Your timing belt is the heart of your engine – they allow the camshafts and crankshaft to work together and if they fail it can cause extensive damage which could lead to a hefty repair bill.

Timing belt (or camshaft belt as it is sometimes called) is the most important service item on your vehicle.  A timing belt kit comprises of not just the belt but all the other items i.e. relay rollers, studs, tensioners and a tensioning damper.

We only fit Genuine water pumps that are warranted for 24 months.  Furthermore, we only use Genuine coolant (anti freeze) supplied by VAG.

Being able to inspect your timing belt without total removal is also an impossibility.  You cannot see all of the belt or check the condition of every tooth without the belt physically being in your hands.  You also need to inspect the bearings and adjusters.  The only guide lines we work on are those of knowledge, experience and previous data.

There appears to be a lot of confusion with vehicle owners when the replacement of timing belts should take place.

In the latest Audi and VW service book information (June 2012) now recommend 5 years in some cases, sooner on high mileage vehicles!

In our experience we advise 4 years or 60,000 miles (on early VAG models) as we have seen belts snap, tensioners seize up, relay rollers fall to pieces, water pumps collapse and even the retaining studs shear all above this age/mileage.  This information is dependent on your vehicles engine size, engine code and of course, last replacement date/mileage. Some later VAG vehicles (up to circa 2009) introduced an 80,000 miles or 4/5 year replacement. Furthermore, later VAG vehicles are recorded in the service books as requiring a belt change at 115,000 miles!

We only use Original Equipment Manufacturer belt kits which include the tensioners, any relay idlers, tensioning damper and the belt itself.  We will always recommend replacing the water pump (if driven by the belt) and only ever use Genuine Manufacturer water pumps.  When we replace the water pump the coolant system is drained and the additive replaced with Genuine Audi/Volkswagen G13 coolant additive, which is capable of withstanding temperatures of minus 36 degrees Centigrade.

All the above items are included in our price.  If you are contacting other garages for costs please ensure you receive a “like for like” quotation asking the repairer “what is fitted/included in the price”.

Just call us on 0114 242 4455 with your vehicles details and we will confirm the replacement interval and total cost for you.