ok, first the details:

I have a 53 VRS (standard 170 bhp remap), it’s only done 55000 miles but hasn’t had a timing belt change yet.

Because of its age i really think it now needs one (& I'm sure most of you would agree with this) so i going to get it done before its MOT in September.

Even though I'm quite mechanically minded (I change brakes, disks, oil, fuel filter etc) i don’t want to attempt to change the Timing belt.

So, how much is a fair price for a garage to charge to change the timing belt? I'm not looking for the cheapest, just a reasonable price to aim at.

My wife’s 1.9TDI Golf Plus needs a timing belt change as well & the VW garage down the road wants to charge £375, which i thought was a bit steep.

All feedback & is always appreciated.

Cheers.

Berry.

btw, do Glow plugs need replacing after a certain time? The ones in my VRS are the original ones (7 years old!) so i was wondering if i need new ones?

60k / 4 years is the accepted interval (regardless of what your manual says), so you're right in saying it's due sooner rather than later. Although I often get oil changes and other simple spanner-wielding jobs done at the local garage, a cambelt is something I'd want done by a specialist or a dealer, and the VW place near you is quoting a price comparable to Awesome, which is where my next one will be done:

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/page.php?xPage=workshop.html

Glowplugs are replace-when-they-fail AFAIK - they're pretty robust, and chances are that the light staying on longer than normal is actually the coolant temp sensor playing up. I certainly wouldn't bother replacing them pre-emptively like you would do with sparkplugs...

Yep - should be 60K or 4 years - whichever comes up first.

£350 + is about the norm for a cambelt change.

Just make sure they do the water pump at the same time.

Yep - should be 60K or 4 years - whichever comes up first.

£350 + is about the norm for a cambelt change.

Just make sure they do the water pump at the same time.

As well as the water pump should any thing else be done along with the Cambelt change?

Cam belt, tensioners (normally comes with the kit?) and water pump (optional, but should only be an extra £50ish really)

FWIW, the waterpump is only really essential with the 1.8T - it's nothing like as common an issue on the diesels. Although as has been said, replacing it involves all the same labour, so adding it to the list sohuld only really increase the overall price by the cost of the part (GBP25-35 incl. by the looks of things...)

FWIW, the waterpump is only really essential with the 1.8T - it's nothing like as common an issue on the diesels.

I agree but at 2003 it's possible it may have one of the last plastic impellor water pumps fitted ( the current and replacement ones are metal impellor )

Thats why I suggested the water pump should be done too.

Not quite - they still have plastic blades; they're just fixed much more securely to the spindle. The all-metal pumps were only ever aftermarket items supplied by GSF...