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Author Topic: Cambelt - when to change?  (Read 1801 times)

Offline greencode

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Cambelt - when to change?
« on: 24 February 2012, 22:13 »
I've got a 1998 GTI 16V with 114,000 miles on the clock. The last cambelt (which I'm presuming is called the "toothed belt in the service book?) change was at 87,000 miles. When should I be looking at changing this again? I only do around 5000 miles a year.

There seems to be differing opinions in the service book, my garage and the Haines manual.
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Offline FlashRedThree

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #1 on: 24 February 2012, 22:58 »
Quote from: greencode on 24 February 2012, 22:13

There seems to be differing opinions in the service book, my garage and the Haines manual.

I'm sure this will also be the case amongst the members on here. I personally stick to either every 40k or every 4 years.
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Offline Wayne

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #2 on: 24 February 2012, 23:29 »
Quote from: FlashRedThree on 24 February 2012, 22:58
I personally stick to either every 40k or every 4 years.

^^This 40k or 4yrs is what tends to be recommended.
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Offline whit

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #3 on: 25 February 2012, 11:01 »
mine's been on since May 2001 and 83k
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Offline trog_nfs

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #4 on: 25 February 2012, 11:21 »
Quote from: whit on 25 February 2012, 11:01
mine's been on since May 2001 and 83k
Living on borrowed time dude. Better safe than sorry
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Offline dom

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #5 on: 25 February 2012, 17:46 »
Quote from: trog_nfs on 25 February 2012, 11:21
Quote from: whit on 25 February 2012, 11:01
mine's been on since May 2001 and 83k
Living on borrowed time dude. Better safe than sorry

This. I wouldn't be taking that risk.
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Offline Wayne

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #6 on: 25 February 2012, 21:30 »
Quote from: whit on 25 February 2012, 11:01
mine's been on since May 2001 and 83k

So 11 years, I am very suprised it has not snapped.
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Offline Rmachines

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #7 on: 25 February 2012, 23:36 »
generally i say, if your asking if your belt needs changing.... do it anyway.   luckly the golfs are all easy to change and cheap to do so!  no excuse for anyone really, do it.   :smiley:
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Offline MK3GTISI

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #8 on: 26 February 2012, 19:29 »
mines on 93k and not been done as yet! needless to say its getting done this week...fingers crossed until then!
had always thought it was every 60k for a cambelt?
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Offline danny_p

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Re: Cambelt - when to change?
« Reply #9 on: 26 February 2012, 20:26 »
when you should chage them , and how long they can last are completly diffrent

theres a mk4 2.0 outside thats done 160K since it last had a cambelt,  but because no one cares if it snaps it's proably not going to anytime soon.  if it was the only car and it was absolutly vital that it kept going reliably to get to work you chould garantee that it would fail next week some point.

some cvars seem prone to do belts ( renult )  vw belts tend to be chunky and very reliable compared,  usally it's the tensioner that kills the belt on the older motors so worth doing the cambelt kit
 
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