When to change timing belt.

GillB

Active Member
Oct 8, 2018
5
2
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for a bit of advice please. I have a 2015 (65 plate) 1.4 petrol FR which has done approximately 48,000. I understand that the car is fitted with a timing belt and not a chain, and believe that SEAT recommend that a replacement is every 4 years or every 50K which ever is soonest. Is this correct please? I have my car regularly serviced and any work is carried out and I don't drive the car hard or near its limits. The next service is due in October, can this wait to be done or is it best to book it in before this. During the lockdown I haven't driven the car much and will probably not do so for the next few months.
Many thanks
Gill
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I thought it was 5 years or XX miles, mine is due to age but only 24k on the clock, scary thing is service manager told me my car is chain, probably time to look around for prices, approx £500 plus a decent warranty at Seat butI know of a couple of ex master techs running their own business’s, cost v warranty here. Always willing to take advice though.
 

Wastedagen

Active Member
Aug 3, 2017
478
101
Milton keynes
Mine is the 2014 1.2 petrol. Not sure how much this is different this is from the 1.4 engine.
I was told it was 120,000 or 5 years.... I changed mine at 103,000 cos it hit 5 year old.
My car doesn't need the water pump changing as it wasn't disturbed during cam belt change.
I paid £356 at a VAG specialist.... This included the anxilary belt too....
 
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Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
If you get it done at a Seat dealer you get a five-year warranty.

The water pump is always changed at the same time because the pump itself is not too expensive but changing it is the same job as changing the belt. So if it fails a few years after you get the belt done it's double the cost. Plus the potential damage no coolant circulation could do!

Just doesn't make any sense to change the belt and not change the pump at the same time.
 
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SteveGSXR600K1

Active Member
May 6, 2017
572
187
The water pump is always changed at the same time because the pump itself is not too expensive but changing it is the same job as changing the belt. So if it fails a few years after you get the belt done it's double the cost. Plus the potential damage no coolant circulation could do!

Just doesn't make any sense to change the belt and not change the pump at the same time.
From what I've read on here before, changing the waterpump at the same time as the belt only applies to their diesel engines. Like you've said, it's due to having to take the belt off to get to the waterpump.
 
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Soundlab

Active Member
Sep 14, 2019
41
10
Funnily enough, mine is having the cambelt and water pump done today (also a 1.4 FR) - by a local specialist rather than the nearest Dealer (which is about 20 miles away and in the middle of nowhere). Mine is between 5 and 6 years old now (64-plate). It's going to be expensive as while it's there it's having a major service (likely to include spark plugs as I can see from the history they've not been changed previously) and an air-con service as well.
 

Rooster

Active Member
Oct 27, 2018
1,188
326
Yorkshire
If you get it done at a Seat dealer you get a five-year warranty.

The water pump is always changed at the same time because the pump itself is not too expensive but changing it is the same job as changing the belt. So if it fails a few years after you get the belt done it's double the cost. Plus the potential damage no coolant circulation could do!

Just doesn't make any sense to change the belt and not change the pump at the same time.
On the EA211 petrol engines the water pump is driven completely separate from the timing belt, and therefore there is no need to replace it.
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
It depends on the model or family of engines whither the water pump needs changing or the belt needs changing at 5 years. The EA211 family have the water pump at the other end of the engine and it has its own small belt I think. Also the type of belt fitted to these EA211 engines only needs changing if it is showing signs of degradation and so needs to too inspected at every service inspection after maybe 5 years. That is from the official workshop manual.

As I do my own basic servicing and repair work, I check the condition of the belt and the inlet camshaft variable timing pulley at every service and will probably get an indie to replace the belt at 6 or 7 years, that car averages 7.5K miles a year.

The EA211 family of engines are the 4 cylinder petrol engines with 16 valves and the turbo mounted at the rear of the engine, ie nearest the passenger cell.

The 5 year "rule" came in round about 2007 I think replacing the 4 year "rule" after some engine's had their camshaft drive changed/improved - and sticking with that recommended change period probably suited too many main dealerships workshops just fine revenue wise.

The idea of changing this item from a "scheduled change" period to a "when required" period scares me quite a bit, ie "don't worry only replace when it needs replacing" - I don't think most people will want to take that risk and so will get it replaced by a certain time/miles and I've chosen 6>7 years.
 

Soundlab

Active Member
Sep 14, 2019
41
10
Just had a call from the garage doing mine who advised that, as per the comments above, they didn't need to do the water pump, so saved me a few quid.
 
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GillB

Active Member
Oct 8, 2018
5
2
Thanks everyone for your replies, as a novice I need to read and digest this ......
 
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martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
Just had a call from the garage doing mine who advised that, as per the comments above, they didn't need to do the water pump, so saved me a few quid.
Did you get an itemised bill? Ie what was the timing belt change charge? Ta.
 
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