Timming belt and water pump

[Darren92]

Hi guys I'm am new to skoda and the skoda forum. I have a 2017 fabia mk3 1.0 tsi estate. The car is 4 years old approaching 5 in September and has done 60k miles. I was thinking about getting the timming belt changed. Does the water pump need changed along with it ? Or is it different on these engines. I'm not sure sure as these engines are new to my experience. Any advice would be appreciated thanks. Also should I get the belt done at this age and miles I cant find it in the owners book. Thanks.

[nta16]

Hi, welcome.  Sorry I don't know about your engine but if you wait you will get advice on changing belt or not and if the water pump is involved.

 

Unless things have changed Skoda UK would recommended cambelt change at 50k-miles (5 years) anyway, by 60k-miles it'd be two changes of brake-fluid, two changes of pollen filter, change of spark plugs and air filter, air-con services, (DSC oil change?).  See attached PDF.

 

Some of those items are really generally recommended (and even before Skoda UK's timings) and others may be not so - brakes are much more important than anything on the engine (if we discount the over invasive computer programs). 

 

Personal advice I will give is that VW computer programs are over-complicated and very invasive, especially the battery and start/stop systems so do not let your car battery's state of charge get too low or the computers will make you regret it by throwing up all sorts of things, even if the car starts and the lights seem bright enough battery power could be too low to keep them really happy.

 

The modern cars are even less happy than about lots of short journeys so need occasional longer runs giving them a blow out as well as top the battery up (or some use trickle chargers).

 

Sorry that was a bucket load, but I wish I'd known earlier, cheers.

 

national-price-servicing-min.63862747c3e6286ede19bc446a023030.pdf

[sherlocks VRS]

Only the cambelt along with the idlers and tensioner and new bolts need changing, the pump doesn’t get changed as it runs of a separate belt on the opposite side to the cambelt.

[nta16]

@Darren92 you might want to take a look at this. - 

 

[TerFar]

Unless you live in a harsh environment or drive like a racing driver everywhere, I wouldn't bother with Skoda UK's money grubbing recommendations. 100,000 miles (160km) is a reasonable recommendation. (I'm still waiting for evidence of cambelt failure in any number, let alone significant numbers.) 

More important at 60,000 miles is first spark plug replacement (unless you were tricked into changing them earlier). 

[AGFalco]

2 minutes ago, TerFar said:

More important at 60,000 miles is first spark plug replacement

I think that Spark Plug replacement is at 4 Years or 40 K miles.

It is on both my Fabia and Citigo.

See here:-

https://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/servicing-maintenance-fixed-price

 

 

Air filter is at 60 K but you need to move the air filter housing to do the spark plugs.

So the Fabia's air filter was replaced at 40 k when the plugs were done by me.

I will do the same on the Citigo which is due this year.

 

Thanks. AG Falco

 

 

[rum4mo]

I'm sure, or thought the air filter change point was also 4 years for that engine in a 2015 VW Polo - as I replaced that along with the spark plugs at the year 4 service.

[nta16]

On the national price sheet air filter is at 60k-miles / 6 years, I remember this as it really surprised me that the air filter is so long as I'm more used to annual or even 6-monthly changes of air filters.

 

It was what you and/or perhaps AGFalco put about changing the air filter when changing the plugs at 4 years that made me check if both had been done at 4 years on my wife's car and sure enough both had been charged at 4 years.

 

The current lot at the local Dealership had to be reminded that a change of brake fluid was due - but there again a change of engine oil & filter is a full car service isn't it, 6 of those is a full service history too. 😁

 

[rum4mo]

@nta16, maybe VW Group revised the air filter service period since I replaced the air filter on that 2015 VW Polo, and your wife's car's year 4 service, but as @AGFalco said "air filter off to replace plugs" it does make sense just to change it then especially to a DIYer, for a main dealer they should be quite happy to add in some more labour time and ££s to replace it at a later service.

 

I "bumped into" a genuine VW Group air filter being sold at an extremely good price on ebay recently, so ended up buying it a bit early - looks like the genuine thing!

[nta16]

On 25/01/2022 at 17:53, rum4mo said:

@nta16, maybe VW Group revised the air filter service period since I replaced the air filter on that 2015 VW Polo, and your wife's car's year 4 service, but as @AGFalco said "air filter off to replace plugs" it does make sense just to change it then especially to a DIYer, for a main dealer they should be quite happy to add in some more labour time and ££s to replace it at a later service.

I wouldn't have a clue about anything the VW Group would do and TBH I didn't check if the national service list had been updated from the one I had, which I updated when I saw the prices had been rounded up.

 

Thinking about it I (think) It was you that told me if they changed the plugs they'd have probably also changed the air filter at the same time otherwise I wouldn't have looked it up in the bill for the 4th year service.  I honestly never paid that much attention as I get enough hassle from owning my own car without worrying about another.

 

As I put I was surprised the air filter wasn't an annual change.

 

What is a genuine VWG air filter as I'm sure someone would make it for them but these big companies are very good at keeping secrets, does it look like it's made by anyone you known, not personally, I meant another company (or boxed in Germany made in China). 😄

 

[rum4mo]

23 hours ago, nta16 said:

Snip  ----  Snip

What is a genuine VWG air filter as I'm sure someone would make it for them but these big companies are very good at keeping secrets, does it look like it's made by anyone you known, not personally, I meant another company (or boxed in Germany made in China). 😄

 

 

Most of the time, parts being sold branded as VW Group parts, like service parts at least, will also have the branding of the company that supplied them - maybe not the same as the manufacturer in all cases but in most cases, the only ones that have not had that recently, in my experience, was the air filter for the later versions of the 1.4 16V petrol engines and maybe the air filter on these 1.2TSI 16V engines, though I might be wrong about the 1.2TSI 16V engines, it is coming up for 4 years since I replaced the air filter on my wife's 2015 VW Polo and it turns out that I've bought a Mann filter element for the next service, VW Group tend to use a manufacturer that has a presence in Germany, like Mann, Mahle, Hengst or Knecht for air, pollen and oil filters.

[nta16]

16 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

VW Group tend to use a manufacturer that has a presence in Germany, like Mann, Mahle, Hengst or Knecht for air, pollen and oil filters.

I was expecting as much but only really know Mann and Mahle, I've made a note of the other two, thanks.

 

[Eccles]

Why does every other maker I can think of suggest that cam belt is there for life or suggest something over 120k miles? Its because today's cam belts are rather superior to those available a few years ago.