Hi guys just had my car serviced in Maud. Very impressed good garage. Been told though that my timing belt needs changed. Cars just coming up for four years old but only covered 20K miles. Apparently Skoda have said it is now a time or mileage what ever comes first. 60K or four years. Seems a little odd to change it out at this age. All in they quote £250. Is this excessive for a timing belt change. Some feed back much appreciated.

Depends on the engine type too. My BKD 2.0TDI interval is 80,000 miles or 4 years - whichever comes first. Even if your car has only done 20k in 4 years it still needs to be changed in case the belt has started to perish. Think of old tyres that start to crack around the edges.

I paid £250 for my cam belt change at a main dealer. Try a few independant places next time round.

£250 is a good main stealer price IMO

It's a con. In no other country is this a requirement for VAG cars - this is just a revenue generating scam hatched by the M-K boot boys.

Practically all cars have timing belts - there are only about half a dozen belt manufacturers. Do the belts on other cars "perish" in 4 years?

The AWX engine in my Superb has a belt specified as being suitable for operation up to 80k miles in the US and other countries. No stipulated time limit.

rotodiesel.

From what I recall, the belt time and mileage limits were revised after reports of cambelts snapping before reaching the change interval. I for one wouldn't want to keep a timing belt/cambelt on a car for more than 4 years let alone 5 or 10 which would be possible if it was mileage only.

My dad had a Ford Escort diesal a few years ago, cam belt was no where near due mileage wise, but a funny noise was coming from under the bonnet. After alot of work trying to figure out what the problem was, off comes the cambelt cover only to find a perished belt with several teeth missing.

For the sake of £250 vs 4 figures for a new head / engine, is it really worth the risk?

Can't comment on the belt question...butI am eager to know more about your experience at Maud...as I am thinking about using them in future. I bought my car at Spec Cars...but have been extremely frustrated at the poor 'service' in the time I've used them. They seem totally unable or unwilling or bothered about fixing/dealing with what should be simple (& in most cases known) faults !

Did you get your car service on a Sat...that would appeal to me for sure!

Thanks in anticipation.

I do find this discsusion interesting.

Skoda/VW quote 60,000km in Australia for a belt change(not sure of time interval) for the 2.0TFSI. I am not aware of any other car with such a short interval. Typical range here is a minimum of 100,000km and many cars up to 160,000, some more. Not aware of time intervals on most cars. My 1996 Holden Jackaroo (Izuzu Trooper) has just had it done at the 160,000kms factory interval, and that's a vehicle designed for heavy off-road in a country where temparature variations are fairly extreme. I have never heard of belts letting go where they are changed at the receommended interval, except for the odd rare one-off failures(not wear or perishing related).

Are VW engines that hard on their belts that they have to be different to others?

cheers

powerd

Interesting discussion, especially considering my Lancer has the VW PD lump in it. I'm unsure what Mitsubishi's belt interval is, but I'm guessing it'll be short as the oil change interval is 12,500 miles using 507.00 oil. VW are going 30,000 miles on the same oil with the same engine.

I would expect hotter countries to have shorter intervals as the belt will be running under much hotter conditions.

I would think the 4 camshaft driven unit injectors will place extra load on the camblet hence the wider belt and shorter intervals.

<£250 over 4 years isn't really worth losing sleep over is it?

The maximum on the 2.0TDI QG1 variable is IIRC 18,600miles or 30000km. My average is about 16,800 miles.

I have an Email from an engineer in Mlada Boleslav (? spelling) that states:-

Your Octavia 2 1.9 TDI PD with BJB engine goes 120000 Km before cam belt change. Time is not a factor.

Good enough for me.

I hope.:eek:

Ignore rotodiesel

The belt taken off my 4 year old (and 58k) Octavia was visibly knackered!

Regardless, Skoda will require you to get it done otherwise there is the serious possibility of voiding warranty.

Well i've had the experience of a snapped cam belt on a calibra that had had a full engine rebuild from a vauxhall main dealer. The engine was rebuilt with all genuine parts and the cam belt lasted about 30k and it scraped the engine and car, so yes i'll be following the advice of the manufacturer as i know they dont last and i'll have it changed. A few quid compared to a replacement engine either from the scrap man or new. I'm not going down that route and never mind the hassle it causes!

I have an Email from an engineer in Mlada Boleslav (? spelling) that states:-

Your Octavia 2 1.9 TDI PD with BJB engine goes 120000 Km before cam belt change. Time is not a factor.

Good enough for me.

I hope.:eek:

You should not rely on any info from the factory even though logic would suggest its the best place to get it

If you have a UK sourced car for example you should speak to Skoda UK customer services or your local Skoda dealer to confirm your cambelt intervals. At the end of the day it will be SUK who will or won't authorise any warranty repair work that may be a consequence of a busted cambelt in the future.

You can't rely on any intervals stated in the service book either, they can be revised at any time.

This does not seem to be a new change? found these on honestjohn!

VAG Timing Belts Down to 40k Miles- Vol 1 [Locked]: Motoring Discussion forum

VAG Timing Belts Down to 40k Miles- Vol 2: Motoring Discussion forum

TBH... I never thought it was time based! but as the car it 4 years old now with 40k on the clock I guess I'll be checking for a decent price!

So much fun to do! I did my PUG 306 tdi many years ago, vowed then not to do another:D

As far as I know the interval on the 2.0TDI is still 80,000 miles or 4 years whichever comes first. I had my belt done on 89,900 miles which was a few months ago now.

Snapped cambelt + high compression engine = expensive mess :eek:

Phone your nearest Skoda dealer and enquire about the interval as they will (hopefully) have the latest info on it.

I would have to be paid lots of money to try an 'on the drive' DIY cambelt change on the BKD engine. Looks like a crappy job.

Can you tell me why an engineer at the Skoda factory (working in customer care) should not give out reliable advice ?

I suppose said engineer could have nipped out for a fag and a cleaner posted the reply on his open terminal.

Is that what you had in mind?

Spanish dealers (or my nearest one at least) are totally mystified utterly bewildered by any reference to four years or any other time limit for the belt on my 1.9 tdi donkey. They only work on distance. I'll have to find out how many destroyed engines they replace every week.

OR is it because most Skoda Octavias are taxis? Over 8000 in Madrid alone I'm told.

This to me is a bigger puzzle than trying to sort out the various conflicting how long how far differences that only seem it infect UK Skodas.:confused:

The UK dealers were miffed when the variable service system was introduced by VAG, robbing them of revenue. The cambelt scam was MK's way of recouping some money.

It's a very clever one as it doesn't affect the fleet market and trades on people's fear. It obviously works.

There are some VAG petrol engines which use a crappy plastic tensioner wheel. These are hardly fit for purpose at any time or mileage - I've just removed a tensioner from my son's VW with a bone dry wobbly bearing.

The timing drive on the PD engines is well made and uses a wide belt with metal idler wheels. The weakest part of the job is the plastic water pump impeller - make sure you fit a pattern pump.

A DIY belt change is easy on the PD - you don't have to set the timing with VAGCOM and the belt tension is set automatically.

rotodiesel.

Does anyone know what the intervals are for the new CR engines?

Had my '07 2.0TDI serviced yesterday and enquired about the cambelt interval, they informed me that my engine is 85,000 miles or 4 years

£250 is cheap, the same engine in an Audi will cost another £100 at least to get done! My old 3.0 V6 A4 was about £500 just for a cambelt change!!!

Still keeping with the cam belt thread,many years ago i had a 2.0 Ford Cortina auto, and the cam belt broke. As it was before 5pm that day i walked to a Ford garage and bought the belt i still remember the price £20 .Took the cam cover off and fitted new one . At the time i did not think it was a drama case, my wife kept the car for her use for another 10 years with no problem, so 13 years one cambelt.960000 miles.

Still keeping with the cam belt thread,many years ago i had a 2.0 Ford Cortina auto, and the cam belt broke. As it was before 5pm that day i walked to a Ford garage and bought the belt i still remember the price £20 .Took the cam cover off and fitted new one . At the time i did not think it was a drama case, my wife kept the car for her use for another 10 years with no problem, so 13 years one cambelt.960000 miles.

Although that was no doubt a non interference design unlike any diesel engine.

The cambelt scam was MK's way of recouping some money.

It's a very clever one as it doesn't affect the fleet market and trades on people's fear. It obviously works.

I've seen the damage of and am aware of belt failures well before age and mileage limits.

Not sure why you think it's a scam, but I for one wouldnt risk it! One of my prev employers did, and needed a new engine on a Merc Sprinter. £8500 it cost them just for the engine back in 2001

It seems to me this whole subject is beyond reason or rational thought.

In Spain Dealers are incredulous that anyone should want a belt change based on time and not distance.

Skoda HQ tell me in writing that time is of no concern.

UK dealers are working from a different song sheet and horror stories about £8500 for a new engine after a belt snap WAY BEFORE time OR distance help to keep everyone paranoid and the tills ringing.

I don't think this can be resolved.

On the other hand I think I will play safe. I have decided to change my belt every week just to be safe.:eek: