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Thanks gregg.Its thanks to people on forums like this one and youtube.Anything to save on garage bills too lol.having said that as in my reply to stevey Y above i wont touch the timing belt etc too risky😉😁

i fully understand what your saying steve.its always good to know as i need reliability and the audi has been a good car it starts and stops in all weathers and its only £30 tax for the year and my insurance is good too.😁thanks regards steve

thanks for the prompt reply steve thats a relief then.i had it in my mind that the arrow should be in the middle.i watch too many youtube videos making me paranoid. the timing according to the bills was 60,000 miles ago.oh no i'me not going there. a garage job.thanks steve

lol i know that feeling too with the credit card its convincing them that these things have to be done if they want you to be their taxi service.yes i would definately be able to do it quicker. 6 years time is a nice feeling though.what do you or anyone think about pic 32 timing.i thought the arrow had to be in the middle or am i been a neanderthal.thanks steve and others for been so helpful on this forum

All done .Been an amateur it took a few hours to do.In the end i decided to remove the bumper and bring the front end forward a few inches to make it easier to change the pulleys and auxillary belt.It started off well but hit a couple of snags along the way.i had to lean right over to be able to see the hidden bolt at the back of the alternator which when undone realeases the pulley tensioner.and as in one of the pics(33) i had to keep swapping the 13mm spanners overs every time i made a slight turn on the bolt.so i would suggest to anyone who wants to have a go undo that bolt first before moving the front end forward but still a back acher(its a learning process)Also as steve mentioned about the alternator clutch pulley been a fruitless job as even with the two special tools(see pic 1) and all my strength i could not remove it.As for the the idle pulley that was easy enough to remove i believe i used a torx t50.i looked on youtube beforehand to put the belt on and realised after an hour of trying that you need to end up at the idle pulley(forget the one on youtube).A tip from steve do not remove the pin from the tensioner pulley until your certain the belt is sitting in its grooves and around the pulleys properly otherwise it sound like it would be hard to get the belt back on....What a job i had trying to get the pin out.(pic 34 circled)i thought it was a straight pin OH NO I realised after a while that the pin had a dog leg in it.so had to hacksaw it of which is very close to the belt.I found the drain plug(see pic)handy just need to turn it backwards a couple of turns(a bit stiff) with of course a bowl underneath. loosen the antifreeze cap once you have drained the Anti freeze you need to lift the clip up thats on the pipe with a screwdriver(see pic)and then pull and tug but watch your knuckles(experience lol) to remove the pipe..then press the clip back down and when its time to put the pipe back it just clips into place dont forget to close the drain plugAnd of course once all back together i topped up with the pink stuff and checked for leaks(all good)..Doing the job on my own i used a tie to hold the bumper up while undoing both fog light connectors.another tip undo the antifreeze container(just two nuts)as the pipe becomes tight otherwise when pulling the front end forward.you only need to remove the big undertray leave the smaller one in thats at the very front.magnetic tray comes in handy.Overall very happy.thanks all and thanks steve for the tips.😁 pic 1 showing parts i bought(your choice)please ignore double picture.no pink anti freeze showing.removed engine cover and timing belt cover.loosened wheel nuts jacked car up.put two axle stands under the car.removed large undertray removed 2 torx bolts either side of wheel arches peeled them back removed what can be seen in pic 8/9/10 peeled back(tugged carefully) both top corners of bumper.tied the bumper up then pulled backwards and removed bumper out of the way removed connector pic 12 then used pincers to remove plastic holder and undo nut that holds the horn on pic 13.same on the other side. pic 14/15/16 remove crash bar.(2 long bolts either side) plus 6 large bolts(3 either side of bumper one slightly tight above a air con pipe.you will then need a lump hammer to knock the bar out.pic 17 barrier removed.remove pipes pic 18/19.pic 20 drain antifreeze(with cap off) lift clip up on end of pipe.push clip back down one drained and close drain plug.then remove antifreeze container away from bulkhead (2 nuts)to avoid stretching pipe.pic 21 remove 3 torx bolts that holds the bonnet catch in place.pic 22 is part of the bonnet catch be careful to undo. i left in place with a stretch once front end is moved forward.pic 23 leave these 2 torx bolts(one at either side until you find something ready to support the front end underneath once you've undo them and moved the front end forward.pic 24 if you have not removed the tensioner then you can do that now,as long as the nut that holds it in has been removed from the back of the alternator(pic26....pic 25 remove idle pulley with a torx t40?.pic 27 is showing the alternator clutch pulley 2 special tools are needed(see pic 1 showing tools)my tools were ebay item no 33383381371828.(M10 XZN) PLEASE NOTE there are 2 different type from this seller you may need item no332579926956 instead...you will need to check the centre of the clutch pulley to see if it is a six or in my case a 12 torx... pic 28 check belt is same size.pic 29 showing how belt goes.pic 30 showing the shape of the pin in the tensioner pulley again do not remove the pin until belt in its proper place.i thought the pin was straight.no mention of it been that shape on youtube.pic 31 just a spare pic of what this area looks like...... pic 32(circled does not seem right to me on timing. will it be ok.everything is reversal of removal.a bit fiddly putting the bumper front back to line it all up.just be careful when inserting the top right and left corners back.put them in place once the framework is flush with the headlights etc.thanks again all hope it helps.i am only an amateur and expect crititism so i am thick skinned lol😁 total cost for parts £189 euro car parts including pink antifreeze from audi.(dont buy it from elswhere this is good quality thick antifreeze. (pic 35/36)

blimey steve hope you dont have to do that for a while. will keep at it with some pics over the next few days as having to do other things too thanks

Had a go today.finding it very difficult to do. theres no room to mark things up or take things off.any advice please ive seen someone take the bumper etc and move the framework forward just enough to get to the belt and pulleys seems a lot of work and doing this job on my own wont be easy.But willing to do whatever it takes to do the job.thanks all

hi steve,thank you for all the information and tips, thats just the kind of info i needed. i will give that a go in the next few days i love the neanderthal strength.i cannot work out how to change my profile name to my real name(steve) thats why i am called neanderthal lets hope thats not an omen 😁cheers for now steve

Hi all, i have a audi a4 avant estate 2.0 tdi i was told by europarts i have a cjc engine ?...receipts show timing was done 60,000 miles ago,but no receipt to say the auxillary/serpentine belt had been done.so i have decided to change the belt/idler/tensioner/alternator pulley.looking down at the belt it looks very tight in there.Any tips on what would be the best procedure to tackle this.also i cannot get a camera in between the fan and the belt to take pictures of which way the belt goes round thanks.ps last garage nearly killed my engine hence wanting to tackle this myself 🙂

hi, no idea where to get one from but would this help.bit of a pain to do though....

hi, i know its not perfect,but when i unlock the doors with my remote i then have to press the remote again once or twice and it then unlocks the rear doors

hi,did you manage to sort the parcel shelf out.i have an audi a4 estate 2011 but my parcel shelf looks the same as yours. the width of mine is 124cms.i can add pics if needed please let me know

hi steve.thanks for your input.yes i best leave the suspension to the garage then as i only have basic tools.i will update everyone asap thanks

just been to national tyres they cant find anything wrong with the tyres apart from slight wear to rear edge.but they reckon that would not cause that thudding/flapping noise.i did say the noise was definately coming from the front.they could not help any further.i will soldier on and update all with any results thank you gareth

good idea gareth, the mot's not due yet for a few months.i will find a tyre place as suggested and go from there and update you and all on this kind regards

had a good look on youtube at changing the suspension i think i will leave it to the garage too much hassle

hi again gareth, i totally agree with everything you have said..i too am frustrated that no one has actually said yes i know what the cause is.when i did the oil change(used ramps)i did not see any loose plastic...audi main dealers put both front lower curved arm bushes split mot failure.and other issues.but never told me about what was actually causing the thudding /flapping issue.first thing i said to halfords was that i have this thudding /flapping noise.they said we are not allowed to take it for a run to find out, and came back with the exact same faults as the main audi dealer had put.(i wonder if they share information on the internet)...thats when i questioned them about the noise i was experiencing and asked if doing the bushes would solve it.and of course they said they could not guarantee it would.and the other audi dealer said its the wheel bearing thats causing the noise.they said a wheel bearing can cause a thudding/flapping noise.if i knew for certain that this noise i am hearing can be rectified then i will gladly pay them the money.but have no confidence in either of their diagnosis. if someone on this forum have replaced both front lower curved arm bushes or replaced a front offside wheel bearing(without using a press)then i would gladly have a go myself.i have done things like timing/auxillary belt/brakes/discs etc.its just on this car i am struggling to find a decent jacking point without crushing anything.i do honestly really appreciate your input gareth kind regards

i can't justify paying £500 so i may have a go myself if i can get lemforder.i will look on youtube if anyone has done this themselves please advise where the jacking points are also the jack stand points and any pitfalls.as this is really why i joined this forum to gain knowledge and save money and pass on anything i have learnt.thanks all

booked in with halfords.... front suspension bushes need replacing £500 not guaranteed to clear the thudding noise though

sorry gareth if i made it sound as if he changed the oil and filter there and then.....no i had to go back to the garage at a certain time and he started on my car straight away then wandered off doing other vehicles and got distracted hence the 2 hour time it took him.thank you for all your advice

honestly gareth i have been struggling to find a decent garage to look at this flapping/thudding noise.other than 2 audi specialists.mmmm all i get is too busy at other garages near me..here is what happened to me recently.i went to a local garage and while talking he had said he had been there 14 years.i saw a few vehicles in his garage.i asked him to change the oil and oil filter.so while waiting 2 hours later....yes 2 hours later....he gave me the car back i drove it a mile....the car warned me LOW ON OIL...i looked under the bonnet and there was oil everywhere he nearly killed my engine.hence i borrowed some low ramps and changed the oil and filter myself...so i am now reluctant to take the car to any small garage....did try ringing my audi garage this morning but no answer.been busy so will try again in the morning.

apologies again for a late reply.thanks gareth ive now been told by another audi specialist that its the front offside wheel bearing thats causing the thudding/flapping noise.£280 plus vat to fit a !Removed! bearing.he said a wheel bearing can cause a thudding flapping sound.would anyone on here agree with the diagnosis and cost thanks once again

update.had an audi specialist check the car over on monday had the car a few hours.he said 2 wishbones need doing and an oil and filter change.not heard anything back as of today(friday) so i borrowed some ramps(with height adjusters) bought some 5w30 oil a genuine audi oil filter from audi and a sump plug and changed that myself. i used a 19mm socket on the sump plug and a 32mm socket on the oil filter(put 3 new rubber rings on).....i am not chasing the garage i may have to try another garage.at least my oil level is ok now...

thanks gareth i eventually found the signiture hence my name cheers