No replacement interval timing belt, fuel filter and gear oil?

[Ibiza6LSweden]

So it seems that modern car manufacturers are more inclined to label something as life-time to give the appeal of lower maintenance and therefore stress-free ownership, but how do you if something is actually life-time or a marketing ploy destined for disaster?

Looking at the official repair manual for my car it states that the timing belt on petrol cars doesn't need to be replaced and that it should be checked first after 90000 km (60000 miles) and then every 30000 km (19000 miles) after that, as far as I can tell the car is still running on the original timing belt and it has developed very small cracks (although hard to see) on the back but otherwise everything seems pretty good and no leaking water pump. I suspect it would be wise to schedule a timing belt replacement in the near future mostly due to age, but how often do these belts actually fail and in what manner? Are the belts known to snap or tensioners fail?

Fuel filter is also original and has never been changed although there doesn't seem to be any issues with clogging or what not and the car runs fine so I suspect I don't need to touch it? Also Sweden doesn't have issues with bad fuel or dirty fuel.

The car has a manual transmission and the repair manual states permanent but again I'm wondering if it's wise to change with new fluid or leave it there? The car runs fine and shifts very smoothly with no engagement issues.

Car: Seat ibiza 6L 2004
Engine: 1,4 litre petrol code "BBY"
Transmission: Manual 5-gear code "GRZ"
Mileage as of writing: 65 000 miles (105 000 km)

 

[R3k1355]

If it's belt they generally need doing around 90,000-100,000km, it's chains that are usually referred to as 'lifetime'.

Continental recommend every 90,000km, considering they probably produce the belt that's pretty good advice.

https://www.continental-industry.com/getmedia/8dfb65b2-a3c9-43b0-a007-3faabfffbaee/PTG8625-DeEnEs-Timing-belt-replacement-intervals.pdf

 

[Ibiza6LSweden]

If it's belt they generally need doing around 90,000-100,000km, it's chains that are usually referred to as 'lifetime'.

Continental recommend every 90,000km, considering they probably produce the belt that's pretty good advice.

https://www.continental-industry.com/getmedia/8dfb65b2-a3c9-43b0-a007-3faabfffbaee/PTG8625-DeEnEs-Timing-belt-replacement-intervals.pdf

It's says to inspect the belt at first 90k then every 30k after, like the manual. Seems reasonable to change every 100k though.

 

[RUM4MO]

With and engine like the BBY, I'd be getting that cambelt and its associated tensioner and all idler pulleys replaced now along with the water pump and so coolant.

Typically, I think, it is the water pump bearing and/or some of the associated tensioner or idler pulleys that causes failure before the actual material of the belt fails, I think that so far, you have been very lucky, so time to get some work done before that engine gets seriously damaged.

I always got the cambelt etc replaced at 4.5 years/35,000miles on the BBY and roughly 5 years/40,000miles on the later version of this engine as by that time VW Group had deleted an idler - I think. Along with replacing the water pump at every second cambelt change.

That was for a car that my wife used every day so I did not need it to end up faulty as she used it 5 days a week to travel to her place of work - no work = no income!

Edit:- VW Group did not provide a full set of new idler pulleys in their cambelt kit for the BBY, so my proper Indie VW Group specialist always added in the top idler pulley from the TDI engine, on this BBY, that pulley comes connected to a link arm - but on the 4 cylinder TDI engine it comes as an individual pulley, so he just removed the old pulley from the top link arm and fitted a new pulley from the TDI engine - he did this as he had witnessed too many cambelt failures being caused by failure of that top pulley!

Another Edit:- please note that Conti are not handing out advice on when to replace "cambelt drive kit" they are only giving advise on the expected/typical safe lifetime, in mileage only, for their belts, there is no mention of "years" on service, and as these materials also harden and so become brittle/fragile with age, I'd be adding in some safe time period to that advise if it is to be taken as being useful.