Cambelt + Water Pump Replacement - Official guidance

[The Bear78]

Yep. I get that but the force you're feeling isn't the camshaft it's the cylinder compression. The only load the Cambelt has is, essentially, the valve springs.
Take the glow plugs out and the force drops to virtually nothing yet the cams are still turning.

 

[Bruntonpasty]

But it doesn't run without the glow plugs in? What about this then...If those teeth come off, where do they come off? where does the belt stop? You'll generally find the stripped area of the belt around the crank pulley. The cam stops but the crank oft continues a little bit more....bashing those valves a little as it does....when does this strip happen? quite often upon cranking/starting... believe me , I've seen this...

 

[Dale]

For interest what is the typical price to have the belt and water pump changed, VW main dealer is £800 plus which IMO is daylight robbery and a good reason not to buy VW as much as I love my T6 campervan!

 

[Nigel W]

For interest what is the typical price to have the belt and water pump changed, VW main dealer is £800 plus which IMO is daylight robbery and a good reason not to buy VW as much as I love my T6 campervan!

About £450 ish

 

[The Bear78]

But it doesn't run without the glow plugs in? What about this then...If those teeth come off, where do they come off? where does the belt stop? You'll generally find the stripped area of the belt around the crank pulley. The cam stops but the crank oft continues a little bit more....bashing those valves a little as it does....when does this strip happen? quite often upon cranking/starting... believe me , I've seen this...

No doubt you have seen few.
I reckon that at least 99% of cambelt failures occur while the vehicle is being driven. Even superhuman reactions wouldn't stop the momentum of the vehicle from pushing the engine round a good few revolutions before the engine is disengaged from the transmission. The point where the belt stops is irrelevant.
There is a load on the belt and it is under a reasonable tension but its enemy is wear and deterioration due to contamination and age.

 

[Bruntonpasty]

Ok

 

[DXX]

Belt inspection is the key, VW UK have decided not to include it in the standard service and that’s their prerogative. There is no reason why an owner cannot request VW do this (possibly at additional cost) or pay another mechanic or inspect themselves.
Getting screwed over by PLCs / corporations is big business these days, had two episodes this week (Sky and insurance company), both eventually backed down after a short disagreement. It pays to be a stubborn bast@rd.

 

[Bruntonpasty]

I would agree, belt inspection at service would be a good idea. I , personally, will stick to having the belt changed at the prescribed interval. Here's why. You could inspect every service and push the boundary beyond what is recommended, you may well get away with it and not have it fail and that would be great. But, you could inspect it as before and push on beyond the recommended time and it could fail leaving you with a big repair bill. there are no garages or technicians equipped with a crystal ball to see what is gonna happen. My view is, spread that cost over the change interval, what does it work out at per year? £150? £200 per year? What would a replacement engine cost? £3k? £4k? more? I view getting that belt changed, with genuine VW kit, by someone competent, as an insurance policy against that big engine bill!! Not a total guarantee...but...it's a start. How many people on here insure their home and contents? so, you decide not to do it and your house burns down due to the tumble dryer catching fire, or another electrical fault? would you still cancel that policy? You've spent a lot of money on this van, protect your investment by getting that belt changed. Say you come to sell the van? The prospective purchaser asks when the belt was last done? You say " ahh, well, i don't agree with VW and their service regimes so I've never had it changed, I just look at it every year, it'll be fine" As a purchaser, I've just knocked the cost of a belt change off your asking price straight off or I walk away.... I'm actually quite shocked that people are so beligerant against this, so you save a few quid in the short term.....Not for me! If it was a ferrari or a Lambo that needed a belt changed at an interval, would you still be jibbing at having it done? Imagine the potential damage in something like that?

So, I agree with the suggestion of perhaps paying to have the cover taken off once a year and the belt checked for contamination, wear, cracking, etc. That would be good practice in my book but, If you choose to go beyond the recommendations? and you get bitten on the Arse by it? To be honest? No sympathy whatsoever from me...

 

[DXX]

I would agree, belt inspection at service would be a good idea. I , personally, will stick to having the belt changed at the prescribed interval. Here's why. You could inspect every service and push the boundary beyond what is recommended, you may well get away with it and not have it fail and that would be great. But, you could inspect it as before and push on beyond the recommended time and it could fail leaving you with a big repair bill. there are no garages or technicians equipped with a crystal ball to see what is gonna happen. My view is, spread that cost over the change interval, what does it work out at per year? £150? £200 per year? What would a replacement engine cost? £3k? £4k? more? I view getting that belt changed, with genuine VW kit, by someone competent, as an insurance policy against that big engine bill!! Not a total guarantee...but...it's a start. How many people on here insure their home and contents? so, you decide not to do it and your house burns down due to the tumble dryer catching fire, or another electrical fault? would you still cancel that policy? You've spent a lot of money on this van, protect your investment by getting that belt changed. Say you come to sell the van? The prospective purchaser asks when the belt was last done? You say " ahh, well, i don't agree with VW and their service regimes so I've never had it changed, I just look at it every year, it'll be fine" As a purchaser, I've just knocked the cost of a belt change off your asking price straight off or I walk away.... I'm actually quite shocked that people are so beligerant against this, so you save a few quid in the short term.....Not for me! If it was a ferrari or a Lambo that needed a belt changed at an interval, would you still be jibbing at having it done? Imagine the potential damage in something like that?

So, I agree with the suggestion of perhaps paying to have the cover taken off once a year and the belt checked for contamination, wear, cracking, etc. That would be good practice in my book but, If you choose to go beyond the recommendations? and you get bitten on the Arse by it? To be honest? No sympathy whatsoever from me...

It’s all the few quids in life that add up and make a difference.
If it was a Ferrari and the service interval was the same in all European regions I’d change the belt. If the service interval was less in the UK than mainland Europe for an undisclosed reason I’d go for the mainland Europe interval.
But it’s a commercial vehicle not a Ferrari.

 

[Bruntonpasty]

I don't disagree about the disparity, I really don't but, if you ignore it and the belt goes twang? Will VW give two hoots? Nope! Will they be picking up the tab? Nope! Will you be picking up the Tab? OH YES!! Kicking back at the big boys is all well and good when it's them who end up paying, in this case, they won't be, you will!! Eight hundred quid over four years is the cost of a pint a week.... 3k....4k....5k.. for an engine is a lot of pints you ain't getting!

 

[Bruntonpasty]

Oh, and a very expensive California is no longer "a commercial vehicle" it's now a significant investment that may well be on borrowed money too......

Belt change=investment not expense

 

[clarinetbcn]

Oh, and a very expensive California is no longer "a commercial vehicle" it's now a significant investment that may well be on borrowed money too......

Belt change=investment not expense

To be clear, VW does not recommend the 4 year change. The private company that represents VW in the UK has decided to jettison the VW recommendation of 210,000km and eliminate the recommended belt inspection that is included in standard service in Europe, in order to create a cash cow which is an outlier in all of VW’s markets. Would you change a perfectly good clutch in order to avoid early failure, or change perfectly good brake pads to avoid scoring the discs, even though the manufacturer doesn’t recommend it, just because a salesman who stands to make a profit from an unnecessary repair tells you you should?

 

[Bruntonpasty]

I've not disputed that..... But, if your pads go to the metal, you might need to replace the discs, in reality the discs will more likely have rotted away before the pads wear out these days. No, I wouldn't replace a clutch or DMF unless there was a clear issue, that of course won't prevent a sudden unexpected failure such as clutch cover strap coming adrift and scything it's way through the gearbox casing. I think I've been clear to be honest, it's NOT a good situation but it IS the situation we have. By all means don't change your belt, take the risk, it's yours to take. Personally I wouldn't, I can afford to invest a pint a week, I can't afford a very expensive engine repair/replacement quite so easily. Perhaps you can? Like I say, kick the big boys when they have to pay, in this case though, it is you who will pay whether you agree with their system or not?

 

[Blitz]

My Local independent I use

 

[Bruntonpasty]

....it's the decision we all have to make.........use good quality parts and someone competent....or......take the risk and the consequences........ simples!!

 

[Blitz]

The Most annoying thing about this thread is, iv just realised mine needs doing this year, I'm in year 4 now

 

[Bruntonpasty]

I was lucky, the company that I bought mine off in July were decent enough to put a belt on before I got it, four years old and on just under 80k. Would I have bought it if they weren't prepared to do it? Probably not unless they knocked some cash off to cover it.... As an apprentice in the eighties when service intervals were shorter, I was guided on used vehicle reconditioning by our general/sales manager's advice.....The customer shouldn't have to pay for anything in their first six months of ownership......Sadly, that fair and honest attitude and those days are long gone....

 

[Mooncat]

Belts on diesel engines tend to be wider and hopefully stronger than those on a petrol engine, the higher CR of a diesel does put more strain on the belt...
The point about "clearance" is a good one.... I've seen many petrol engines have a belt strip but not touch a valve, I've never seen a diesel engine that did it's belt "get away with it" Bent valves, snapped camshafts, cracked cam bearings, heads destroyed, cracked valve guides........the list goes on...

The reason the belt is stronger is because the belt also drives the fuel pump. It's got nothing to do with compression ratio.

 

[Bruntonpasty]

ok

 

[fireheed]

I've never seen a diesel engine that did it's belt "get away with it" Bent valves, snapped camshafts, cracked cam bearings, heads destroyed, cracked valve guides........the list goes on...

I've seen it once on an older VW Passat 1.9 tdi. New belt and the Dutch couple were back on their Scottish touring holiday delighted.