Im getting my 53 reg vrs serviced by a skoda dealer at 40k, which is setting me back 200-250 notes.

However theyre also advising that VAG recommend getting the cambelt changed at 60k or 4 yrs old. This would set me back 600 quid all in!!

Apart from the fact that this is ludicrous amount of money, does anyone else feel a bit cheated by the earliness of this? or is it just me :thumbdwn:

im tempted to leave it personally (ive got a wedding to pay for in december) or maybe get it done separately by a vag specialist.

Is it a gold belt, do they have to go in through the exhaust to get at it!! I'll probably have the car for another 4 years and therefore will have had 2 cambelt changes by 80 flippin K!!. Christ, walk into a skoda showroom these days and you walk out with a sore ar$e.

sorry rant over

I've just had a 30k service, cambelt, metal impellered water pump, aux belts, rear discs and drums, and an mot for less than

Vauxhall change thier belts at 40k/4 years as so many manufactuers.

The cambelt is obviously vital to the engine and is under that much more strain due to the PD injectors hence it being a fairly substantial belt.

And as usual Mr G offers great advice (not). Your in Oxfordshire and thus like Milton Keynes and London we have fairly high labour rates (circa

Hell thats a bargin especially at a dealer.

I would be pushing to get a price like that at my independant garage.

That is a bargain for sure - I got mine done at 60k, and dropped in a metal impeller pump too. Annoyingly stuff went wrong with that engine later on, but it's not worth risking it for sure.

I've just had a 30k service, cambelt, metal impellered water pump, aux belts, rear discs and drums, and an mot for less than

And as usual Mr G offers great advice (not).

I wasn't giving him advice, I was telling him he was being ripped off, so:finger:

I am not qualified to give advice, and I wouldn't dream of doing so, I can only give my opinion, which is what I did.

And my opinion is at that price it is a rip off.

I wasn't giving him advice, I was telling him he was being ripped off, so:finger:

I am not qualified to give advice, and I wouldn't dream of doing so, I can only give my opinion, which is what I did.

And my opinion is at that price it is a rip off.

:rofl: :rofl:

Not really a fair comparisson as a 30k is a half hour oil and filter change so would make

If you are going to pick on me, give me a fair chance to retaliate properly please:D

OK, fair comment

I'll warn you next time I want a fight.

I know its not worth riskin but I was hoping to wait till 60k.

I just cant afford 600quid in one go at the mo so i may postpone it till after im married.

is the pump part of the cambelt deal or is that another "perishable" that fails at 2miles or 1 minute whichever comes sooner.

ive also e-mailed that APS company for a quote just to compare.

Obviously I would not condone leaving a cambelt but... Our Fabia (100bhp non-VRs) lasted to 80,000mls without a cam belt change as the dealer "forgot"!!!

Not good practice but they can last longer (fortunately for us!) and maybe food for thought if you wished to spread the cost to the next service.

Also, according to the old (2003) official service regime for a 100bhp PD engine (different I know but must be comparable in terms of parts and labour) a cambelt replacement is costed at

The standard water pump has plastic impellers which tend to get brittle and break, reducing the pumps effectiveness, and blocking waterways with little bits of plastic, causing hot-spots ( not good )

AFAIAA the newer pumps have metal impellers as standard, as my new one came out of the 'box' from vag and has metal ( brass ) impellers.

( Is this ok Lummox, or shall I shut up?)

the water pump is not part of the cambelt job , but some on here have had them changed as a precaution whilst the cambelt has been off , to save the job being done twice

personally i won't bother changing the pump at the first cambelt change , but may do it at the second , only my opinion though , but based on experience of only ever seeing one pump go in 7 years of servicing the PD engine in the Ford Galaxy , and that had done 200k miles

The standard water pump has plastic impellers which tend to get brittle and break, reducing the pumps effectiveness, and blocking waterways with little bits of plastic, causing hot-spots ( not good )

AFAIAA the newer pumps have metal impellers as standard, as my new one came out of the 'box' from vag and has metal ( brass ) impellers.

( Is this ok Lummox, or shall I shut up?)

Almost, the metal water pump is not a VAG part, but some dealers fit them anyhow.

And 3.5 hours is the correct book time for the cambelt, any garage charging 1.5 are doing themseleves out of money just to get the buisness as the tech will want to get paid more than that for doing it.

My VRS has only done 28k and its an 04 and just had its 3rd service today (oil change etc) it will probably only just hit 35-40k next year will the cambelt still need doing?

Will it be four years old?

Yes.

Then under the guide cambelt must be replaced at 60k or four years, yes it does.

I can only presume that I got most of my parts at near enough cost price, although I am not complaining.

I think with all of the recent turmoil at my local dealer, they are trying to keep customers by doing deals.

This may change though when the takeover kicks in properly.

IIRC the 'official' change date is 4 years or 60k miles, amended recently by vag.

Doh! beaten to it by the Maestro...I blame the burning pizza!

Damn, Pizzas burn quick dont they. One minute they are still soft in the middle, next they are charcoal.

Damn, Pizzas burn quick dont they. One minute they are still soft in the middle, next they are charcoal.

Burnt crust, not cooked in the centre:confused:

Bugger, I'll just eat the lot, I suppose on average, it's all cooked evenly:rofl:

do it yourself, cambelt will cost you under

do it yourself, cambelt will cost you under