Stealership Hard Sell-Replace TB at 60, 000 miles (BEW)

[bluesmoker]

The maple ridge, bc stealership is now all over me to replace my timing belt on our 2004 pd tdi at 100, 000 km (60, 000 miles)

they say the recommended replacement at 100,000 mile (160, 000km) is "way too long" and that "we see them fail at 100, 000 km all the time"

any suggestions

i think a tb replacement at 140-150 km (another year or two) is ok

what do the gurus think??

remember this is the stealer who uses syntec the the pd engines , so i somewhat distrust their opinion

 

[airwolf]

...remember this is the stealer who uses syntec the the pd engines , so i somewhat distrust their opinion

The above quote should be enough to answer your question.

Find a trusted mechanic in your area and start avoiding the dealer.

 

[billo14]

I am not an expert on these things, but I have an '05 with 53K miles and I do not intend to replace the timing belt until 100K miles, maybe 90K if I look again at the manual.

But more importantly, when I have maintenance done on my vehicle, it will be done by a guru that I have doing all of my maintenance.

I bought my TDI from a previous owner with 12K miles, and the vehicle was under warranty. Being my first VW and first diesel, I wasn't yet aware of this web blog. This blog alerted me to the fact I was reading the maintenance manual incorrectly, and going along with the dealer's recommendation of changing the oil every 5K at a cost of $85. I have little proof, but I am unsure the dealer was using the correct oil spec., so after warranty expired, I have not gone to the dealer again. My local guru will be the one to work on my vehicle.

My recommendation to you is get acquainted with your local guru.

 

[SBAtdijetta]

My recommendation to you is get acquainted with your local guru.

+ 10.... yes 10

Dealerships (most) are where TDIs go to die, along with your checking account... Learn to service it yourself, and take it to a local TDI guru for the stuff you can not or will not do yourself, enough said.

 

[MarsBar]

The dealer is pi$$ed off that you got them in deep sh** with the VW rep, and they're trying to make you pay them back for having to eat the cost of changing the oil on your car twice. Call that VW rep up and ask him if what they say has actually been happening. Then let him know what they're trying to pull.

 

[HopefulFred]

It's not just the mileage on the T-belt but the age of the entire T-belt system that is at issue here . Your not quite on borrowed time yet but you're about to take that loan out if you wait a lot longer .

I won't claim to have enough experience to refute what you're saying, but that seems odd to me. A sealed bearing in a water pump or tensioner or relay roler seems to me to be aged only through use. Do you imagine that a bearing manufactured five years ago and still sitting on a shelf is a time-bomb?

 

[Dimitri16V]

if the Tbelt was exposed to oil, sun during those 4-5 years , it should be changed.

 

[DBDieseler]

Go ahead and change it, and keep your peace of mind.

... "every 4 years irregardless of miles ( kms )" ...

AHHHHHHhhhhh!!!!!!!! "Irregardless" is not a word!

 

[rotarykid]

The age at this point is more important than the miles ( kms ) on the clock .

You are @ the ~5 year mark on that T-belt system which is 1 year beyond what the UK/European replacement requirement is , "every 4 years irregardless of miles ( kms )" .

Change it now if you don't wish to have to replace the head when "one" part in that system fails from age .

!! Don't go beyond that 6 year mark under any conditions !!!!!!!!!!

It's not just the mileage on the T-belt but the age of the entire T-belt system that is at issue here . Heat cycles are the enemy along with exposure to oil . And city loops with more shifts that have constant changes in momentum and rpms that are much more likely with miles ( kms ) on the clock being so low at that age .


Your not quite on borrowed time yet but you're about to take that loan out if you wait a lot longer .

 

[rotarykid]

Go ahead and change it, and keep your peace of mind.



AHHHHHHhhhhh!!!!!!!! "Irregardless" is not a word!

my spell check didn't have a problem with it , and the online dictionary seem to disagree .

Main Entry: ir·re·gard·less

Pronunciation: \ˌir-i-ˈgärd-ləs\

Function: adverb Etymology:

probably blend of irrespective and regardless

Date: circa 1912 nonstandard

usage Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead. }"

 

[HopefulFred]

We English-speakers do love our colloquial redundancies don't we? Double negatives and so forth... I love "and so therefore." How many conjunctions do you need? What I need to know is how to punctuate "and so therefore" so as not to end up with a run-on sentence; I have never been good with run-ons.

 

[mrGutWrench]

We English-speakers do love our colloquial redundancies don't we? Double negatives and so forth... I love "and so therefore." How many conjunctions do you need? What I need to know is how to punctuate "and so therefore" so as not to end up with a run-on sentence; I have never been good with run-ons.

__. And NEVER end a sentence with a preposition. This is something up with which we will not put!

 

[bluesmoker]

__. And NEVER end a sentence with a preposition. This is something up with which we will not put!

lol , gentlemen this is a stealer bashing thread, not a lesson in grammar

 

[validius]

im gonna go find darkscout. we cant have a grammar thread without him

 

[coalminer16]

Lets stick to the topic. I haven't heard of the time thing but just the miles thing. Your belt shouldn't be in the sun (UV damage) but if there is oil, coolant and diesel (diesel would be the worst I would think) on the rubber then you may have more of a problem. But remember that it really isn't the rubber that gives you the strength in the belt it is the cords on the inside. I am past the 5 year mark on my car as it is a 2004 Golf and almost 70K miles. I don't plan on doing the belt unless someone can show me the manual pages scanned in that say 100K miles OR 5 years. But for peice of mind or if you don't know the past repair problems (fuel, overheating or oil all on the belt) then just do it, but do it yourself of by a trusted person. The stealership may just replace the belt and not anything else nor by the approved meathod either (look for paint markings and you can tell it was wrong then). On the old rabbits (I own 2) I just replace them for peice of mind but it cost me less then $50 in parts and about 1.5 hours in my time to do it.

 

[HopefulFred]

Honestly, I'm not sure either. rotarykid's been working on cars a long time, and his reasoning that heat cycles and changes in engine speed lead to wear in the timing components seems fair enough to me. If you take his word for it that the European recommendation includes a time limit as well as distance, it starts to seem pretty persuasive.

My car is only three and a half years old, so I am not in a hurry either way (70K miles). Without a dog in the fight, I'll leave it at that.

 

[weedeater]

there is folklore and anecdotes concerning owners who thought, "100kmiles or bust!" and BUST is what they got. Not trying to fear-monger or anything, but the more past 5 years you go, the more time becomes a factor over distance.