Brilliant thank you

It's a plastic pattern part because VAG only sell the tensioner assembly complete with pulley, it's held on by a left-hand threaded bolt. It's a cheap fix, I removed mine, flicked out the bearing seals, then cleaned and regreased the ball race. Still nice and quiet.

 

This post saved me the price of a tensioner this weekend.  I'd ordered one off Ebay (£35 for my car, Gates branded part) about an hour before I read this, so initially thought "nah I'll just fit the full thing when it arrives".

On Saturday afternoon I thought "I'll just have a look how easy/not it is to get the tensioner off, to see if it's a lunch-hour job on Monday". Couldn't even see the bolt to remove the tensioner, dunno if it's visible from below, or you have to take the alternator off first. 

Annnyyway; I thought, "I'll see how easily the pulley comes off, then I could try sepulchrave's suggestion".  And it's a piece of cake.  16mm spanner on the tensioner bolt clockwise to release tension/remove belt; anticlockwise (normal thread) to undo the bolt, off comes the pulley. Tip of the Swiss Army knife under the outer edge of the dust/grease seals and off they pop.  Virtually grease-free zone in there, no wonder it was making a bit of noise.

Cleaned it out a bit, bunged in a bunch of grease, popped the seals back on. 

 

So, when it arrives, the tensioner is going back for a refund. 

 

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=313104

 

 

This is a fantastic guide that explains how to change the tensioner. It is a quick, 15-20 minute job. The alternator does not need to be removed. Did it myself as mine was sounding grind-ey after 12 years.

better go and buy some grease sounds like a easy job