replacing timing belt

550 000 km? wow. (i assume you meant 55000 km )

i don't have any experience with tdi's but here is what i know about that belt and the 20v 1.8T engine.

generally the waterpump is not replaced until it breaks (but vag might say otherwise). usually the belt is replaced when the pump is being replaced (you are already in the same place so might as well do it)

the belt itself is usually replaced around every 100 000 km or so or when it shows signs of wear.

the labor involved with replacing the belt is usually about $100 usd +- $40 at most service stations (not dealer, but independent mechanic) and the belt itself is around $30 or so (depends on where you get it)

if you do need to replace the waterpump there are a range of aftermarket alternatives that are much cheaper than getting it from the dealer.

doing the work yourself (if you have the tools and place to do it) is also pretty straightforward. just get a book that walks you through it (bentley books are the best)

also i recommend asking on

in the tdi forum.there are quite a few guys there that know the engines very well.

In order to cut costs the past several years. VW started to install water pumps that have plastic impeller rather than a metal one. These plastic impellers routinely crack and fall apart in about 70,000 miles. That's why it is recommended to replace it with the timing belt since the pump would be easily accessible then. I think you can purchase an aftermarket water pump for 1.8T that has a metal impeller. Otherwise your VW dealer would just put another plastic one in.

Be careful whose advice you take on this - I'd listen to folks with TDI engines only, because different engines are, well, different. On my 89 jetta changing the timing belt is pretty straightforward, and I changed the waterpump on it because it was cheap and easy to do with the pulleys off the car. But on my 96 passat vr6 motor, whole different ballgame and much more difficult.

Well, based on your model year I would think this is the type of pump that is (of course) running off the timing belt, partly built into the block as opposed to the early style that was running off a 'fan belt' (v belt) from a second pulley on the crank. Same kind of belts also ran the Alt, and the P/S-A/C if you had em.

In the old style you could do them separately but in _your_ case the timing belt needs to be disturbed to replace the water pump so this is one of those thing where you might as well do them while you are in there.

It's partly a preventative measure and partly a 'pay me now or pay me later' type thing.

What is the replacement interval for the belt? For the water pump?

TBerk

I suspect you are thinking of the serpentine belt rather than the timing belt.

Cut costs?? Do you have any idea how TINY if any at all that change would reduce costs?? We are talking a penny per water pump!!!!!

IT is INSANE to think that VW would make such a change for cost reasons.

Not at all. a penny per car adds up when you are talking VW volumes.

Automotive engineers have been known to make pacts with Beelzebub to save a nickel a unit.

nate

Replace the pump. If it fails and the belt jumps as much as one tooth you'll be replacing the engine - do you want to spend $140 now or $5,000 later? TDIs are interference engines due to the high compression required.

You might want to look here as well ...

me for replacing the timing belt the price he gave me

new water pump. When I asked him why, he answered

true? Shouldn't the water pump last a lot longer

original water pump was replaced after 550 000 km.

According to my Haynes manual the replacement interval for the timing belt is 90 000 km, but no interval is stated for the water pump, so I assumed it was something that was replaced when broken. Does the Bentley manual say something else? My only other experience with water pumps is a pump that broke down after 550 000 km, so I thought they almost last forever. I could understand that you replace the timing belt when you replace the water pump, as mad8vskillz stated, but not the other way around.

According to a701440 they don't last that long anymore, so I guess I'd better replace the water pump too.

Thanks to all who answered to my question.

/Sven

"rat" wrote

I have a relative who works for an automobile manufacturer. The word came from "on high" that costs HAD to be reduced X% per year. That's hard to do.

A penney eh? Think again. It is small when compared to the purchase price for sure, but as already been stated, the mfgs look for the sweet spot on cost.

$100 i can give you the numbers of about 100 local (pennsylvania) garages that can do it for that or less.

If your water pump runs off the t-belt, then by all means replace it when replacing the t-belt.

I know all about the automotive industry. I work for a major supplier of lubricants to the US auto industry and know first hand about how they squeeze their suppliers. But make no mistake, there is NO lowering of quality standards. The Japanese cars will KILL them if they do. I seriously doubt VW is any different.

Replace the timing belt on a TDI for $100? You're dreaming.

It's $53.00 for the belt and $37.00 for the tensioner (at discount pricing ... not dealer pricing). That's $90.00. Then there's the "one use only" motor mount stretch bolts that have to be replaced. Parts alone are over $100.00 ... add 4 hours labor to that. I assume these mechanics also have all the correct tools for the TDI such as the cam lock and the injection pump locking pin to keep everything aligned ... and the Vag-Com tool the set the injection pump timing once the belt's on?

At the dealer it's about $105CND for the belt and around the same for the tensioner, and 74 bucks times 4 for labour.

Plus 15% tax, and you're looking at a nice little bill.