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Car Forum / Volkswagen / Water Cooled Volkswagen Cars / December 2006Passat 1.8T timing belt
I was told that the timing belt on my Passat 1.8T "showed signs of wear" and should be replaced. I was surprised as the car has only 31K miles (48K kilometers) on it -- is this unusual, or what? Geoff Hammond >I was told that the timing belt on my Passat 1.8T "showed signs >of wear" and should be replaced. I was surprised as the car has >only 31K miles (48K kilometers) on it -- is this unusual, or >what? How old is the car? If you read your maintenance schedule in your service book, you will see timing belts need changing at "xxxxx" miles OR "y" years, whichever comes first. It would be very risky, IMHO, to leave a timing belt for longer than 4 years, irrespective of the mileage covered. Don't forget, all rubber items will deteriorate with age - tyres should be changed after six years too. Rgds, Sean >>I was told that the timing belt on my Passat 1.8T "showed signs of wear" >>and should be replaced. I was surprised as the car has only 31K miles [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Rgds, Sean The book probably tells him to inspect the belt at 80K miles and change it at 105K miles. There is a high probability that the timing belt on this engine will not make either mileage. Failure of the belt itself is less common than a tensioner or water pump failure on this engine. Failure of the belt itself is less common than a tensioner or water pump failure on this engine. depends on the year. early 1.8t's had a poor tensioner design which was replaced. If the tensioner failed on the early years the engine would make noise from the tensioner bouncing around and the belt slapping. If the owner continued to drive the car then the belt would fail. Also early 1.8t's the water pump ran off the front pullies and not the t-belt. >I was told that the timing belt on my Passat 1.8T "showed signs of wear" >and should be replaced. I was surprised as the car has only 31K miles (48K >kilometers) on it -- is this unusual, or what? > > Geoff Hammond VAG timing belts for 1.8Ts used to be 80K miles. Then they upped it to 100K miles. Now, suddenly about 6 mnths ago, ALL VAG engines are on 60K miles or 4 years, whichever is sooner. You can see if the belt is wearing by removing the top timing belt cover. You'll need to remove the engine cover (3 fasteners) and then unclip the t-belt cover. If you see signs of wear on the belt or its more than 4 yrs old then change it. That said, most of the timing belt problems are normally caused by failing tensioners rather than failing belts. I have heard of some belts failing as early as 40 K miles - seems to be a bit of luck involved generally. I. >I was told that the timing belt on my Passat 1.8T "showed signs of wear" >and should be replaced. I was surprised as the car has only 31K miles (48K >kilometers) on it -- is this unusual, or what? > > Geoff Hammond General rule of thumb for this engine (in spite of what VW recommends) is 60K miles. 31K seems very low, but I personally have never looked at one short of a failure. Was this a dealer or independent shop recommendation? Given the cost involved, I'd get a second opinion. very odd at 30K miles but with age the belts rubber does get effected by ozone/pollution in some cities. Maybe you need a second opinion concerning the belt. >I was told that the timing belt on my Passat 1.8T "showed signs of wear" >and should be replaced. I was surprised as the car has only 31K miles (48K >kilometers) on it -- is this unusual, or what? > > Geoff Hammond On my passat, I should have followed the book as well, but on my way to toronto, the belt decided to go. I had to buy a new belt, tensioner, timing gear, all new exhaust valves from Germany, and a head gasket. Now I change my timing belt every 30,000km or so. Don't take the chance, trust me, it's damn expensive with the thought that, ahh, she'll hold out for another 20,000km. Some good advice from the other guys but preventitive maintence saves you ALOT of money and headaches. I agree with tnkgrl7, it is better to be safe and replace earlier than needed. I replace 16V timing belts at 40K miles since I have seen them break at 45K miles. > On my passat, I should have followed the book as well, but on my way to > toronto, the belt decided to go. I had to buy a new belt, tensioner, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > she'll hold out for another 20,000km. Some good advice from the other > guys but preventitive maintence saves you ALOT of money and headaches. Perhaps, but tnkgrl7 says she is now changing about every 18,000 miles (30,000km). An $800-1200 "preventive maintenance" bill every year and a half or so is pretty hard to swallow for most owners. From now on, "Just say 'no' to timing belts!" >I agree with tnkgrl7, it is better to be safe and replace earlier than >needed. I replace 16V timing belts at 40K miles since I have seen them [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> she'll hold out for another 20,000km. Some good advice from the other >> guys but preventitive maintence saves you ALOT of money and headaches. lol Geez DO NOT change it TOO early like at every oil change! lol Just go by what is agreed upon by the group, 60K miles or 80K miles or ??? At least before the mileage interval when they usually break. > Perhaps, but tnkgrl7 says she is now changing about every 18,000 miles > (30,000km). An $800-1200 "preventive maintenance" bill every year and a > half or so is pretty hard to swallow for most owners. > > From now on, "Just say 'no' to timing belts!" The car is 4.5 years old (mid-2002 delivery), so maybe it's the age that's got to it, not the use. Geoff > very odd at 30K miles but with age the belts rubber does get effected by > ozone/pollution in some cities. Maybe you need a second opinion concerning [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >> Geoff Hammond I agree with the "just say no to timing belts", lol. When I changed mine, it didn't cost near to what you posted. I bought the belt from VW and did it myself, took mabey an hour. Even if you went to the dealership, for people who don't have the time or the "know how", or just dont want to, it would probably only cost $150.00-$175.00. That being that shop rate doesnt go through the roof again, currently here its $89.00/hr, and for technical, $96.00/hr. Also, there are some really good EXCLUSIVE VW repair shops that dont charge out the nose. BUT, don't be cheap to your VW, they know and get jealous. I've found it to be wise to stick with someone who only does VW's simply because other things don't get broken in the process and because they know what they are doing which also cuts down on labour cost. > I agree with the "just say no to timing belts", lol. When I changed > mine, it didn't cost near to what you posted. I bought the belt from [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > other things don't get broken in the process and because they know what > they are doing which also cuts down on labour cost. I recently bought a 98 golf cl tdi, changed the timing belt 'just in case' the old belt looked pretty new but the tentioner was in really bad condition, looked like the belt had been changed but not the tentioner, cost £14 for the belt and £23 for the tentioner. Took me around 2 hours as I'm more used to peugeots, but found it alot easier than doing the belts on the peugeot, only difficulty I found was getting the new fan belt on, guess I didn't have the strength to pull the alternator back and put the belt on at the same time... any tips for next time? >> I agree with the "just say no to timing belts", lol. When I changed >> mine, it didn't cost near to what you posted. I bought the belt from [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> other things don't get broken in the process and because they know what >> they are doing which also cuts down on labour cost. snip------ > only difficulty I found was getting the new fan belt on, guess I didn't have > the strength to pull the alternator back and put the belt on at the same > time... > any tips for next time? A gorilla sized friend and a couple of beers always works for me :) > snip------ >> only difficulty I found was getting the new fan belt on, guess I didn't [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > A gorilla sized friend and a couple of beers always works for me :) LOL, that's a much better solution than a large lever , sore knuckles and jumping about swearing in the pouring rain :-) |
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