bradstera2

how can you check if the belt needs replacing and what happens if it breaks?

Stroker//S4

That sounds like a good time to change it, usually timing belt jobs get done every ~60k miles. If you pull the timing belt cover off and look at the actual belt and see if there is any cracking/ missing ribs, that is usually a sign that you really ought to get it done. When was the last time the belt was replaced?

You don't want to know what happens when the belt breaks. My sister snapped her timing belt on her A4 and $7000 later she had a new head on the car with new valves...never ran the same after that...