Fabia 3 2017 1.2 TSI 4 cyl cambelt question

[briscaF1]

Hi all,

 

I think I've read previously that the cambelt on this engine should be changed every 5 years (mine is 5 years old this time around and has done about 46,000 miles) but I've also read that it should be inspected at this time.

 

I guess some questions are (sorry for the long list!)

a. What would a Skoda dealer be expected to do at this 5 year point? Would they always change it?

b. What is reasonable to do without running undue risk of a cambelt failure?

c. What is actually involved in checking the belt? Is this turning the engine over looking for cracks/splits/damage to the belt or is it more subtle than this?

d. Is it as much faff to check the belt as it is to change it?

e. What is a reasonable approximate time and cost to change the belt (dealer and independent) ?

f. What replacement belts are recommended? Gates or ??

g. Should anything else be done at the same time? e.g. Is the water pump driven off the same belt?

h. Anything I haven't thought of?

 

I had a Focus for about 9 years (it had done about 60,000) previous to this car and it wasn't necessary to change the belt in this time so I'm just wondering whether the 5 year change is required or a money-making wheeze by VAG.

 

Thanks in advance.

[AGFalco]

See this post:- 

 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

[Eccles]

Please don't fall for this expensive con trick, belts these days are vastly superior to those of 20 years ago and are generally good for at least 100k miles. No other car maker is "advising" folk to change the belts at five years - you can check it out yourself if you don't beleive me. Mine is now 8 years old and showing no signs of deterioration. My v. knowledgeable mobile mech did some checking for me and discovered that this "advice" is absent in other countries where Fabias are sold.

[Ootohere]

@Eccles

As i asked in the other thread. 

How many miles has your car done in the near 8 years when the mechanic checked the belt?

 

Maybe as more of the first Euro 6 1.2 TSI's get to 8 years old VW Group might revise the Recommendation, guidelines or schedule for timing belt changes in the UK.

Then again they might not. 

[JGrindel]

There is no mileage recommendation on these belts, just every 5 years. This is from Skoda UK! . Its a £300 job by your independent. The water pump is not part of the change due to it being on the opposite side of the engine and run on its own belt. 

 

I wouldn't worry unless its at its 5/6 year point. I am doing mine next week (1.2tsi 2017, 63k 5 Year old) as I do around 14-15k a year and for £300 its piece of mind and makes selling the car easier when that comes. 

 

 

 

 

[rum4mo]

I think that I and others have said this before, if you go by the official recommendations given out by at least VW to service/repair agents via the official workshop manuals, it clearly points out that on these models, the cambelt is not a service type item, it should get inspected every so many miles/years after the initial so many miles/years when the car is being serviced, and a judgment made at that time as to wither it needs replacing or not.

 

My wife's VW Polo was first reg'd in mid August 2015, has run just over 40K miles, and I'll probably get its cambelt etc replaced next year - for peace of mind.

 

On all earlier 1,4 16V petrol engined small VW Group cars, I have always gone with the 4 year change period for earlier car and the 5 year change for later similar engiined cars.

Edited 12 November, 2022 by rum4mo

[Eccles]

Why does no other manufacturer that I know of suggest a cam belt change at five years????? E.G:-

Ford Model	Cambelt Change Intervals
Ford B-Max Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 10 years
Ford C-Max Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Ecosport Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Edge Cambelt Change	Every 125,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Edge Vignale Cambelt Change	Every 125,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Explorer Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 12 years
Ford Fiesta Cambelt Change	Every 144,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Fiesta Vignale Cambelt Change	Every 144,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Focus Cambelt Change	Every 144,000 miles or 10 years

[JGrindel]

18 hours ago, Eccles said:

Why does no other manufacturer that I know of suggest a cam belt change at five years????? E.G:-

Ford Model	Cambelt Change Intervals
Ford B-Max Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 10 years
Ford C-Max Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Ecosport Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Edge Cambelt Change	Every 125,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Edge Vignale Cambelt Change	Every 125,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Explorer Cambelt Change	Every 150,000 miles or 12 years
Ford Fiesta Cambelt Change	Every 144,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Fiesta Vignale Cambelt Change	Every 144,000 miles or 10 years
Ford Focus Cambelt Change	Every 144,000 miles or 10 years

I wouldn't use ford as a good example of what to do... their new 1.0 3cyl EcoBoost engines and even diesels are apparently 150k miles or 10 years... but they are barely getting to 4 years before the belts are disintegrating and blowing the engine. 

Edited 17 November, 2022 by JGrindel
Spelling.

[Eccles]

Utter rubbish of course JG, Toyota says similar or are you going to question them as well?? :-

Petrol variants produced from 2005 onwards -

• Toyota Aygo 1.0 50 kW = Timing belt, check and replace if necessary after 10 years.
• Toyota Aygo 1.0 51 kW (new type) = Timing belt, check and replace if necessary after 10 years.
• Toyota Aygo 1.2 60 kW (new type) = 165 000 Kilometres or after a maximum of 10 years.

Dieselvariants produced from 2005 onwards -

• Toyota Aygo 1.4 HDi 40 kW = Normal load 240 000 kilometres, heavy load 180 000 kilometres. In both cases up to 10 years.

Or maybe VW uses a crap timing belt which no-one else uses, I suspect not.

[AGFalco]

I thought that the Toyota Aygo 1.0 petrol had a Chain driven DOHC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_KR_engine#1KR-FE

 

The 1.4 HDI is a Peugeot engine with a belt though. 

 

Thanks AG Falco

[Ootohere]

Somehow VW group manage to source crap components of all sorts for decades,. Water pumps, tensioners, clutches, door seals then rings, scrapers, pistons, sumps, door seals, sunroof seals, engine management software and new in-house IT.  Even when working with partners like Ford or Suzuki they ballsed up.     But that's what penny pinching does.  

[briscaF1]

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll wait until next year to have it inspected/changed based upon what I've read.

 

I find it odd that there's so much conflicting information on this subject. The engine is used in a number of applications; you'd think there would be some consistency!