2006 Jetta TDI Special Edition - Timing Belt

[nmchemeng]

I went to the dealer today to get an oil change, and the service rep told me that at about 80K I would need to replace the timing belt, tensioners, etc. This concerns me, because in the service book that came with the vehicle does not mention this at all. I know that on many Japanese imports, etc. the belts need to be replaced periodically otherwise the interference engine is toast in a failure.

Can anyone give me an idea as to how often the belts need to be replaced for this model car?

If anyone lives in New Mexico, can you give me a list of some reputable local diesel engine service shops. I am not going to have the dealer do this work and have them overcharge for everything.



Thanks,

Allen

 

[mainjet]

80K is the time at which the timing belt should be replaced. I changed my at like 103K because of the confusion surrounding when the belt was supposed to be replaced.

My belt looked like new when I changed it but that doesn't mean that yours will.

When you change the timing belt you should change the water pump, belt tensioner, idler pulley and bolts including the engine mount bolts. Some of the vendors on this site sell the kit for this job. When I bought mine I think that it was about $250.00. I also had to buy some tools that cost me another $250.00-$300.00. These were special tools for the BRM motor as well as a engine support bar.

If you are not completely comfortable doing a job like this then you will need to take it to the dealer or a shop you trust. Also, there are some great people on this site that can do the job for a very fair price.

To do the water pump you have to do all the other things that you would have to do to do the timing belt. The water pumps I believe become suspect after 100K. So it is very wise to do the pump at the same time you do the belt otherwise you will be doing it again very soon. You will also need some G12 coolant.

 

[El Dobro]

You should have a maintenance book that originally came with the car. The timing belt change is listed in there. When I had my '06, the belt change was listed at 100,000 mi.

 

[nmchemeng]

Thanks for the Clarification

I just located the page in the maintenance manual. Clearly it states that the timing belt is replaced at 100K miles. I was very suspicious of the dealer yesterday. I do understand that if the belt fails catastrophically, then the motor is toast.

This is my first TDI and thus far I am very pleased with the vehicle.

Thanks for clarifying this issue for me and pointing me in the right direction.

Thank you.

 

[MyAvocation]

Don't mean to create confusion, but my manual lists the CI at both 80K and 100K. Consensus here is 100K perfectly fine. Didn't change mine until 110K, but don't recommend following my lead.

Doing the work yourself is not difficult and will save you $500-900 depending on who does the work. Just take the time to understand the process before starting (all found in this forum). I rented tools from Marquette Automotive (MetalMan), since I don't plan on owing the car 12 months from now.

I highly recommend avoiding the dealer for this job, unless you or someone you trust has first hand knowledge of a specific competent dealer tech. My assumption is dealer is origin of most botched TB jobs.

 

[mainjet]

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=171926

This is from the sticky FAQ. This shows how there has been much confusion over when to change the belt. Dealer says 80K some books say 90K some say 100K. I concur with the post above. The consensus has been 100K. But I don't think the dealer was totally jerkin' you around on this one. They said around 80K.

I too think that you are completely safe by doing it at 100K but it is your car. I for one, am a person that this would just bug the daylights out of me worrying about breakage and destroying the motor. But I tend to worry to much about these things too.

So read the post that I gave you above and make your own decision. After all, you are the owner of the vehicle either way.

good luck.

 

[El Dobro]

Each year, the TB material is getting better. The '09 is up to a 120,000 mi TB change.

 

[abakos]

Each year, the TB material is getting better. The '09 is up to a 120,000 mi TB change.

Just changed mine at 98k...old one looked mint. WP was a bit wobbly though, so I swapped it out.

Bought the kit from boraparts.com (BleachedBora)

 

[dzcad90]

Each year, the TB material is getting better. The '09 is up to a 120,000 mi TB change.

Though belt materials may be getting better, engineers factor in the overall size of the belt, including width and thickness and the amount of stress placed on a belt. These all factor into the rated life of the belt.

As with most things, engineers have probably built in a decent cushion into the belts life rating. There's probalby a good number of people rolling around on their ALH with 120K or better on their belts because they are just "Get in and drive" type people.

That being said, change it when the maintenance schedule states. Anything over the rating is borrowed time.

 

[bsalbrig]

The main reason the new one is going longer is because its injection system is not driven by the belt.

 

[El Dobro]

The belt in the new CR engines spins a high-pressure fuel pump and a sprocket that turns two camshafts, so it has a load on it.

 

[Crosley]

I changed the TB , water pump , coolant and related parts at 92k miles on my 2006 TDI recently.

Owners manual in my car has the dual listing of 90k and 100k for the TDI cam belt