The official Workshop Manual/Service schedule downloaded from Erwin states cambelt should be inspected at 240000 kms thereafter every 30000 kms (no mention of change for this engine unless belt shows wear)

The nearest VW/Audi dealer says this engine has timing chain and no maintenance required ( it does have a belt! )

The Skoda dealer I got the car from says change at 105000 kms.

Any thoughts?

By the time the car reaches 105000 kms the cost of a timing belt service will most likely be the same as the value of the car, so I may just keep it and take a chance and if the engine detonates scrap the car.

The car is super by the way.

Regards

Roger

 VAG Australia does have a very poor reputation for service. I guess there are people in their organisation who know what they are talking about but they seem to be very hard to find. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between incompetence and disinterest.

My local dealer in Adelaide tried to charge me vRS capped price rates instead of the 1.4tsi rates for my first service. Luckily I had printed off an online copy of their published servicing rates, which came as a complete 'surprise' to them as it was handed around behind the desk with a "'look at this?" response

Back on thread, I expect that you will find wildly differing advice from different sources and different countries. I went through the same issues with my old 1.9pd Octavia. The USA seemed to allow really high mileage, other countries recommendations were based on age and I finally settled on about 120,000 km as the mean recommendation in Australia.

240,000 km does seem a bit high but I guess they are continuously improving the materials. I would be expecting to change at about 120k to 150k or 6 years for mine but depends on your annual mileage and maybe whether you took the extended warranty option.

I remember reading that the timing belt is a high-strength oil-bathed design that should last the "life" of the engine. But should be inspected every 100k km or 100k mi (can't remember which). It was in a US publication, but since the 1.4 isn't sold in the US, it may have been km.

What they mean by "life" also isn't clear, but I would expect it to be as effective as a timing chain.

Since the Octy has a 15k service interval here, 105k would be a logical place to have an inspection.

Edited 14 November, 201510 yr by hobbie2k

Yep the belt on the new TSi engines is lifetime with inspections.

Better than the TSi chains. .