V8 timing belt ad nauseum

[Lawrence C Katzenstein <Lawrence.C.Katzenstein-1@tc.umn.edu>]

Hi,
   Well, I am now in a pissing contest between the dealer and the mechanic
who first worked on my timing belt. The Audi tech claims that the key to
my crankshaft cracked because the bolt holding the crankshaft in place
wasn't torqued tightly enough when the timing belt was installed. The
non-Audi mechanic claims that even though the bolt seemed only hand
tightened according to Audi, if this was the case 11,000 miles ago the
engine would have broken down back then. He says that it couldn't be their
fault since the engine ran for 8 months after the timing belt was
replaced. Who's right? I don't want to blame (or sue) the mechanic if it
isn't his fault.
Best,
Larry