VW Polo 1.9TDi 2007 Cambelt & Glow Plug light

Hi all,

So I have a 2007 Polo 1.9TDi with 223 500km on the clock. It needs to be serviced in about 1500km.

Is it true that the cambelt/timing belt only has to be replaced every 120 000km these days? The previous and only replacement of the belt was done at 124 000km. It would be great if I can do it with the next service at 140 000km, as I can save up some cash for it, but I don't want make a foolish choice and then end up with a broken car.

The other thing I am curious about is my Glow Plug light (the one that you have to wait to go off before switching on a diesel). It randomly started flashing a few days ago. It flashes and then goes off after a while. The car hasn't lost any power and no other Check Engin lights go on or anything. Is this something to worry about, or should I just mention this to the workshop when I take the car for a service next month?

I hope someone can advice me on this a bit, as I am not the biggest mechanic around town

Hello
What is your engine code?
If its a PD (pump duse) type, VAG has several different cambelt replace interval depending on the enviroment conditions of the market.
For example, here in Mexico I know VAG recommends cambelt replacement every 80k kilometers for high dust regions in Mexico. Of course this is coming for the dealer that charges the equivalent of 1000 USD for this job.

On the other hand. it is my understanding for US and Canada the service interval is 80,000 miles for PD.

From your post i believe your question is if you can wait the cambelt and related components replacement for 120 000 kilometers? My personal opinion is that it is very conservative so you should be OK.

As for the glow plug light, you need to scan for codes with a proper vag tool.
The reason is that the malfunction triggering the glowplig light flash may not be related to emissions (emission related malfunctions should trigger the CEL), therefore a generic OBDii will not be able to read codes beyond the generic table.

If you search on this same site, there are several posts describing possible GP light events.

Thanks for the info Carlos!

I live in South Africa and drive mostly in the city, so not THAT much dust getting to my engin.

I'm not sure where to find the Engine Code. I have an engine number which starts with ATD and then numbers

The ATD is a PD engine, very similar to the North American BEW engine code.

Search for threads started by user name MOGolf for the flashing GP light. The most common would be malfunctioning brake lights.

No harm changing the cam belt a tad early, use a full kit, possible some stuff was not changed previously. If the CEL functions and you're just getting a flashing glow plug, that likely indicates some unique condition. Try the owners manual or a thorough search, pretty sure your electronics are a bit different than our North America models.
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