Cambelt Schedule - CONFUSED!

[cupra_tdi]

Hi

Before anyone says, I have used the search button!

I have an Ibiza Cupra TDI. It says in my service book that the belt needs to be done at 60,000 miles.

Nowhere in the book does it say that I need to get it done every 4 years. However, I've read on a few places that it does need to be done every 4 years. This 4 year period, will be due in September of this year, and I'm just confused....

Can anyone clear it up for me?

Thanks.

 

[kriso]

It's 60k miles or 4 years. I got mine done last month as it was 4 years altho only 25k miles. This normally includes the waterpump too as they are prone to failure.

 

[robreidmotors]

It will probably be 60k or 4 years, whichever comes first.

Mind you the cambelt failing is very expensive so its worth doing to put your mind at rest.

Cost depends, about £50 for belt kit (get kit which includes tensioners) and probably up to an hour and a half fitting.

 

[rocky2008]

mines just hit 64k and ive replaced the cambelt .. how ever even tho it was 4000 miles over what it should be when i took the belt off it was in good condition so it cant be that important to be honest

 

[cupra_tdi]

Thanks for the quick reply. How much did they charge you, dont mind me asking? Was it at a dealer, or an independant specialist?

 

[rocky2008]

to be fair mate it isnt a big job to do ... deffos worth having a go yor self...alot cheeper than the garages too

 

[robreidmotors]

I took mine to a garage owned by an airport taxi company, they use skoda octavias so are pretty up on vw's.

The timing set-up can be unique, on mine which is petrol you have to align three pulleys as apposed to the normal two.

I got charged £46 labour, which is very cheap but they are very good.

Re above, the thing with cambelts is they can look okay, and might be okay, but if they are not okay and they snap then its goodbye engine or expensive repairs.

re doing it yourself, you can get a clear diagram from autodata showing you the timing setup and instructions.

 

[Torquemonster]

Thanks for the quick reply. How much did they charge you, dont mind me asking? Was it at a dealer, or an independant specialist?

Got mine done at a dealer.Belt,tensioner,pump and new coolant.£330(inc vat).
Cheapest quote was £299(dealer),but couldn't be bothered travelling the distance to get there.Only got 1 independant quote,for £326.Shop around.Mine was a 130 Sport,but i don't imagine the price will be much different for a Cupra.

 

[old 'uns]

mines just hit 64k and ive replaced the cambelt .. how ever even tho it was 4000 miles over what it should be when i took the belt off it was in good condition so it cant be that important to be honest

you've got a lot to learn...ever seen an engine after a belt has gone? not pretty.
general concesus of probably 99% on here.. get it done earlier than later.

 

[robreidmotors]

old un

You did this to me few days ago, you are quite right and yes i disagree with him but i dont think we need the cheap put downs on here. Spoils the forum.

 

[rocky2008]

yeah i see what u meen about it snappin .... i wud reccomend fixin it yorself tho ... its easy for me to say as itis practically my every day job ... i have also done the timing chain on it which is a night mare ... also the head gasket .... which is a massive job on the 3cylinder engines ... have stripped and rebuilt it 3times now

 

[rocky2008]

you've got a lot to learn...ever seen an engine after a belt has gone? not pretty.
general concesus of probably 99% on here.. get it done earlier than later.

yes fair enough how ever after stripping it 3times ... changin the engine in and astra mk2 and changin a gear box in a nissan skyline r32 i think i have a good understanding of engines thanks

 

[kriso]

I got mine done at a VAG specialist. The belt is about £25, the tensioner and idler pulleys about £70, the waterpump about £30. The VAG waterpumps often fail as they have a plastic impeller which can shatter and send bits of plastic pumping around your engine block, so the norm is they are replaced at the same time as the cam belt as you need to remove the belt etc to do that anyway. You will need to replace the coolant and G12 anti-freeze when you do this. I went for an aftermarket waterpump with a metal impeller.

All in it costs around £300 including labour. It's not a fun job to do, paticularly on the bigger 1.8T or PD engines so just take it to a garage because if you don't get the belt teeth aligned properly, things can go wrong.

 

[cupra_tdi]

I had a belt go on an old Ford Escort TDI. Alive to dead, in 0.1 seconds. Damn it. Only owned it for 13 days.

Thanks for the replies so quickly, I will get in touch with my local dealer, see what they can do it for. We are 99.9% sure we want to sell the car, but it will be easier to sell with the belt done I think.

 

[kriso]

mines just hit 64k and ive replaced the cambelt .. how ever even tho it was 4000 miles over what it should be when i took the belt off it was in good condition so it cant be that important to be honest

Don't the 1.2s have a chain instead of a cambelt?

 

[rocky2008]

oh **** .. ive miss read ... yeah they have a chain .. i was on about the alternator belt sorry folks.... and them chains are a ******* to time up and when they slip then cause all sorts of problems .. i.e .. belt vavles .. smashed cams etc. i replaced that though and the kit did come with a new tensioner so i guess the cambelt kit will do too.

 

[Torquemonster]

I had a belt go on an old Ford Escort TDI. Alive to dead, in 0.1 seconds. Damn it. Only owned it for 13 days.

Thanks for the replies so quickly, I will get in touch with my local dealer, see what they can do it for. We are 99.9% sure we want to sell the car, but it will be easier to sell with the belt done I think.

Make sure they stamp up your book to prove the work has been done.Nice to see you've got a conscience,not selling on something - that could be a nightmare to someone not aware of the importance of a cambelt change.

 

[robreidmotors]

Re selling car

If youre selling I wouldnt bother with the cambelt if its going to cost a few hundred. Just be honest with the buyer and say its a good idea to get that done.

 

[old 'uns]

old un

You did this to me few days ago, you are quite right and yes i disagree with him but i dont think we need the cheap put downs on here. Spoils the forum.

cheap put down?

... so it cant be that important to be honest

this is from someone who knows about engines?

bye bye

 

[robreidmotors]

Not difficult to understand what i wrote.

The point is he made a mistake, so just tell him, without the nonsense of 'youve got a lot to learn' there is simply no need for it.