cam belt confusion

[Skodaniel]

Hi all...lots of info out there about cam belts and when to change them on my fabia vrs....but I am bloody confused!

Now, about mine,

bought it last September, now has 123,000 miles on it. the first and only belt change and coolant pump was May 2010 at 84,000. Last regular service was March 2012 at 111,000

So, when does it need them changing again. The local Skoda dealer I rang today says it is due now? The previous stamp in the book for the belt says it is due in 80,000 miles (at 160,000, 40,000 miles from now) Hence my confusion!!

I am in the process of sorting the service now.

[booke23]

4 years or 60,000 - 80,000 miles depending where you read!......whatever comes first.

So it's not due till May 2014 unless you hit the mileage before then.

[R1DAVIE]

Loads of different opinions on this, personally i go for every 4 yrs/ 60,000 miles whatever comes sooner.

Better safe than sorry i think.

[wilsonian]

Most VAG cars suggest replacing it every 40k so the dealer is right that they suggest replacing it at around 120k.

TBH I'd get a quote and ring around - some dealers charge a small fortune.

[Skodaniel]

That seems ridiculous every 40,000 miles!!

I got a quote from my local dealer, £369 all in for the belt and pump. No idea if that is good or not, never had to replace one on any car i've owned before.

[Avalon]

60k on a PD or 4 years, aim for closer to 200 for belt kit from an indy, add on for the pump but also remember VAG will price match within a certain distance.

[wilsonian]

Seems to be the going rate for dealers although I have hear of quotes around the £500 mark!

I replaced mine at 61k but a lad at work replaces his every 40k (he drives a Golf though).

Edited 21 February, 2013 by wilsonian

[Avalon]

Most franchise dealers have adopted the fixed pricing Skoda advertise so £369 inc pump is the going rate. You can get it done for less at an indy or try using the price match to bring it down.

[softscoop]

Yep, my local indy has quoted £260 including the waterpump.

[mattvrestate]

4 years or 80000

Thats the official stance from the main dealer.

No official time to change water pump but id always change it if ur paying sum1 labour to remove the belt anyway

60000 is the old timing belt interval pre 2002 built VAG cars.

[booke23]

Well, a variety of answers, none of which are wrong.....VAG recommends all of the above intervals (and more!) depending on what country in the world you are.

You'll have to decide yourself what interval you choose.

I changed the cambelt on my 2.0 TDI PD Octavia last year. It had done 63,000 miles in 6 years and it was in very good condition.....I'm sure it would have got to 100,000 miles (the interval VAG suggests in the U.S.A.)

So I use 4 years or 60,000 miles.

[Avalon]

It's not the belt you need to worry about, it's the pulley's that die causing the belt to fail. Some people have either deliberately or accidentally over extended the interval without issue, others have had belts snap before the interval though thankfully it seems to be quite rare. I suspect the 60k interval has a large safety margin built in as from memory VAG US used to state 80k but then revised it up with a later belt/roller kit from memory where as VAG EU revised it down. I can't remember where I read that so it may not be accurate.

[_Jim]

Im the same, 4 years/60,000. Mines just had its second change at the dealer who I purchased it from as part of the sale (car is on 106k). The parts came to £150 inc a new aux belt, i'd imagine its 2/3 hours labour so £369 at a main dealer isn't too bad in my opinion.

[VWD]

There's ( or used to be ) a topic on this on here . Last time I saw any figure it was 4 yrs/60k . I had mine done at main dealer at 63k and they said 60k . For the price of a waterpump it's worth it .

[rum4mo]

That seems ridiculous every 40,000 miles!!

I got a quote from my local dealer, £369 all in for the belt and pump. No idea if that is good or not, never had to replace one on any car i've owned before.

Yes welcome to the world of "belt driven" engines. Strangely, my daughter's 1.4 16v 85ps Ibiza SC from 2009, advises having it checked at 5 or 6 years - though I'd reckon that that engine is very similar to the slightly earlier petrol engines that needed the same service period as the PD engines that brought about the shortening of the advised service life of these cambelts and their pulleys/rollers. Even my Passat V6 with its Audi engine became subject to this revised service life, and that one is proper costly to replace.

[DRJ]

My understanding of the issue is this:

1. The official Skoda advice is 4 years/ 120,000 kilometres - which equates to 75,000 miles (in round terms)

2. The official Skoda UK advice is 4 years/ 60,000 miles - presumably reduced owing to failures at some time to VAG cars.

[Skodaniel]

either way the 40,000 seems not to be what vast majority of people think. so I'll do it at 60,000 miles, so within the next 20k i will have to save and get it done

[booke23]

Even my Passat V6 with its Audi engine

I think it's actually a Skoda engine .....they use them in the MkI Superb!

[mattvrestate]

I think it's actually a Skoda engine .....they use them in the MkI Superb!

VW engine used by audi + skoda

Lol

[booke23]

I know.

[rum4mo]

I think it's actually a Skoda engine .....they use them in the MkI Superb!

Wrong, in 2000 they were fitting APR engines into these Passats and they are Audi designed/built engines with a VW emblem on the cover. Even the MK1 Superbs would have got the later version of that Audi engine as well as the Quattro 4X4 running gear.

Anyway, when I went to get my first cambelt replaced, the VW dealer laughed and said "its got a chain - find out about that engine before you try to tell us otherwise" - got another VW dealer to change the cambelt as Audi dealer will not work on "VW" engines.

Maybe that is why I still have that car 12.5 years later, I need to save up for a nearly new A4 Quattro as I don't trust VW's offerings that much, the B5 Passat and similar Superb, were only as good as their inherited Audi design - if you forgive the stupid potentially blocked drain points etc which can be avoided with a bit of TLC.

Now, Audis fitted with small(sh) VW DERV engines, well that is a bad mix as the Audi dealers don't even flinch when the just out of warranty car gets towed in with a broken engine that wants £2000+ to fix and break soon after with "workshop" emergant other problems! (they almost lost that Audi owner of about 20 years to MB until I explained "out of frying pan into fire".)

[mattvrestate]

Think uv missed the point there m8 ^^^

VW own Audi and the rest and by default own all the designs..

The old V6 aswell as the newer PD and even newer CR were/ are all VW designed engines shoe-horned into audi designed cars. Overseen by VW.

[booke23]

I need to save up for a nearly new A4 Quattro as I don't trust VW's offerings that much,

If you think the Audi A4 is going to be any different in reliability terms than any other VAG car based on the same platform.....fair enough.

Marketing.......you gotta love it.....S-tronic my a**e, it's a DSG! It's all smoke and mirrors when it comes to VAG cars..........Audi has been owned by VW since 1966.

Edited 24 February, 2013 by booke23

[rum4mo]

Think uv missed the point there m8 ^^^

VW own Audi and the rest and by default own all the designs..

The old V6 aswell as the newer PD and even newer CR were/ are all VW designed engines shoe-horned into audi designed cars. Overseen by VW.

I agree that VW now are the "top level" controller of VAG, but Audi had and still have budgets that allow them to request/require their own engines where end use prices allow, and just use the run of the mill engines lower down their model designations - makes sense, but when you look around at specific engine sizes and outputs, Audi have, maybe more in the past, fitted engines that suited "their" section of the market, that also makes sense. The fitting of the engine I've mentioned, initially into VW and then into Skoda was only ever done to create a 4X4 saloon using some current and just to be run out items - suits me an Audi design at VW price. A lot of people hate or despise Audis and so their drivers, some get driven by total plonkers, but total plonkers drive lots of different cars, I just seem to be someone that ends up buying and driving an Audi but I'm not aiming to buy an image I'll leave that to others, I'd get a wig and smart clothes if that was my idea of fun, I'm buying a car that does what I want and keeps me happy. I'd hoped that car would be a VW but no thanks with the current Passat offerings. Most car marques are only aiming to be as good as sales demand, and most are slipping make down the quality ladder including Audi, its just that that does not, yet, equate to VW dropping quality, some people need to justify where they have pitched their car buying and trash those above and below their level, that is not being very clever is it? Being like that is a bit like buying an old Volvo and putting prersonal plates on it - ie other "proper" Volvo drivers don't know about personal plates and think you've bought a new car like their one.

Edited 24 February, 2013 by rum4mo

[rum4mo]

If you think the Audi A4 is going to be any different in reliability terms than any other VAG car based on the same platform.....fair enough.

Marketing.......you gotta love it.....S-tronic my a**e, it's a DSG! It's all smoke and mirrors when it comes to VAG cars..........Audi has been owned by VW since 1966.

I agree with a lot of what you've written, the Quattro/4Motion names being one of the curious things for those not in the know, and seems so for the autos (I'm a manual trans person so don't know the full facts there), seems that Audi used to use a V10 Lambo engine as well, that would end up a bit expensive to fix as it got older. In reality, it is the same with other margues as well though if you look close enough, BMC probably patented that way of doing things, though it quite successfully screwed itself up with internal competition! Some things never change, I know someone that bought a new Superb with the small DERV engine, got the dealer to fit an Audi boot spoiler and fancy wheels, and he loves it as he gets better MPG than he did with his X5 with a big DERV engine that was chipped, no surprise there, shame he can't sell on the X5 for the money he expects for it six months later!