I'm looking at a used 2001 Jetta TDI auto with about 69k miles on it and was wondering about the timing belt eminence on it (owner said it has never been changed). Called one dealer and the guy said he was thinking that all 2000 and above Jetta's auto's 85k before it needs changing, but have read here that's it's 40k when a auto needs changing, but the guy at the VW dealer ship did say he's new to VW and will double check. Anybody with an TDI auto know for sure. Thanks.
You've read correctly here. I don't have my owner's manual handy, but I know for a fact that the change interval for the _MANUAL_ transmission is 96,000 kilometres. That's 60,000 miles. The automatic transmission interval is less. Therefore, this vehicle NEEDS A NEW TIMING BELT regardless of the transmission!
The timing belt that will be installed will be of the new type. For a MANUAL transmission, the new belt will be good for 128,000 kilometres, less for an automatic.
You do NOT want to exceed the recommended limits. A friend of mine did not do the proper timing belt change on his Honda Odyssey, and ended up putting in a new engine.
Yes, changing the timing belt is expensive, but you need to remember that the gas engine also needs a timing belt change, albeit at a less frequent interval. My estimation is that maintenance costs for gas vs. diesel are pretty much equal (more frequent timing chain changes, half the oil changes). Even though diesel is around the same price as gasoline these days, the increased fuel economy and the convenience factor in having to buy fuel less frequently mean a lot to me.
FYI, I have a 2001 Jetta TDI 5spd with 160,000km on it.
In Waterloo, Ontario right now diesel is (Canadian) $.779 per litre, and regular unleaded gas fluctuates between $.75 and $.85. And now that home heating season is ALMOST (thank goodness!) over diesel should drop to about $.10 per litre below the price of regular unleaded gas, as it does every spring.
In the 25 years I've been driving diesel VWs I've only once seen the price of diesel go substantially above the price of gas, and that was for about 4-6 weeks just before the Iraq invasion.
In past years, it has gone down. Last year, it didn't seem to. I hope it's not the start of a trend.
There's no logic to the pricing of diesel. I think it's a fight between oil company profits and the power of lobby groups. There's no rational explanation for diesel to be cheaper than gasoline in one area, and significantly more expensive in another. I remember driving to Florida in 2001, and finding that diesel in Pennsylvania cost far more than gasoline, although everywhere else on the route it was cheaper.
If you go as far north as Victoria, the Olco station is usually about 3 cents less, although you have to pump yourself.
Diesel fuel is very similar to (but much cleaner than) home heating fuel. I've noticed that diesel prices go up in the late fall, and down in the spring. It's time.
For 2001, the specification for TDI engines in the US is that the timing belt should be changed every 60,000 miles for manual transmission, and every 40,000 miles for automatic transmission. A newer type timing belt and tensioner began to be used in 2002 (actually late 2001) to give longer change intervals (and it may be installed on earlier engines).
Standard transmission = 60,000 miles ... Automatic = 40,000 miles
If you exceed these mileages you're flirting with disaster - the TDI is an interference engine, when the belt breaks you destroy valves and pistons, risk bending connecting rods and risk breaking the crankshaft.
miles and it looked new.
wondering about the timing belt eminence on it
was thinking that all 2000 and above Jetta's auto's
The person at the dealership you talked to is correct. On the 99.5 and up tdi's it was first 6 and 40 but they changed the belt and tensioner and it's
80k on the standard and on newer ones the same belt was rated for 100k on the standards. There may be a decal on the belt cover teling you. Also there is a lot of mis information about tb change intervals on tdi's. When you read the owner's manual be carefull how you read it. They tell you to "check", not replace, it at 40k at least on my 99.5 jetta tdi. But for tdi questions go here.
I would hope the timing belt looked new when taking it off... It should... You don't want to see a cracked worn out belt, that means it could have snapped at any time, killing your rather expensive engine.
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