Cam Belt Replacement - advice please

[K0409964]

Hello all,

I own a completely stock 08 mk 5 GTI with ~49k miles on the clock. I bought the car from a main dealership and it has a full service history etc...

I am aware and now being told by the dealership that I need to replace my Cam Belt as the car is 4 years old (£479, with water pump), they say it should be replaced every 4 years or 80k miles whichever comes first.

Bottom line is I can't afford to at the moment and will not be able to until around Feb next year. I am looking for some honest advice as I know Cam Belt failures are catastrophic. So the question is can I afford to wait, I am currently nursing the car, rarely going over 4k revs (as you can imagine this is hard, but doing wonders for my fuel economy!), is there anything else I should be doing, I already ensure the oil is topped up, never rev hard when cold etc. or would you suggest I should just get a credit card to pay as my car is about to explode!

Thanks in advance, Will

 

[MC71]

Your car, your choice but not one I would choose to ignore for a few months. I personally would get it done ASAP.  They were wrong BTW, it's 60k and not 80k.

When mine got to 4 years I got the Cambelt/Waterpump done and paid about that from a main dealer but (depending where you are) there are many respected VAG Indy Specialised about and it would be cheaper, maybe 20-30% cheaper.

No your car is not about to explode but VW have (in their wisdom or lack off) given this part 4 years as even if the car is not used (or like your car has only covered 49k) it will still/may start to perish.

 

[Kregiel]

a good mechnic you can trust should be able to advise if the cambelt needs to be replaced. Generally by talking to my mechanic the cambelt is much stronger than what VW advises but if you don;t have a good mechanic I will change it as required by VW for peace of mind!

Paul

[Eddie-NL]

Always change it before the Mileage is reached

Time wise if the mileage isn't reached then a half year extra is not going to be critical.

Just hope you don't get a bad technician doing the job, like I got with mine

[Tortaruga]

I can see from your post that you aren't able to enjoy driving your car because of this. I think this is the key point as you will have 4 months of worrying every time you drive. Another character might have the attitude "f*ck it it'll be fine until February" and could possibly get away with it, but their personality traits would probably allow them to drive the car worry free. I am of course only basing these assumptions on your post, I'm not a psychic! (there are some psychos psychics on this forum).

Rubber perishes over time. Your car is '08, but I presume you don't know when the car was built, nor for that matter when the belt itself was manufactured. VW recommend the change at the specific time for some reason, which I believe is based on experience and real world feedback/testing. Others believe it's so VW can fleece their customers every 4 years.

As mentioned a good independent VAG specialist will charge less than £479 using authentic VW parts.

[K0409964]

Thank-you all for your swift responses, efficient forum!

I will take it to a independent and get a quote, and I do actually know a mechanic I can trust so I will ask him as well, will he be able to see if the rubber is perishing?     

What actually would happen with a Cam Belt failure, does it start to slip first as it gets loose and the engine start to sound rougher than usual, I lose some power etc. or is it a snap and engine eats itself?

Will the cold weather affect it at all?

Also I assume you all recommend getting the water pump done at the same time?

Again thanks for your help.

[swgti]

I went through something similar last year it is very confusing, my 05 car had not had the cam belt changed at anytime in its life as the previous owner had gone by the service book which states either 100k or 120k cant remember which, it had 66k on when I bought it and I'd done 76k and it was 6yrs old when I realised that it was actually in need of a change. I rang around and it depends on which dealer you speak to as to when and how often they recommend its changed. General consensious on here tends to be 4yrs or 40k, the independant I use says the same but the two VW dealers i spoke to said 60k and 80k. I've also heard that depending on which make of car, eg Audi, Skoda, Seat etc the engine is in depends on the interval. I eventually came to an agreement with the dealer i bought it from and only paid parts to have it changed as it in theory invalidated their own warranty.
Dont hold me responsible but I think its highly unlikely that the cambelt will give between now and Feb given the miles you've covered but if you really want peace of mind get it done asap and maybe look at an independant that could be a load cheaper.

[DSG-GTI]

I feel your pain as mine is due this month... I have it booked in at VW Saturday morning for a belt and water pump for £399 as I think VW are doing a deal at the min... Maybe worth asking them. Be cheaper at an Indy as well !!!

I would find an interest free credit card and get it done m8 no point in driving it worrying if it is going to go as it will do a fair bit of damage to valves etc... Sorry to say that You won't get any warning as its a toothed belt and won't slip...

As the guy above says it would probably be ok it is just peace of mind... I don't think even VW can make a belt break the day after 4 years are up :-)

[itismebigd]

Get it changed iv just had mine done,its amazing how much nicer it is driving it when you know that it doesnt matter how hard you drive it you are not hurting it so to speak lol, but then again its way more than just a car to me,mine wants for nothing gets better treated than the wife(oil change every 3000mls) but on a serious note wheres the point on having a gti if you cant enjoy it or afford to run it properly.and theres the massive price tag if the enevitable happens,enough said bud its only money

Dougie

[Tortaruga]

will he be able to see if the rubber is perishing?

Possibly, but it's a bit of work to get to the point where you can see the belt, so you may as well just change it.

What actually would happen with a Cam Belt failure, does it start to slip first as it gets loose and the engine start to sound rougher than usual, I lose some power etc. or is it a snap and engine eats itself?

The belt is kevlar reinforced, the teeth are not. The rubber teeth fail (exponentially I think, i.e once the first goes, the rest follow increasingly quickly) and the belt slips. It's fairly catastrophic AFAIK.

Also I assume you all recommend getting the water pump done at the same time?

Absolutely. Engine mounts too if possible.

[Eccie]

I did the cam belt & water pump last year, with 27k on the clock. Some would say that's over kill, but the car was 4 years old. As has been said, it's your car & your money - your choice

[diesel junior]

Get it done mate, water pump too.....as if it goes........

[DSG-GTI]

Ok lets get back to the OP problem... the belt may fail at anytime for lots of reasons, slip ,snap water pump failure, oil ingress, whatever, one thing for sure is that it will cost you a lot of money to put right.... As you have said funds are a bit tight for you at the the min these things happen to us all... If i were you i would try and get a zero percent credit card and put cost on it, Pay a bit of when you can between now and Feb then if things get better pay it off....  sorted m8  

[Lone_Par]

Would just echo everyone else's comments. I've got an 07 plate GTI with 52K (now) on the clock. I got mine changed over in August when it was sitting at about 47K and 5 years - having only bought in April myself. I think the previous owner worked offshore and didn't drive it much and obviously knew he was going to flog it so didn't bother with the cam and water pump (i did buy from VW). The car was a spur of the moment buy and didn't really know what to look out for - so it was something that I was conscious of getting it done!

I almost had an epic fail though - I noticed a ticking noise coming from the engine when first starting the car - read up online (including here) and although I thought it was possibly the cam belt, I convinced myself from what I read that it was the turbo - being a noob to GTI's etc

Anyone long story but I got the cam belt changed and the ticking stopped! So I was probably miles away from disaster!!!

Get it done - easier said than done, but better £400 notes than the alternative!

Gaz

[Homer]

I had the same issue recently, it is a lot of money to part with. However like you I wasn't really enjoying driving the car and was driving like Miss Daisy was in the back of the car. There was also a funny noise coming from the car which I assumed to be something else.

Anyway I bit the bullet and got it done along with a service- £704 in total. End result is I can drive with peace of mind and the noise has stopped... So I would say borrow some cash and get it done!