UK-based The Car Edition has a customer whose 2019 Audi A8 V6 TDI developed an engine rattle — a classic sign that something may be wrong with the timing chain.

The customer’s A8 has just over 70,000 miles on the clock. That’s certainly not a deal-breaker for a German car; in fact, it’s relatively low mileage for an Audi, which can cover very high mileages when properly maintained.

However, the engine had developed an internal fault, and to access the timing chain, The Car Edition had to remove the engine from the engine bay. That meant removing the front suspension simply to gain access to the timing chain.

What the video reveals, though, is just how complex modern automotive engineering has become. The engine is surrounded by extensive wiring looms and a huge number of engineering considerations, all designed to make the V6 meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations — as well as whatever new regulations may be mandated by law in the future.

What started as a suspicious noise turned into a major timing-chain repair after The Car Edition’s mechanic, Gytis, discovered a failed tensioner, broken plastic timing-chain guides, chain stretch and damage to the camshafts.

The timing-chain tensioner had failed, contributing to damage to the plastic chain guides. The timing chain had also stretched, and by the time the vehicle reached The Car Edition garage, the problem had caused further damage to the camshafts.

And this Audi had covered only just over 70,000 miles.

In this episode, you’ll see the process of investigating the engine rattle, identifying the timing-chain problem and carrying out the extensive repair required to get this A8 back on the road.