I think I've browsed through nearly every thread on this, and I still clearly can't see past hand-waving recommendation. 

 

My vehicle is Fabia Greenline Mk 2 1.2 TDI CR. October 2010 (hence 6 years old). 59000 miles. Original cambelt.

 

I understand that VAG UK has at some point, reduced cambelt change interval  to 4 years / 60K miles. (whichever comes sooner) ? - Whereas VAG outside UK don't make that recommendation. Is this correct? If so, why just the UK?

 

My service book for the vehicle says "every 210 000 KM..Replace toothed belt - Diesel engines"  (yes, that's 130K miles) to change the "Toothed Belt" (Cambelt). This is a long interval and looked reassuringly economical for the pocket, up to this week when my local service garage pointed out it was overdue (from 4 years) and it would be the standard belt+water pump etc at ~ £450.

 

Now that's a lot of money. I would like to figure out if a lazy bit of pen-pushing by VAG (who doesn't foot the bill) resulted perhaps in the 4 years recommendation to remove UK liability based on some statistical outlier faults, whether there is still a different figure (and what is it) which still works just fine for Germany, and whether the figure in my service book (130000 miles) - which would work out much cheaper assuming nothing breaks, has any bearing in engineering common sense.
Why is 130000 miles written in there in the first place?

 

 

 

 

Its one of things you just have to do. I would of thought more so on a diesel.

VAG used to say 7 years on the petrol but it dropped to 4 years some time ago. Guess they had some failures so playing safe.

Make sure they replace all the rollers and tensioner not just the belt. It should be a kit i would say.

You will no doubt be able to get it done cheaper than £450, even your local skoda dealer will do a price match.

A lot of people look at it as hundreds now over thousands later (that's if the repair cost doesn't write off the car).