Cam belt change?

[ellectrastar]

I have a 2009 VW Passat diesel estate. It's just gone over 60,000 miles and I'm wondering when I need to get the cam belt (or is it a timing belt -- I'm not sure of the difference!) changed? When we were looking at vehicles to buy most dealers said 80,000, but when I look online I keep seeing 60,000. I don't want it to go wrong or anything and end up paying out loads because I didn't get it done at the right time.

Thank you in advance!

[Eshrules]

60k or 4 years.

you're due

[Crasher]

The only definitive figure laid down in writing by VAG Germany is every 111600 miles for the common rail CB series engines and that’s just for the belt, they say 223200 miles for the tensioner!

[davmal735]

On the VW web site is tis little snippet:"cam belt change around every four years"http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/servicing/what-we-check-and-why/cambelt-change

[Teflon]

A regular topic on here with only two points of view - yes you do or no you don't. Here's the most recent discusssion thread, with some more VW info to add to Crasher's comment ..... Cam belt wisdom sought

I'm in the camp that thinks the 4 year rule is a massive con to allow dealers to persuade you to spend money unnecessarily. That's even though many years ago I had a belt snap and I've still got the bad back from lifting out the engine to sort out the carnage. VAG is the only brand with such a short "advisory" time interval, so it can't be a materials degredation issue if other manufacturers are suggesting 10 years.

I'd probably do one on a car I'd not owned from new, because I didn't know it's history. But because we've had our 3 family cars all their lives none of them is getting a new belt any time soon.

At the end of the day, I suppose it depends if you are a belt and braces man or a more happy-go-lucky type.

[Crasher]

On the VW web site is tis little snippet:"cam belt change around every four years"http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/servicing/what-we-check-and-why/cambelt-change

That's way too vague, it should be more specific. I hate this 4/5 year rule. I often have to change perfectly good belts because they are time expired. The problem with me ignoring the rule is that if I told someone not to bother and it snapped, I would at least be liable for the damage. The worst example for me of this was a really nice old chap, a pensioner, who bought me a 9 year old Octavia 1.4 16v in for service with 15K miles on it from new. The belt was perfect but nearly double time expired and I had to recommend it being done but it made me feel awful. It was four odd years ago and it still bugs me and next year I will have to recommend it being done again and he will have done 4K miles in that time judging by his annual mileage from the services we still do.

[ellectrastar]

It's going in for a service next week and I'm going to get it done. Like Teflon says, if I'd owned it from new I probably wouldn't, but it was a rental car in its previous life so who knows how it was driven! It's done 60k in three years so practically double the average.

We got the belt done on our old Passat not long after we bought it, had it for about ten years and didn't get another belt in that whole time with no problems.

I guess it does deteriorate over time but would credit how many miles it does with most of the wear and tear.

I just know if I don't get it done, and something happens, I will be kicking myself! And from now on I'll know exactly how much love it's been driven with!

[patomlin76]

It's going in for a service next week and I'm going to get it done. Like Teflon says, if I'd owned it from new I probably wouldn't, but it was a rental car in its previous life so who knows how it was driven! It's done 60k in three years so practically double the average.

We got the belt done on our old Passat not long after we bought it, had it for about ten years and didn't get another belt in that whole time with no problems.

I guess it does deteriorate over time but would credit how many miles it does with most of the wear and tear.

I just know if I don't get it done, and something happens, I will be kicking myself! And from now on I'll know exactly how much love it's been driven with!

That's the thing - once you've replaced it you'll know exactly how the car is being treated. I did the same thing. Buying the car at 4 years old with 33K on the clock I wondered whether it needed doing. The service book states 120,000 or 5 years but I got it done anyway because it was new to me.

Since then the car has been treated well and (considering the belt that was replaced was perfectly good when inspected) I am not planning on changing the belt again on my car even though the mileage is now 92,000. There can be a lot of scaremongering when you search on the internet, however I personally believe a genuine VAG timing belt will go on for a lot more than 4 years or 60K. Considering I want to change the car next year I am sticking to the service book guidance

(My wife's Ford Focus is still on the original belt and that is an '04 with 60K on the clock. It is however being changed later this year as we don't want to sell this car just yet)

[mikecb1]

I changed mine at 5 years and 30k miles. The rationale was that I will probably keep the car for another couple of years, and to satisfy a private buyer and get top money I would have to prove that the belt had been changed. That being the case, better to change it now and have the benefit of peace of mind from now until I sell, rather than having it done just before selling.

Mikecb1

[Quatrelle]

When mine goes in for its annual service in December it will be 6 years old and will have done the grand total of 27k miles (43k kms). It will be interesting to see what the (French) VW dealer says about the cambelt - and the (original) brake fluid, etc.