Timing belt AQM - replace after 7 years ?

[Filipo]

Hi everybody,

 

I have Octavia 1.9 SDi (AQM type) with 197 000 km on it. The previous owner replaced timing belt and (I presume) pulleys and water pump at 120 000 km. The next replacement should be at 240 000 km but it is 7 years since the last replacement. My question is, if in this condition it will survive at least another year (equivalent of 10 000 km in my case).

I took some pictures two days ago for You to make a judgement.

 

Thank You in advance for Your suggestions

 

Edited 1 March, 2015 by Filipo

[Liverpool-Lad]

Entirely upto you but 7 years on a belt probably means its time for a change...

[Girardi]

Regardless of the interval I'd never leave a belt on longer than 4 years imho. Better safe than sorry...

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[YellowCar]

5 years including shelf life init? So yeah anything over 4/5 is a bit of a gamble.

[dieselV6]

I would keep it till mileage, it looks good. 4/5 years replacement recommendation is VAG UK stealership brainwash 

[Filipo]

I also made a video of the assembly while running. I was told that there is a noise from the small pulley on the top of the assembly. Is it possile to change just this pulley or should I replace everything?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEXyPAypcJ8

[sebring]

I think you need to sum up how much for the timing belt and water pump change, and how much for a replacement engine + water pimp and timing belt change.

 

I wouldn't risk it personally

[YellowCar]

Also worth a read...

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2979649&postcount=12

The age of these things is just as important as mileage I reckon.

At the end of the day if you want to take the gamble it's up to you, and it may well do another 10k but I wouldn't live by that if I were you as next time or in your next car you may not be so lucky.

[snig71]

I agree with sebring.

[YellowCar]

^^yep, when you put it in those terms following the guidelines even if they may be a little pessimistic is the way to go. It's not the kind of thing you want to learn the hard way.

[IulianE]

the belt looks  good,I woudn;t worry too much

I bought my car and replace the timing belt after 6 and a half years,because it looked like new then.

[sebring]

but its not only the belt you need to worry about - there are stretch studs holding the timing rollers which have bearings in them, and also the bearings from the tensioner.

 

My cousin had a 1.4 polo with a 'good looking belt' which was used around town predominantly, couple of months of motorway trips for  a new job, belt snapped and £500 head rebuild resulted.

 

likewise, I wouldn't use a 10 year old new looking spare tyre - the rubber breaks down over time and it no longer becomes safe as it once was!

[IulianE]

the comparrison with spare tyre is badly wrong....we are not talking about forgotten sitting rubber wich looks good,this is daily used rubber

 

I;m talking from my experience in auto field.

[YellowCar]

Even so, if someone walked up to me with a 7 year old belt that looked good and gave it to me. I wouldn't fit it, and don't know many who would.

[Girardi]

I think the point is that it might *look* ok, but whichever way you cut it the belt (and ancillaries as mentioned) is not in it's prime and for the sake of a few hundred notes why take the risk?

Admittedly I come from an Alfa Romeo background so am always belt wary but the same principle holds true for any car. What price piece of mind?

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[sebring]

the comparrison with spare tyre is badly wrong....we are not talking about forgotten sitting rubber wich looks good,this is daily used rubber

 

I;m talking from my experience in auto field.

 

why would a 7 year old daily used belt be better?  expanding and contracting as the engine heats up and cools down, wear against the sprockets and rollers.. etc etc

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

My Two Penneth worth:

 

GOOD LORD - SEVEN YEARS OLD???? I might respectfully suggest that yu're living on borrowed time, and you should swap that belt out pronto!

 

Up to you though, obviously, as said.

 

I wouldn't let a belt, water pump and pulleys go for more than about 3 or 4 years tops - or 40 to 50 thousand miles.

 

It's insurance. If it does let go then........big, big bills.....or a basically written off car. Your choice!

[Filipo]

Question is though, why Skoda itself sets the mileage of 120 000 km (approx 75 000 miles) for this type of engine if You say only 50k miles tops? 

 

Eitherway I am decided to change the whole assembly the next week. But 3-4 years tops? Come on, the timing belt must be functional for at least 7 years( at least from the search on the internet I have done so far)

[YellowCar]

Question is though, why Skoda itself sets the mileage of 120 000 km (approx 75 000 miles) for this type of engine if You say only 50k miles tops?

Eitherway I am decided to change the whole assembly the next week. But 3-4 years tops? Come on, the timing belt must be functional for at least 7 years( at least from the search on the internet I have done so far)

I think it's more about a 'best before/use by' date, which as stipulated by belt manufacturers such as continental say 5-6 years, which includes time spent on the shelf. Longer and dry rot and/or fatigue sets in. Many of us tend to go for 5 years and some less, probably not because of what anyone says, but more because of tired water pumps starting to suffer with plastic impellers getting brittle. Something I saw at my ladt change on 35,000 miles/5 years incidentally. The belt may well out last this by a fair margin. End of the day you don't have to follow guidelines but these are one if those instances where I do because I'd feel pretty daft if I thought 'can't be right, I'll go 8 years I only do low mileage' and then it goes after 6 years and leaves a huge bill.

[tonymarcella]

ive changed a lot of belts / kits on the sdi engine , and every belt has been almost unmarked near perfect , its normally a water pump or pulley that goes . whats the car worth ? a kit and pump £130 or so , 4 hours labour . weight it up . :-)

[Filipo]

Hi guys,

 

So I thought it would be nice if I would add a sequel to this story.

 

Today I picked up my car from the workshop (have passed MOT too) and I have also told the mechanic to change timing belt, pulleys and water pump.

 

The result after 7 years and 72 000 km of DAYCO set:

 

a) Worn timing belt

 

b ) Rattling tensioners

 

c) Leaky (not much but still) water pump

 

All of this was replaced with GATES timing belt and INA set of pulleys tenioners and water pump.

 

So thank You for Your advices and for pushing me to do this, it was really on its last legs. I guess those 7 years is an absolute limit in terms of ageing of these sort of components.

Edited 12 March, 2015 by Filipo

[sebring]

your lucky it didnt break on you.  just goes to show that you cant go by what it 'looks' like

[YellowCar]

That was indeed a close one. I'd get a lottery ticket while your luck is in if I were you

[Malcytul]

Things that look good from the outside isn't always an indication of the inside, I've spent hours looking for a bad connection on wiring that looks ok outside just to find the copper wire

broken internally. Glad you took peoples advice & had it done.