Cambelt - to change or not to change

Dynamo86

Dynamo86

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Hi all,

As per the topic heading, I'm unsure whether to get the belt and water pump changed or not.

It's currently booked in for Monday.

The belt was changed at 38k miles in 2014/2015 and the car is now at nearly 89k miles.

Any suggestions?

Cheers.
 
Hi! How long have you had the car? I've had mine just over a year but treated it in such a way that I assumed no job had ever been done on the car so I had a few bits done that were in hindsight probably not necessary however if you plan on keeping the car it's good for the soul to know you've done everything you can. Mine was on 125k miles when I bought it so a little more than yours!

Cambelt and water pump is next for me as I was informed it was done 4 years ago and is approaching the 70k mile difference in which it is due. I would say yes to doing the cambelt and pump as, if I'm not mistaken it's every 5 years or 70k miles which almost ticks the box for yours.

Hope this helps!
 
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Eren S3 said:
Hi! How long have you had the car? I've had mine just over a year but treated it in such a way that I assumed no job had ever been done on the car so I had a few bits done that were in hindsight probably not necessary however if you plan on keeping the car it's good for the soul to know you've done everything you can. Mine was on 125k miles when I bought it so a little more than yours!

Cambelt and water pump is next for me as I was informed it was done 4 years ago and is approaching the 70k mile difference in which it is due. I would say yes to doing the cambelt and pump as, if I'm not mistaken it's every 5 years or 70k miles which almost ticks the box for yours.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response. I've had the car 2 years and have paperwork to State the car has been serviced every year and cambelt done in 2014 or 2015 i think it was.

Just wanted to get opinions as the Audi book states 120k miles.
 
Cam belt should be changed every 5 years or 60,000 miles whichever comes first


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Which engine do you have?

I had a '01 VW 1.9 TDI that required belt changing at 40K mi, then VW updated the components and it became 100K, then people said that was too long, so consensus was around 80K. In the end, I changed the belt not because of the belt, but because of the tensioner/roller squeeking/failing. Always get genuine or very good quality OEM components.

Point is, belts nowadays are super strong and wont stretch/fail like they used to, so I don't follow a fixed time interval for replacement. When I changed out my belt with 60K mi on it, it looked almost brand new. Maybe 0.3 mm thinner than a new belt, with no cracks, stretching, or wear visually.

If your owner's manual says 120K miles, then I'd just change it around 100K regardless of time for peace of mind. But you should always pay attention to any weird noises coming from the engine area, especially the timing belt area.
 
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findalex said:
Which engine do you have?

I had a '01 VW 1.9 TDI that required belt changing at 40K mi, then VW updated the components and it became 100K, then people said that was too long, so consensus was around 80K. In the end, I changed the belt not because of the belt, but because of the tensioner/roller squeeking/failing. Always get genuine or very good quality OEM components.

Point is, belts nowadays are super strong and wont stretch/fail like they used to, so I don't follow a fixed time interval for replacement. When I changed out my belt with 60K mi on it, it looked almost brand new. Maybe 0.3 mm thinner than a new belt, with no cracks, stretching, or wear visually.

If your owner's manual says 120K miles, then I'd just change it around 100K regardless of time for peace of mind. But you should always pay attention to any weird noises coming from the engine area, especially the timing belt area.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

The engine is a 1.6tdi auto. I haven't noticed any weird noises from the engine, I've tried having a glance at the belt and it looks ok to me in terms of no wear etc. I just don't want to fill out nearly £500 to have it changes if I don't need it done.
 
Dependent upon market you get different data.

Whether the book says five years in it or not & it's cheaper than a set of valves or worst case scenario an engine!
 

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I change mine every 4 years/40k miles but the deterioration is in age not mileage. Run it any further than that and you are risking the engine especially if its tuned.
 
Most manufacturers seem to create deliberate, slippery ambiguity around recommended cam belt change intervals - hence the range of views above. :glee:Audi UK told me that in May 2014 they changed their advice so that it became the first to arrive of the mileage in the handbook or 5-years. The advice they give to owners in other countries varies and is often a longer period. :sly:
 
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Retroman said:
Most manufacturers seem to create deliberate, slippery ambiguity around recommended cam belt change intervals - hence the range of views above. :glee:Audi UK told me that in May 2014 they changed their advice so that it became the first to arrive of the mileage in the handbook or 5-years. The advice they give to owners in other countries varies and is often a longer period. :sly:
Click to expand...

Ye I just spoke to Audi again and spoke to someone who seemed a little more honest.

So my car is EITHER 174k miles OR 5 years, I have until July next year for the 5 year mark.
 
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Me personelly , if there is no strange noises come from that area and if car is running fine in your eyes why change it
If your next service is close to your 5 yr do it then
 
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I disagree, at 50k miles and coming up to 5 years i would change it. what strange noises are you expecting from a belt before it snaps :)
I have had my wife for 10 years, makes a few funny noises and showing a few stretch marks, should i change her as well, i have lost her maintenance manual :)
 
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When I was deciding whether or not to changing the belt on my TDI, I searched the forums far and wide and didn't find many examples of the belts actually snapping. These belts aren't just rubber. There are multiple layers, with strong fiber layers sandwiched in between synthetic rubber layers.

The noise that I heard, twice before I had to change the belt due to the roller/tensioner, was a whinning noise. That started when cold, but then progressive became more consistent as time went on. I think both went on for about 6 months before I decided I should have a mechanic look at it. Both times the mechanics pointed correctly to the roller/tensioner as the source of the noise.

You're on 60K mi of the new belt, so you're in the gray area. Chances are you'll be find for another year or two until you reach around 80K on the belt, or when your tensioner/roller starts acting up. Or if the water pump starts to leak because its bearings are also subject to wear.

If I were in your shoes, I would just take care of it if the engine is being opened up for some other work, so the cost is just incremental. If not, I'd just wait for another year or two before thinking about it. Unless you start to hear noises.

BTW, My 2013 2.0 TDI USA-spec says to replace the timing belt at 130K (205 km), without any mentioningof time.
 
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findalex said:
These belts aren't just rubber. There are multiple layers, with strong fiber layers sandwiched in between synthetic rubber layers.
Click to expand...
I agree, modern (cam) belts are very strong and contain stuff like Kevlar. Most failures are usually down to something else on the same circuit e.g. water pump, tensioner etc. I've heard of a surprising number of failures soon after a belt change probably caused by something not being done correctly like replacement of tensioner/other wheels/water pump or not torqued properly.
 
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It’s not just the belt you’re replacing remember.

Those bearings in the tensioner and guide rollers have a lot of hours/miles on them.

My dad had a tensioner stud snap on his mk5 golf tdi setting him back £2k

Really it’s only around £100 and an afternoon to throw a new one on and have peace of mind and hopefully a reduced chance of disaster.
 
R0cket said:
My dad had a tensioner stud snap on his mk5 golf tdi setting him back £2k
Click to expand...

Replacing the tensioner stud is a very debatable territory on 2.0 tdi engines. That’s another story in itself.
 
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