Is Age of job also a factor for TB Service ?

I have my TDI Beetle for 4-5 months now.

The car runs like a sewing machine. smooth and no noises...The belt was inspected and looks almost new..
The one thing I have concern with is the Timing Belt Service job was done well over 5 years ago. With the car running fine and only at most 24,000 miles since the work is done , do I still have to have concerns about the age that the job was done over 5 years ago..... I do not want to mess up my engine obviously but also I hate to swap out good parts .

The work was done by German Car Depot in Hollywood, FL

This is from their website ..
Timing Belt Replacement: One of the most important VW Service and Audi services that should be preformed on your VW or Audi vehicle is a timing belt inspection or replacement. If the timing belt is neglected and allowed to break, thousands of dollars of damage could occur to your engine. The recommended intervals for timing belt replacement varies between 40k and 80k miles depending upon the year and model of the vehicle. When your vehicle is brought to German Car Depot for an oil change, a scheduled service or any repairs, our technicians check the condition of your timing belt (this is an easy procedure, often overlooked by other mechanics). When it becomes necessary for a timing belt replacement our technicians follow the vehicle manufacturer’s factory recommendations, this includes also replacing the idler roller, tensioner roller, water pump, thermostat and accessory drive belt.


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The appearance of the belt itself doesn't tell you much. It's the tensioner pully, idler, and anything else the belt comes in contact with that you have to worry about too. If one of those fails, the belt won't be far behind.

Unless you have a receipt or something to show that ALL the necessary parts were replaced, not just the belt, then you're taking a risk. If you don't know what was done, then all you can do is hope for the best, or get it done again. Those are basically your two choices.

The shop does sound pretty trust worthy IMO.

Mike_04GolfTDI said:

The appearance of the belt itself doesn't tell you much. It's the tensioner pully, idler, and anything else the belt comes in contact with that you have to worry about too. If one of those fails, the belt won't be far behind.

Unless you have a receipt or something to show that ALL the necessary parts were replaced, not just the belt, then you're taking a risk. If you don't know what was done, then all you can do is hope for the best, or get it done again. Those are basically your two choices.

Click to expand...

"....With the car running fine and only at most 24,000 miles since the work is done , do I still have to have concerns about the age that the job was done over 5 years ago.."

Good information above, but didn't exactly address your question....

General wisdom on the forums here seems to indicate yes, there is also a time expiration for timing belt job. Far as I know, the time duration isn't derived from anything by VW corporate etc. What I have read on here is around 6 years or so, to change TB, if the mileage hasn't been consumed yet.

Oh okay, to more directly address your question, no, you can't predict how soon a timing belt will fail based on how long ago it was installed.

You would have to inspect the components (not just the belt, as I was pointing out) and make a judgement to determine if they appear to be deteriorating. Things to look for would include corrosion, lubricants drying up, rubber cracking, etc. But by the time you take it all apart to look at that stuff, you might as well replace everything.

So again, it comes down to "if you want to be sure, get it done," or "how lucky do you feel?"

I changed my first belt in 2012 on my early-VIN 2006 model (sold late 05) about 40K km too early - because the belt was going on seven years old, and had lived through six Canadian winters. Common sense dictates that's too long for such an important piece of rubber. If you hadn't worn out your tires in six years, you'd probably replace them because of dry-rot. A belt is no different.

If the belt install is over 5 years old I'd replace it. I have the same dilemma with my Miata, which had its belt replaced 28K but 'way more than 5 years ago. Difference is that that isn't an interference engine, so if it fails all I'm in for is a tow. With TDIs a TB failure usually means a new or rebuilt cylinder head. That would be a shame. I'd spend the money now and not worry.

replace it, the belt will dry up and become brittle over time whether you are driving it or not

Answered in the other thread:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4598837&postcount=14