIW, I would challenge the underlying premise. If you look through this board, you will find close to no timing chain issues specific to D3's. Very much corner case, and more D3 blown belts on the port motors in general. While anecdotal, this is the largest English language D3 board by far and has posts all the way back to day 1 shipments in 2003/2004. I trust that more than "somebody said that somebody said, which I heard" type stuff. Chains actually started BTW in the 4.2 with the 2004 (?) C5 based A6 allroad with the 4.2 motor. They wanted to shoehorn a 4.2 motor in the standard C5 A6 front clip, but the belt driven regular A6 4.2 took a different stretched clip assembly. Hence first chain motor 4.2 to save the old belt drive added inches. Thus longer chain experience specific to 4.2 than just 2007 D3; even C6 A6 4.2 came out a year earlier.
What honestly I think people often hear are echos from S4's in the V8 era. Setting aside that those cars are probably more likely to be abused and modded as stereotypes of the driver profile and could be had with sticks that probably also got over-revved more than a few times, I think there are also internal differences in the chain drive related set up. The A8 FSI motor is in same group IIRC as old Q7 4.2 and the C6 A6 4.2, but I think those in turn have internal differences from the S4/S5. Find the 4.2 FSI SSP for more info perhaps. Chain guides were a crap area in those latter ones from what I vaguely recall reading in past, but again little heard about them here from real D3 FSI owners.
What honestly I think people often hear are echos from S4's in the V8 era. Setting aside that those cars are probably more likely to be abused and modded as stereotypes of the driver profile and could be had with sticks that probably also got over-revved more than a few times, I think there are also internal differences in the chain drive related set up. The A8 FSI motor is in same group IIRC as old Q7 4.2 and the C6 A6 4.2, but I think those in turn have internal differences from the S4/S5. Find the 4.2 FSI SSP for more info perhaps. Chain guides were a crap area in those latter ones from what I vaguely recall reading in past, but again little heard about them here from real D3 FSI owners.