The Audi service manual says to replace the timing belt at 60,000 miles, but since my Allroad is 7 years old the service department is recommending that I replace it now, even though there are only 53,000 miles on the car. What do you recommend, and are there other parts that should be replaced at the same time, such as the water pump? What is a fair price to pay for this service?
Yes it should be replaced as belts are time critical too, along with any belt tensioners.
The price varies because there is so much fluctuation in labor rates, etc. depending on what part of the country you’re in.
Around here I think dealer rates are around 75 a flat rate hour but in some areas such as northern CA may be triple that.
Like any repair, I would always advise someone to get about 3 estimates and go from there.