pticru

Old thread, but in case someone else has a similar issue: I had to replace a license plate bulb and did accidentally push it inside. I didn't have time to investigate further for several weeks. DON'T MAKE MY MISTAKE! Those bulbs get very hot! By the time I tore off the inside trim (estate/combi, hell of a job, neighbors thought I was beating the car to death) what I found was a burnt-up mess of melted glass bulb and melted plastic around the housing. Had to file out the melted plastic from the hole in the metal frame just to be able to stick the socket back in properly so it sits all hot without touching anything. I was tempted to replace with LEDs, but the price is outrageous.

UPDATE: Finally got an answer from Conti regarding the installation of this belt. All they did was send me a link to a video (in German) addressing precisely this topic, so they must be aware that many people are confused. Don't know why they don't write in in 27 languages on the package. In the video, the guy says he "pulls the belt immediately out of the packaging and turns it around a few times, and then doesn't know which way it came, which is EXACTLY what I did! They know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uaRbcWb6Yo I had to copy-paste the German closed captions into Google translate, but was able to determine the answer: The "webbed" side of the belt (the woven cloth side) rides towards the alternator pully. (That's how I ended up installing it anyway, so saves me the trouble of turning it around). Hope this is useful to future seekers. Cheers.

Oh actually maybe power steering pump, but it matters not: you can see from the diagram that the belt drives from both sides.

Thingy with the triangle is the A/C

Thanks, but I've checked on a diagram and about 99.9% certain it runs this way. The belt would not fit any other way. Double sided explains perfectly why the "back" is running the A/C, and has grooves both sides. This is the 1.8T (year 2000). At this point, I'm about ready to cut the thing in half, glue it back together as a Möbius strip, and call it a day. 😉

This belt is double-sided: same grooves both sides, yet the material is different. Maybe it makes no difference, but my reasoning is there must be some intention to this design, and the only wheels that receive the "back" of the belt (yet to be determined) are the tensioner (smooth as you say) and the A/C, which has grooves! Stumped.

hi all, Quick question, hoping someone has a clue here, as Continental is not answering my query: On the 1.8T motor I'm replacing the alternator, tensioner and belt. The serpentine belt is double sided, but my new belt looks like rubber on one side (with colorful sparklies!) and the other side looks like a kind of cloth. Grooves are otherwise the same, so which side faces the drive wheel/steering pump/alternator and which side faces the A/C unit!? I'm stumped, since I took the old belt of without looking first... Continental's online documentation is wildly technical with graphs up the kazoo, but seems to be missing this critical detail. Guidance is much appreciated.