There has been talk on another forum to the effect that VAG have issued revised service/change intervals for cambelts & tensioners.

Is this so?

I have a 2001 Fabia 1.9tdi (PD engine) which was mentioned as being at risk due to the high loading imposed by the very high pressures generated in the PD system

I have done 89,000 kilometres - about 55.000 miles - should I be concerned?

OH yes. Change it now. It's time.

i had mine done on the sdi 02 at 60k cos i read the service sheet incorrectly should have been 80k miles, having said that for

My '01 TDI PD100 had the cambelt done at 60k as per the service schedule that came with my car.

Chris

OH yes. Change it now. It's time.

No it isnt.

The service time for the belt on a Fabia PD is 80,000 miles. Yes it has greater loading on the belt due to the injectors but this is why the belt is so wide and why the bottom crank gear has irregular teeth on it so the belt doesnt pinch under varying loads.

mine was "dodgy" at 60k when I got it changed by the book. Its worth inspecting it right now first. If you're not running it remapped it might be in better nick that mine was, after 30k miles of 150bhp.

Thanks for all the advice - even if some of it does conflict

I can get you the specs from the servicing schedule for your car if you like?

I also read about VAG cars about to have their cambelts and tensioners set to 40K change intervals. It prompted me to check my own car - the service book says 120K kilometres or 75K miles. My not so local Skoda dealer said 60K miles, local Seat dealer said 40K miles for all PD VAG engines. I rang Skoda Customer Services and they referenced my chassis number and stated it is definitely 67,500 miles. I think as I have a 175bhp remap and I'd prefer to be safe than sorry I'll get it done at 40K.

I thought all engines came with the same service intervals so my bad.

Yes, that would be very helpful. We live in Spain so technical discussions with aftersales departments are not always easy!

Chassis number of our car is TMBS46YOY3085419, first registered and purchased new, in Spain by us, 04/04/2001.

Whiles I'm in enquiring mode, could I ask another question? I have already tried elsewhere on the forum, but without a definitive answer.

From time to time the PAS fails. Instant cure is to stop the engine & re-start. This can happen two or three times in one week or it could go for a month with no problems. If this happens at night with the headlights on, they flicker just as the PAS fails. Our local VW dealer in Marbella reckons we need a new PAS pump as the OBD is reporting a low output of some sort. Could it be the pump, or could it be the angle sensor, which has been replaced under the original new car 1 year warranty? I know there is an outfit in the UK who supply PAS units, rebuilt for £200 or so, but even that is a lot to spend, particularly after fitting.

ford galaxy with pd engine recently went from 40k miles to 60k miles for cam belt changes .