MORONS!!! and TIMING BELTS

I'm posting this here in "101" because it is so important for "newbies" to know this, even though the subject has been beat to death. It has not been very long since i was a newbie to this forum and i appreciated all the heads up i could get. OK, the story.
I've been a " wrench "all my life, but when a repair came before me that was out of my league, i declined the work and tried to recommend someone who i felt was better versed. TDI timing belts were among those jobs i felt i did not have the expertise nor equipment to perform, so i would refer customers VW (i know, i know). Well , not long ago i inherited a tdi that needed extensive work and i decided, since it was mine, i
would delve into the world of tdi's. I read all i could here, I purchased needed tools and tore into it. Head, belt, clean manifold, clean turbo vanes, sway bar bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends blah, blah. With the experience under my belt, I now advertised tdi service. \
Here's where it gets good. I figured i'd get a few jobs here and there and make a few bucks---well, all it seems like i''m doing is fixing screwed up timing belt jobs. People doing these belts when they have NO CLUE what they are doing. I've done 3 jobs so far (in about 2 months) where the head has had to come off--broken rollers, broken tensioners, crushed lifters, wiped cams. these jobs end up costing the customers $1500-$2500 in UNNECESSARY repairs and give the cars bad reputaions. The MORONS that perform the work just tell the customer something else broke and they are too busy to go into the engine. customer gets to pay twice.
Moral here is GET THE BELT REPLACED BY A QUALIFIED PERSON--NOT NECESSARILY VW. Interview the mechanic, look at the shop and the tools. read here and understand the procedure, then ask the mechanic questions. this will save you a ton of money and keep you tdi running as it should.
Sorry bout the rant, but the lastest Beetle with the head ruined really ticked me off. but that's another story.

Couldn't have said it better myself. A lot of them come from the OWNER trying to do it too.

I was paging through my Bentley right after I got it...Got to the TB section...

I cryed a little.

So a couple of 20's later I payed oldpoopie(Justin) to do it for me and couldn't be happier...except for the one lost roller. Here's hopping it lasts till 200k!

It was just one thing I didn't want to tackle. I'll leave TBs to you guys. Don't have issue with much of anything else though.

Hey Jason-
while you're on the line--where are u buying camshafts?? Need one for the lastest TB crisis!!! 2000 beetle tdi
thanks

A bit OT but kind-of related... It's frustrating to have to listen to some of the horror stories when they are so easily avoided, if only... If only the folks involved knew about this site and spent some time here. One small example... I have a cohort at work who recently bought a TDI for his wife. He was all excited about it and even installed a TDI heater kit, a questionable first mod as it never gets that cold here. A bit later, I asked him again how things were going and... He informs me he sold it because he had to take it to the dealer some 3 times for some unknown (and probably simple) problem and grew tired of paying the $80 for the computer diagnosis... I stood there, flabergasted then informed him I HAVE VAGCOM!!! WHY DIDN"T YOU SAY SOMETHING! He just replied, "Really?". Whatever... Another one lost to the dealership dregs.. Like ships in the night, they slip away. My new mission is to print and distribute as many TDIClub cards as I can whenever I see another TDI owner.

I don't see what the big deal is with timing belt replacements. I just did mine this past weekend for the first time, and it's wasn't all that hard. I'll admit that it's a long and involved procedure, but if you take it slow and do it step by step, it ought to come out fine in the end. The only REALLY important thing is to make damn sure that the cam timing AND the crank timing are at TDC. I borrowed all the special tools from local TDIclub members, but found that I only needed the cam locking plate and the cam pulley removal tool (but I probably could have gotten away without the latter). The big pain is the tight spaces that you're forced to work in. Other than that it's pretty straightforward.

What is is really complaining about is how a dealership botches the job and blames it on something else, which then costs you more money. Unless you are smart enough and can actual prove to the dealer that they botched it. The hardest part here is the proving part. It will be all "He said, She said" crap.

What he is trying to say is that don't go to the dealer or some independent mechanic instead go to a TDIClub approved belt changer and save yourself the hassle and money.

You did it yourself, good but for the general mass, they are not mechanic people.

To me, the sad thing is that 80% of the TDI owners out there don't know about TDIClub. We need to get those business cards out there and let those people know.

I took mine to Oilhammer and am glad I did.

bungy42 said:

I don't see what the big deal is with timing belt replacements. I just did mine this past weekend for the first time, and it's wasn't all that hard.
...The big pain is the tight spaces that you're forced to work in. Other than that it's pretty straightforward.

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You make the point even more relevant. I've witnessed quite a few belt changes and, with the proper tools, care and experience, they aren't rocket science. This makes the fact that many dealers can't execute them properly even more frustrating. Management is responsible for setting the tone for the mechanics and their work environment. Like many businesses today, I strongly suspect that integrity and personal pride in your work take second place to 'beating the clock'. Combined with inexperience, it's a recipe for disaster when it comes to timing belts.

Thermo1223 said:

I was paging through my Bentley right after I got it...Got to the TB section...

I cryed a little.

So a couple of 20's later I payed oldpoopie(Justin) to do it for me and couldn't be happier...except for the one lost roller. Here's hopping it lasts till 200k!

It was just one thing I didn't want to tackle. I'll leave TBs to you guys. Don't have issue with much of anything else though.

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Hey, lets be clear here... You won the timing belt kit you provided from IMPEX at Impexfest, opened it, then lost the one roller in the time between winning it and having me install.... LOL......
It shoudl be ok though. I'd keep it to an 80k interval though.

oldpoopie said:

Hey, lets be clear here... You won the timing belt kit you provided from IMPEX at Impexfest, opened it, then lost the one roller in the time between winning it and having me install.... LOL......
It shoudl be ok though. I'd keep it to an 80k interval though.

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Man you know where to hit a man when he's down...

It's true though....

I still have no idea where it is...

hey, comon guys, you've hijacked my thread to discuss your personal problems We all know OP would never have done such a thing it must be someone else's fault. i recommend we start a "whose fault is it?" thread for you guys

I got a 'VW Specialist' who assured me they'd done loads of timing belts etc and knew VWs like the back of their hand.... they put the belt on - 2 months later the Bug broke down. They'd forced the tensioner on and it had broken

So I ended up £500 out of pocket as I refused to take it back to the same garage who messed it up. The 2nd garage did a good job and thoroughly went over the engine to make sure it hadn't caused any more damage.

richieracket said:

hey, comon guys, you've hijacked my thread to discuss your personal problems We all know OP would never have done such a thing it must be someone else's fault. i recommend we start a "whose fault is it?" thread for you guys

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No need it's mine, I surrender.

Good job Thermo---with our stressful lives, humor is like gold.

jasonTDI said:

Couldn't have said it better myself. A lot of them come from the OWNER trying to do it too.

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So what do you charge for a timing belt install Jason?

Your car, $250

How long does it take you? $250, is that with waterpump R/R?

About 3 hours. yes, it does. The only thing that will make the job longer is the seals if they need to be replaced.

Be sure to order the serpentine roller as well. Be aware that your car will need G11 coolant. It is green not pink. So you may have to pick a gallon up at the dealership unless jason supplies it. It is not the same green stuff you buy at the auto store.