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So VW say replace the cam belt after 125000 miles / 75000 miles in very dusty conditions / 4yrs. Our van is now 4yrs old but only done 55000 (non dusty) miles. Am I being stupid thinking I can leave the cam belt for a while?
Get it done.. And the water pump.
It's got a time or mileage recommendation for a reason... Plus a cambelt service is cheaper than a new engine.
Get it checked if you like, no need to go throwing money at people
I got mine done at 60k mi - not worth the risk going beyond this. Get the water pump & thermostat done too. My thermostat failed recently & the van overheated. Luckily I stopped & had it recovered without any lasting damage.
skids - Member
Get it checked if you like, no need to go throwing money at people
How do you check a cambelt?
Serious question because I've always been told it was impractical to check them.
Tension and wear?
If the water pump or a pulley fails it can be catastrophic for the engine.
Checking cambelt propperly= removing it inspectin for cracks and wear
Whats a 4 year old transporter worth ? 20 grand or something stupid or like that! Vs a couple hundred quid to do the correct mainntainance.
are we talking 1.9 the 2.5 or the newer 2.0ltr engine?
2.5 doesn't have a cambelt.
If you're going to the effort of removing the cam belt then just change it, they're cheap. I don't believe you can inspect cambelts. Yes, if you see cracking and obvious deterioration then you've been lucky. If it's crack free and looks fine you have no way of telling how much life is left until it starts to deteriorate - is it weeks or years? I'm relaxed on calendar time with cambelts. It's a bit of a nonsense as they could have sat on the shelf for years before it gets fitted, so on the basis there are no controls over shelf life then it can't be that critical. I'll loosley observe the time limitation but happy to delay the belt replacement for a year or so until a more convenient time. The wife's fiat 500's belt currently has 6 yrs on it against a 5 yr recommendation at 35k miles vs a 75k mile replacement interval. It'll get replaced at the next service in a couple of months, mainly because we're looking to sell it this year as a good selling point - it had a lot of other work at the last service so the cambelt got delayed.
It's upto you, it's a good point that it's a cheap job relative to the value of the vehicle.
Mine went on my T4 around 1000 miles before i should have changed it. Sob
Thinking about it even now, years on is still traumatic. Won't be making that mistake again.
Thanks one and all - looks like we'll change it then!
Its only worth the risk if its not a keeper. Unfortunately I don't think I'm up to date with mine, and whilst its not VW money its certainly worth enough to warrant it.