Hi all, my 2012 2.0 diesel DSG estate has 178000 on the clock. It had a timing belt in 2017 at 90k miles. I think the official advice is every 140k or five years. My next five years has come round - do I do it again? Or can I get some more miles out of this one? Why is age so significant? Any thoughts or experience appreciated. 

Plenty of topics on here about timing belt change schedules. General opinion is either follow the VW / Skoda schedule or take a risk.

 

If you search you will find people who have left it longer than the quoted change times and been ok. Others, such as myself, have not been so lucky. OK, I have a different Diesel engine than what is in yours, but all same same but different.

 

The question to ask yourself is simple..... what's more affordable; cam belt & WP change at the times suggested or have to pay to fix the damage as a result of a snapped cam belt if you were indeed unlucky??

 

Mine snapped 3 weeks after the 4 year change period on my ASZ engine but had only covered around 26k in those 4 years, which is well below the 4yrs or 60k service schedule for mine. Cost me £500 in the end for a new cam belt, water pump and some new valves, but it was all fitted for free (after kicking off) as I had actually asked for my belt to be replaced at 4 years but was told by the senior tech that it wasn't due until 5 years! Would have been in excess of £1k otherwise (head off & strip to get the bent valves out, new head gasket, head bolts etc etc)

 

Would loved to have seen his face the morning he walked in to work to see my car dumped out the front of the garage with the belt snapped 

Yep, i is fear you are right. The car has been demoted to DIY and trailer duties, but I think worth doing it on schedule. It still actually has a full main dealer service history (except for the now capped off and deleted EGR, which failed on holiday last summer!). 

To @JPL1 - The timing belt get old. Materials get old. Change it now. The risk is not worth the reward..

Well, the trouble is the cynic in me thinks the interval might be set to create a revenue stream for dealer service departments! 140,000 miles of use must put plenty of stress on the belt, but if you only did say 50k in five years they still say that belt needs changing. But as you say, it is a risk, and at some point the cost equation changes. The car needs a cam belt, a new dual mass flywheel and few bits of suspension work. That will be £1200 to £1300 all day long (outside the franchise dealers), on a car that is worth £2k now (and still only worth 2k after the work is done!). Such is life. 

4 hours ago, JPL1 said:

That will be £1200 to £1300 all day long (outside the franchise dealers), on a car that is worth £2k now (and still only worth 2k after the work is done!). Such is life. 

 

And I guess that's the point where you can flip a coin or say sod it.

 

You could for example say, if you don't pay out the £400 ish for belt n pump then you may last another year or two at least. Else if the belt goes it's not much of a value loss between scrapping for parts or big spend now to get your money back later. If that makes sense. Even more so on what may be a second car demoted to irregular use.

 

As an example, my old Peugeot I put in for belt change, they didn't complete the job and said it would of been X amount if I really wanted it doing. I decided I could probably get a replacement engine for the same price roughly and as it was a second car I'll chance it. Approx 9 years and about 80k miles later it was still going strong when I got rid of the car at 215k miles on the clock.

 

Another of my old cars, audi s6, I decided the cost if it went was not worth the risk so had it changed on schedule.

 

It is a chance you take but sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not

Edited 28 April, 20224 yr by a666andy

Yo @JPL1 - The Car with work done must cost more than the Car without work done. If You plan to sell the Car - better do not done the work. The new owner will do and will better know how the work is done.

Edited 29 April, 20224 yr by tuningmania