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Timing Belt Gamble?

15K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  voxmagna 
#1 ·
Greetings! My 2007 2.0T is at 63,000 miles and I'm told that by age alone the timing belt needs to be replaced (while the dealer insisted I wait until a flat 100k). I'm fine with that, but my wallet isn't just yet. I'm working on saving the funds for replacement, but in the meanwhile I have 350 upcoming round-trip miles that I'll be driving within the month.

My question is, should I be worried about the belt making the trip, or is it likely not going to be an issue? I had her checked out after my purchase about a month ago, and she's mechanically sound -- no noises or worrisome activity.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I doubt anybody will give you advice contradicting what VW recommends. You can make up your own mind from some of my own info:

1. I pulled my belt out of my 2007 TDi at 42K which had gone over the 5 year point. The old belt had stretched a bit because the new belt was such a pig to get on I thought it was too short!

2. I'm no expect on belt wear, but I bent the old belt back and couldn't see any nasty stresses or cracks in the rubber.

3. The roller bearing tensioner still looked and felt smooth like new and there was no noise from the water pump, which I will replace at 60K. TDi BMM engines have some reported history on the water pump bearing failure which is in the timing belt drive loop.

4. Our EOS is never redlined. Pushing the rpm quickly up and down will increase stresses on the belt.

5. I've had other cars (not VW) I've run on to 75 K before changing the belt. However, I've occasionally spotted a broken toothed timing belt shed in the road, so they do fail and cause a big grenade headache for the vehicle owner.

6. Manufacturer recommends on timing belts tend to be conservative around worst case scenarios. If the vehicle is regularly redlined in each gear and driven hard by a motorhead, I would still expect the belt to go their 60K 5 years.
 
#3 ·
63,000 miles = 100,000kM - time to change the timing belt IMHO as insurance against a future EXPENSIVE engine rebuild if you experience a timing belt failure. Been there, done that with my workhouse as documented elsewhere in this forum - see post #11 in the thread below:

http://www.vweosclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10562

The following information from another Forum thread is also relevant:

"Quote:
Originally Posted by Eosman
Why does a cam belt have to be changed at 60/70k miles or 4 years?

When my car is 4, in a year's time, it will have less than half that mileage.

Does a belt rot within four years? I suspect a belt deteriates far more from wear than through age!

Interestingly I've heard that local small garages are not taking on cam belt replacements for fear that they would be liable to major repairs if they broke.

This implies that a new cam belt is probably no more reliable than a old one with 69,999 miles of use after 7 years.

Just a thought."



This is called preventative maintenance or as I prefer to call it - bank account depletion insurance.

Parts on motor vehicles fail from 2 main causes:
1. Wear
2. Breakdown of the materials used in the components
Certain items will fail by a combination of these causes - timing belts and brake hoses are good examples of critical components that can cause costly damage if they fail. The materials of construction are prone to environmental degradation regardless of whether they are in use or not. This is why the replacement specification will state "replace at XXXX miles/Km or 4 years whichever comes first" - the manufacturer will include a safety margin knowing owners will not comply religiously with this specification.

This preventative maintenance aspect of car ownership has always been and will continue to be a problem with owners who do not appreciate the reasons why components fail especially in situations involving limited use.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Have the external drive belts, water pump, the timing belt idler and belt tensioner replaced at the same time whilst they are accessible; this is a preventative maintenance measure to minimise having to replace them during the life of the replacement belt incurring the additional cost of repeating what has already been done whilst replacing the timing belt.

Along with servicing the DSG transmission, timing belt belt replacement would be amongst the most expensive routine services for the Eos and other VW models.

You are fortunate in being able to work extra hours to pay for this work and not have to rely on your savings.
 
#6 ·
Silvershadow, I used to keep savings around for this sort of thing, but I willingly wiped myself out to buy this car (and, cough, some amazing camping gear). Yes, super fortunate to be able to work extra, and I look forward to the day when I can build my savings back instead of burning it up on maintenance! Got the other maintenance out of the way, though, so after this I'll be grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
 
#7 ·
Bad luck can happen to anybody with all these complex modern cars. If I wasn't competent to do my own maintenance I would want that peace of mind from my service shop.

When I am on a long trip I do pass cars with hazards lit waiting for the breakdown truck. One day I could be in the same position, but I like to think if I have done my work correctly, anticipated possible problems or have had a dealer inspection and service done (never!) - then I have done everything reasonable to avoid the breakdown headache.

I have a breakdown insurance policy that covers any vehicles driven by myself and my wife, although it is not a substitute for regular checks and maintenance. Wifey is not technical, but she is very good at telling me if something feels or sounds different.
 
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