Cost of timing belt replacement

[fotodaddy]

I was wondering, does this TB stuff (I mean all the stuff n1das wrote about) apply to the PD engine?? I mean whats do difficlut inchangingthe TB inthis engine. You dont have the injector pump unit running of it . Just the Crankshaft pulley, WP and camshaft pulley. Changing bolts and stuff, does all that apply here.

 

[wap]

Tr,
Same car, its a diesel sorry I am not up on the current vw engine sizes but its a diesel.
Call me crazy but I kinda doubt a belt would hold up very well on a cummins, kinda think it may have a chain.
Sorry I asked, just tryin to help a friend out, I'll get my info elsewhere.

 

[Drivbiwire]

I was wondering, does this TB stuff (I mean all the stuff n1das wrote about) apply to the PD engine?? I mean whats do difficlut inchangingthe TB inthis engine. You dont have the injector pump unit running of it . Just the Crankshaft pulley, WP and camshaft pulley. Changing bolts and stuff, does all that apply here.

Nearly identical in every way. Correct you are that there is no injection pump however this does not add or reduce time from the job. Locking the pump adds at most 30 seconds to the job.

The PD motor's block is the same as the ALH even the head (cam side) is nearly identical except for some PD specific items. The procedure for setting cam timing is different but again to a certain degree it may be easier.

To answer the question about cost I charge the same for PD and ALH motors, the time you should plan on having a qualified independent doing the work for you is around 3 hours give or take including the water pump.

DB

 

[hank miller]

I guess he's just happy to charge $/hr. I went to a garage to have 4 bushings put in a honda. I timed them and it took 1 1/2 hrs. they charged me for 4 hrs work because "the book" said 1 hr for 1 bushing, so they just mult. by 4. I was not happy and talked him down abit(3hrs). I don't agree with this book charge and think it should be illegal. With that said, I am VERY happy with paying per hr and my mech is happy doing the work for me....now, too bad he just does engine work!

If the book time was 1 1/2 hours, and it took your mechanic 4 hours would you be happy to pay the 4 hours? The advantage of places that charge booktime is you don't pay extra if they are slow about doing the job.

 

[Frank M]

If the book time was 1 1/2 hours, and it took your mechanic 4 hours would you be happy to pay the 4 hours? The advantage of places that charge booktime is you don't pay extra if they are slow about doing the job.

It also encourages good techs and shops to become proficient in those tasks. They earn more money that way..

I once repaired a problem I was very familiar with right in front of the customer. Because I was so familiar with the problem it took no diagnosis or ripping unecessary things apart. I spent 15 minutes making this repair. ( I had given a dollar amount estimate prior to repair)

When I presented the bill for one hour labor the cust was furious.
I offered to undo the repair, no parts were involved and he could go somewhere else to see if he could get it repaired for less.
He gladly paid my fee ...
A savvy person sees the value of quality.

 

[ymz]

>>If the book time was 1 1/2 hours, and it took your mechanic 4 hours would you be happy to pay the 4 hours? <<

If it did take them 4 hours, I'm sure they'd find a way to pad the bill to make sure they were compensated...

Call me a cynic...

Yuri.

PS: I'm talking of the "average" dealership/large shop... smaller independents tend to be a bit more straight-forward...

 

[TornadoRed]

Tr,
Same car, its a diesel sorry I am not up on the current vw engine sizes but its a diesel.
Call me crazy but I kinda doubt a belt would hold up very well on a cummins, kinda think it may have a chain.
Sorry I asked, just tryin to help a friend out, I'll get my info elsewhere.

When you ask for information, here or elsewhere, you need to provide information. Your profile says you have a "2005 Dodge dually" and your previous posts referred to a gasser. So how is anyone to guess what vehicle you're asking about now?

 

[Diceshooter60]

Like a fool, I took mine to the Dirito Bros in Walnut Creek and I'm getting the gouge. The 100k is $1900, with coolant and hoses another $800. Ugh. Two questions, do you remove the hoses and belt to get to the timing belt and water pump? And, can anyone recommend a Bay Area of Calif shop to do this work at 200k?

 

[NFSTDI]

I hear good things about Tomas Sport Tuning in San Pablo. There is Griffin Motors in Berkeley although I suspect they are not that much less than the dealer.

I was amazed at the price differences between Bay Area dealers when I called for quotes on TB and clutch replacement before purchasing my '98 Jetta a few weeks ago. I'm still doing research and waiting for some checks to drop into my mailbox before I get down to serious business.

I did have an oil change done at European Auto in Alameda just across the High Street Bridge. He seems knowledgable and his prices are reasonable. I was impressed by his attention to detail. I'll post more info as I have more work done. Until then I'm as curious as you are.

In response to Frank and others who may have taken offense at my previous post. I was simply offing a different perspective as an answer to a question. If you read my previous post you will notice that I began by saying that I don't charge less than I'm worth. I don't concern myself with the other guy. I do my job correctly, effeciently, and professionally. I charge accordingly. As for the guy who does TB replacements for $125, perhaps he does too...or perhaps he is like the guys in my trade who don't charge what they could and cut corners to make ends meet.

I have a saying "You get what you pay for, if you're lucky!"

 

[jasonTDI]

A bit off topic on the per hour charge vs. book.

BMW paid something like 18 hours to do the V8 engine swaps for the 92-95 V8 problem they had. Being the Chicago area there are thousands of these cars. A friend at a dealer, (20+ years master BMW tech) For 4 years almost all he did day-in-day-out was replace the V8's. He got it down to about 7 hours. He got the 18 from BMW. 5 days a week that makes for a SERIOUS paycheck.

 

[Fly_TDI]

I just had a timing belt & water pump done by Jetaah here in Michigan. He did just what n1das said - 100K timing belt and water pump. Well done - one advantage to having someone other than a dealer or shop do it is that you can watch and ask questions.

It gives you a good tour of your engine - what parts are where, that kind of thing. It took just around 6 hours - the cost here was $350 for the Dieselgeek Deluxe kit (100k kit) plus coolant, plus 6 hours of Jetaah's time. Total cost was around $600.

I feel confidant that it was done professional and I wouldn't hesitate to have him do it again.

Wow, I just did mine yesterday(160,000 mile change) and it took me 14 hours! But, then again, the last time I did it was 2 years ago, and I didn't have any help.

Got my parts from World Impex for $280+shipping.

The first time I changed my TB, I only changed the TB, tensioner, and the serp belt. This time, I changed the TB, all the rollers/idlers, tensioner, water pump. Everything felt good, smooth, and tight... even the rollers and water pump.

I'm not convinced that all this stuff needs to be changed every TB change... but then again, 95% of my miles are highway miles, so my car has a lower hours on it than a city car with the same miles.

 

[jasonTDI]

They should be changed. Just did a complete re-do of one that had 34K on the TB, 94K total as the big roller and both small ones were totally shot.

 

[Frank M]

a flood car can have bad rollers

They should be changed. Just did a complete re-do of one that had 34K on the TB, 94K total as the big roller and both small ones were totally shot.

it is almost impossible that all rollers went bad at once without some external cause.
please tell us what was wrong with them and what caused it.
a flood car can have bad rollers.

 

[jasonTDI]

Not true. They all had some side to side play and the big one was leaking grease. The only possible explanation is the dealer screwed the pooch on the prior install. It would be all but impossible for anyone to tell why they failed. No visible issues.

 

[Frank M]

Wow

Not true. They all had some side to side play and the big one was leaking grease. The only possible explanation is the dealer screwed the pooch on the prior install. It would be all but impossible for anyone to tell why they failed. No visible issues.

WOW

 

[jasonTDI]

Yeah. Just what I thought. Also the serpentine belt was starting to seperate in chunks. Glad I got to it as the owner is leaving IL for the east coast on Thursday. Could have been bad.

 

[Frank M]

Yeah. Just what I thought. Also the serpentine belt was starting to seperate in chunks. Glad I got to it as the owner is leaving IL for the east coast on Thursday. Could have been bad.

Yup, those darn aftermarkets parts again......

 

[doc_m]

I wouldn't say it's the aftermarket parts, could be a bad batch too

 

[Frank M]

I wouldn't say it's the aftermarket parts, could be a bad batch too

wow, a complete bad batch of rollers and serp belt all at once..

good thing you fixed it...

 

[Audi5000TDI]

So, what's the book rate in hours for a B4 Passat timing belt and rollers? And what should I plan on in hours doing it myself for the first time?

 

[jasonTDI]

wow, a complete bad batch of rollers and serp belt all at once..

good thing you fixed it...

Yeah aftermarket......not! FACTORY parts. Look dude, I like you but compare the Litens parts from vw or anyone else. SAME PART! IDENTICLE. Same plant too. Continental belts, Gates belts all O.E.M. Rollers? Same deal.

 

[jasonTDI]

So, what's the book rate in hours for a B4 Passat timing belt and rollers? And what should I plan on in hours doing it myself for the first time?

5-7 hours. If you've done other relativly complex engine work.