Routine cam belt replacement interval?

[Perfectos]

hopefully not "snap " the belt

Snap

 

[clarinetbcn]

I don’t think you can compare the diesel scandal with VW recommended service intervals. They would just say they were being overly “Cautious”

VW never recommended the 4 year scam, only the private UK importer. The official VW service schedule has been published here and on the T6 forum for over 5 years. At one point I posted a question to UK owners asking if it was a cultural aspect which led them to reject the manufacturer’s official statement, published right here, and you can imagine how that went.

Significantly, the official VW service schedule specifies belt inspection at every service, which UK dealers skipped to lower costs. Without this regular inspection, the new local UK schedule which now has no time limit is a recipe for disaster. UK owners alone will have to fight to fix this, or literally pay the consequences.

 

[WelshGas]

Commercial Transporter owners frequently replace cambelts prior to the 4 Yr limit just based on milage alone. Its only low milage conversion and California owners that change on time rather than milage.

 

[clarinetbcn]

210k kilometres. Or 130k miles.

But VW has always specified belt inspection at every service, which UK dealers have until now skipped in order to reduce expenses. This is truly a mess for UK owners, because if uninspected belts fail, UK dealers will blame the owner.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Commercial Transporter owners frequently replace cambelts prior to the 4 Yr limit just based on milage alone. Its only low milage conversion and California owners that change on time rather than milage.

Not true. UK mechanics on the T6 forum have been changing belts on low mileage Transporters at 4 years, and piously claiming that anyone who doesn’t is negligent about maintenance.

I would add that you @WelshGas have been one of the fiercest defenders of the 4 year change in spite of @Loz having posted the official VW schedule here 5 years ago, which was what lead me to ask if the resistance to facts was cultural. Many insults, as expected, insued, none of which helped members of this forum.

 

[WelshGas]

Not true. UK mechanics on the T6 forum have been changing belts on low mileage Transporters at 4 years, and piously claiming that anyone who doesn’t is negligent about maintenance.

I would add that you @WelshGas have been one of the fiercest defenders of the 4 year change in spite of @Loz having posted the official VW schedule here 5 years ago, which was what lead me to ask if the resistance to facts was cultural. Many insults, as expected, insued, none of which helped members of this forum.

Seeing as I changed mine at 4 yrs and 80,000 miles I consider that acceptable. No one knows , what the effect of laying up the vehicle for 6 months at a time does to a rubber component, in one position, under tension . As has been mentioned in Europe I believe an annual check of the Cambelt condition is recommended as an interim measure. This is not mentioned by U.K. dealers nor undertaken.
Personally, I don’t believe a milage only change interval is sensible on low milage vehicles without some additional checks.
No different to tyres on a low milage vehicle which can develope splits and other damage despite minimal tread wear and which the tyre manufacturers recommend renewing at5 yrly intervals.
Is that a moneymaking or a safety recommendation?

 

[RSMarco]

Hi, what year / model is your van ?

Sept 2019. I'll ask for the timing belt to be checked during the service. I'll have the belt and waterpump changed at 5 years if everything is ok anyway.

 

[clarinetbcn]

No one knows , what the effect of laying up the vehicle for 6 months at a time does to a rubber component, in one position, under tension .

Reality check: How many members here lay up their vehicles for 6 months at a time (edit) without even starting the engine?

Straw man - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

simple.wikipedia.org

"Personally, I don’t believe a milage only change interval is sensible on low milage vehicles without some additional checks."

That is exactly why the official VW service schedule calls for belt inspection at every service.

UK owners will only get access to the service provided in all other VW markets if they demand it. No one will do it for them.

 

[WelshGas]

Reality check: How many members here lay up their vehicles for 6 months at a time?

Straw man - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

simple.wikipedia.org

Recent post from a Forum member, 22,000 miles in 8 years.
Numerous examples of less than 5,000 miles a year and requesting advice about storage over winter.

 

[Velma's Dad]

That is exactly why the official VW service schedule calls for belt inspection at every service.

My local VW independent said to me, and I think any (honest) mechanic/fitter would say the same, that a visual inspection of a timing or drive belt won't tell you anything really useful, unless it's obviously frayed or cracked but that's not normally what happens.

I was also told that in general - not sure about with Calis - snapped belts are commonly caused by faulty tensioners. A visual inspection of that could of course give early warning.

Realistically though, are you going to pay the garage to take off the timing belt cover at every service to inspect? I certainly don't.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

I believe @Loz contacted the manufacturer and they gave the timing belt a life of 10 years

 

[Bellcrew]

I believe @Loz contacted the manufacturer and they gave the timing belt a life of 10 years

So 130 k miles or ten years is the new policy hey, VW UK are now refusing to change the cam belt at 4 years cos they have presumably been shown a copy of the manufacturers rejection criteria that applies to their diesel vans in the rest of the world.
If the belt fails before the new age/mileage limits, that are now apparently mandatory, particularly if it occurs after they refused to change it when the owner was trying to keep to the old criteria are they now liable for the damage caused?
I could have taken out the extended warranty/service/MOT scheme before my van reached 6 years old but as I thought their old policy of changing the cam belt at 4 year intervals was absurd, it left me unable to access that scheme, all curiouser and curiouser.

 

[Declan333]

My van is booked in for its 4 year service today with a VW dealer. I asked about the timing belt and they confirmed that VW has changed its policy of changing the belt every four years to mileage. My van has 34,000 miles.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

So 130 k miles or ten years is the new policy hey, VW UK are now refusing to change the cam belt at 4 years cos they have presumably been shown a copy of the manufacturers rejection criteria that applies to their diesel vans in the rest of the world.
If the belt fails before the new age/mileage limits, that are now apparently mandatory, particularly if it occurs after they refused to change it when the owner was trying to keep to the old criteria are they now liable for the damage caused?
I could have taken out the extended warranty/service/MOT scheme before my van reached 6 years old but as I thought their old policy of changing the cam belt at 4 year intervals was absurd, it left me unable to access that scheme, all curiouser and curiouser.

I can’t imagine that the dealers are refusing to change the water pump and cam belt at 4 years. I’ve never known a garage actually turn down work just because it’s not 100% necessary. It would be £500 lost for a simple job.

 

[bigmac77]

Go to TikTok and search for TheVWMechanic and watch his views on the new timing belt change interval. Don’t think I’ll be waiting that long.