Cambelt change - second time?

[Ifti]

Says the same in my book as well - at 120k miles, but to be checked at 60k.

Personally, I think the dealers are scare mongering in order to get more money out of us.
I'll probably get mine done at 4 years, or around 60k miles - whichever comes first.

My mate has an 05 GTI. He drives it HARD all the time. - Just had his belt changed at 65k, and had no worries at all.

I had my cambelt & water pump changed a few months ago. The car is only just 3 years old and has less than 30,000 mile under its belt.
Had a discussion with the service guy and a VW technician about when it should be done next. Their answer was in 1 year !!!  at 4 years old.
"Ye, but its only just been done......!" I said that was crazy  Is there a shorter interval after the cambelt has been changed?

I think it was your first person that screwed you over. This second dealer, who is saying it needs to be done at 4 years, is correct. You had your belt changed a little too early at the 3 year mark, and your miles are also too low to have had it done. Nevertheless, now that it has been done, the second dealer should accept that it doesnt need doing again.

Personally, I think you should be good for another 4 years (so when the car is 7 years old), or at around the 80k miles point.

[ub7rm]

Common sense that the belt is changed in 4 year / 60k INTERVALS, not because the car is 4 years old 

Does the second garage actually know its already been changed?

[docker1996]

Go to a specialist and get some unbiased independent views

[tommy1]

rite, now i am no expert on this matter but there is no reason why age should really affect the belt. the milage describes the amount of driving, therefore that is when the belt should be changed.

I appreciate that the amount of short trips could af

fect the belt wear but not to this extent. as i said my car has done 25k and is 4 years old... im sure it doesn't need changing really!

chears

[TOONARMY]

You must of spoken to a monkey mate. Cambelt is due every 4 years or 80,000 miles which ever comes first. Seeing as you have it replaced already, it will be 4 years/80,000 miles from that  date/mileage. Ok i can see the question of "why does age matter" the reason is VW never used to put a age on the cambelts, but found they were snapping at lowish mileages. The reason for the 4 years is that the cambelt is a rubber component and over a period of time will perish even if the car is parked up in a garage for the majority of its life. The reason for perishing is moisture gets to the belt and perishes the rubber, this inturn will slowly weaken the belt. The most amount of strain is put upon the belt when the car is started.

toon

[Robert74]

I have just had my cam.belt and water pump done. My car is 4 years old and has done 26k. I phoned every dealer in the area and they all said it should be done every 4 years regardless of mileage. I had mine done by a VW specialist not the dealer.

[tommy1]

You must of spoken to a monkey mate. Cambelt is due every 4 years or 80,000 miles which ever comes first. Seeing as you have it replaced already, it will be 4 years/80,000 miles from that  date/mileage. Ok i can see the question of "why does age matter" the reason is VW never used to put a age on the cambelts, but found they were snapping at lowish mileages. The reason for the 4 years is that the cambelt is a rubber component and over a period of time will perish even if the car is parked up in a garage for the majority of its life. The reason for perishing is moisture gets to the belt and perishes the rubber, this inturn will slowly weaken the belt. The most amount of strain is put upon the belt when the car is started.

toon

Ok i hold my hands high, that does make sense! i just didn't think of that when buying such a young car (in terms of milage)

[mclovin]

If it helps anyone else out there at the minute, I've recently had my cambelt and tensioner done by my local VW main dealers.  They honoured the special offer price that a relatively nearby Audi dealer is currently offering for any 4 cylinder VW, Audi, Skoda or Seat of £249 inc VAT, on their like-for-like quote matching (quote must be written and using genuine parts to qualify).

The Audi delaer also quoted £79 inc VAT to supply and fit a new water pump at the same time (for peace of mind) and £149 inc VAT for a DSG gearbox oil and filter service which my VW dealer also honoured.  All in £477 inc VAT - less that the original VW dealer quote for the cambelt and tensioner alone (£530!).

Naturally I was very pleased with this and I can now forget about cambelts and DSG services for the next 4 years...

I've just been quoted £725 for the cam belt and the DSG oil change (Not including thw water pump) from Windrush in Maidenhead. Yes, £725! Oh, and the engine needs a software update, another £25 and the door seals have perished on both saides so that'll be another £270 +VAT please. Add in the service price (£225) and that's £1,245 for a four year/40,000 mile service - That's Ferrari money to service a VW, bloody outrageous!

Anyway, I'll gladly jump at that £477 special offer price, where did you get that done?

[Leebo310]

05 (55) MY06, 43000, done at 37000 (ish)..........early in terms of time and miles, but I had the cash to do it, so I thought i would....

lot of nonsense talked about this subject, i tried VW 3 times and got 3 different answers, I tried 2 indys at both said different things. 4 years is the time, miles vary from 40k,60k to 120k!

It's 120k miles according to my service schedule I have in front of me now. It's needs checked at 60k, then every 20k after that until replaced at 120k. It has NO time dependency on this job.
The other 4cyl petrol engines (not 2.0) need replacing at 80k

Apologies for digging up an old thread but is there any reason why the interval was changed so drastically to what's written in the service book?
Mine also says every 120k, mentions nothing about the 4 years but the dealer is trying to tell me that VW UK recommendation is now 4 years, regardless of mileage.

[Gman30]

I've got a 2007 Edition 30 and my belt and pump where changed at 41k car now sits on 69k.

I was thinking I need to get it done again pretty sharpish but after reading the comments on here I'm not so sure?


What you thinking my fellow nutters!

No offence intended!!

 

[Gman30]

I've got a 2007 Edition 30 and my belt and pump where changed at 41k car now sits on 69k.

I was thinking I need to get it done again pretty sharpish but after reading the comments on here I'm not so sure?


What you thinking my fellow nutters!

No offence intended!!

 

Think I need to add, it was changed mid 2011!

 

[Tortaruga]

^^^It's due every 4 years or every 60k miles.

[Leebo310]

^^^It's due every 4 years or every 60k miles.

Where are you getting that from mate? Like I said, my service book says 120k with no time limit. VW themselves say yep 4 years but didn't say another mileage.
Not being funny, just curious really as the views on this seem to vary massively for such an important part!

[Frodo-anni]

4 years or 60k.

I now own TagnuT's old eddie and its not been done since it was changed under warranty as he previously stated. It will be 4 years this december since it was done, so its getting changed along with waterpump/service/Mot just before christmas, at 56k at VW all in for £500.

[john87]

As others have said, every 4 years or 60k was what I was told by an Indy VAG specialist...