Hi all all just done a cambelt change due to common fault of plastic water pump impeller...

What a pain..

Proxy engine mount..I almost smashed the damn thing up...

Why do designers make such $hite designs....

Sure they could have made it so you can remove and replace at will....

Not work around..

Anyways it's done now..inc cambelt.

:-)

lmao i was planning this for Saturday might put it off for another week

Out of all cars i've done in years i have to say mine was a complete pain

 

Its due again shortly and am really not looking forward to doing it again

I need to do mine. Why so bad?

Close proximity to offside inner arch and lack of space for dainty hands, lol. My cambelt cover rubbed on the aux belt and shredded it while at Corfe Castle this time last year. Nice man from RAC got me going again 

utter pita!!  no room to do nothing, i will not do mine again! fk that! 

I paid £60 to a mate of a mate to fit the one on my old VRS, my mate wouldn't do it as he said it was a PITA lol

The most difficult bit is removing the engine mount bracket. I think the last time I done one, I let the engine down in the bay, and removed the bracket from the bottom. 

I have changed the belt twice on my TDI, and each time no amount of jiggery pokery have seen me being able to remove the mount.  I heard that if your jack the engine right up (iirc) it will come out.  As I have always changed the water pump, I remove the pump and then tuck the belt into the water pump hole and pass the engine mount over it.

 

Either way, I am not looking toward to the changing it when I hit 240k miles :-(

Mine is due now, I think I'll find an independent to do it or maybe even a main dealer, special offer at £450 all in! 

Mine was changed at 98000, going to roll over 150k on my way to work tonight.

 

Should i be looking at getting it done during its service due at 151k?

Interval is 60k / 4 years (which ever comes first), so your call depending on how many miles you do / time since last change.  Mine is always changed in miles rather than age.

Will check the book later on and see when it was done.

 

its 53000 miles ago anyway...

If you do enough of them, you can do a non-PD TDI in under two hours.

Having an engine support makes raising the engine to get at the 'hidden' bolt so much easier. Having a lift and the correct tools helps a lot too.

Well, I'll be adding it to the to do list for servicing very soon...

 

Last change was at 98 .5k in Mar 09.

 

its now Sept 13 and at 150k.

Might as well get it done and not be thinking about it for another 60k!!

I personally didn't think it was that bad, you don't need to remove the mount simply wiggle it around til you can get some room.

 

Getting the timing spot on was the annoyance for me - My engine light came on both times and i swear down the 2nd time i did it it was spot on but it still wasn't happy, Tried the 3rd time and just wiggled the belt around and tightened it... Bosh it was happy.

 

If you havent done it already id do your waterpump, aux tensioner, aux belt, and make sure you get the Gates Powergrip kit WITH hydraulic tensioner. 

 

Took me about a day to do all of that.

Waterpump done with last belt change, so i'll probably get it done at the same time again.

 

I wont be doing it myself, not that experienced to risk making a balls of it.

I will mention the extras above to the guy who will be doing it though.

Just booked mine in with a garage for cambelt change. Glad I didn't try it myself now , It's the kind of job that usually turns into a weekend epic before, I remember spending 4hrs using a hacksaw blade to shorten the cam cover mounting studs on a Clio because there physically was not enough room to get it off otherwise.

Any recommendation for timing belt kit? I'm thinking of getting the Contitech kit.

If a garage is changing the belt for you, you might as well let them supply the kit - just in case there is an issue with the parts, etc, then it is the garages' responsibility - rather than them passing the buck with "you supplied the parts...", imho.

If a garage is changing the belt for you, you might as well let them supply the kit - just in case there is an issue with the parts, etc, then it is the garages' responsibility - rather than them passing the buck with "you supplied the parts...", imho.

I agree with you

 

I agree with you

 

I was originally considering f it was worth me requesting a particular kit for the garage to buy.

As it happens Eurocarparts have a sale right now so I bought a Contitech kit and metal waterpump.

It is less hassle for the garage to have the stuff come with he car rather than them order it in and wait around for the parts to arrive.

I don't disagree with your advice but the place is a recommendation from this forum and when I spoke to them I got the vibe that they wouldn't be the kind of place that would try to weasel their way out of a problem like that.