105,000 miles according to VW, but I would do it sooner. Here's the kicker,
if you are the first owner then the engine has a 10year/100,000 mile
warranty and if the belt breaks then the repair is free. Around here owners
would rather just let the belt break as long as it's in warranty just to
avoid the service cost. So... if you are getting very close to the end of
your warranty then get the belt DONE soon as most start breaking at about
90,000 miles.


"bob" <usenetMAPS (AT) 2fiddles (DOT) com> wrote

Also get your water pump changed at the same time. We had a 2001 Passat 1.8T
whose water pump failed, and it took the timing belt along with
it...resulting many bent valves.

- Pete

"Woodchuck" <stv_euroski (AT) yahoo (DOT) comXXX> wrote

The AEB motor has a wide spread probem with timing belt tensioners to
which
VW does not admit and has no recall for (of course, what else is new)

If you own the car do not walk RUN and have your timing belt AND
tensioner replaced. They tipically break around 70,000 miles and that
will
cost you a lot of money !!!


bob <usenetMAPS (AT) 2fiddles (DOT) com> wrote

It's not just the AEB engine...all 1.8Ts have this issue...and it actually
isn't that serious...there is no need to recall these vehicles as it isn't a
safety issue. Proper maintenance, per the VW maintenance schedule (which
includes checking the timing belt at certain intervals) will spot issues
earlier on.

- Pete

"Alex" <a701440 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

We have seen several break and crash valves just over 60k, very difficult to
judge when they NEED to be changed if no obvious glazing...cracked teeth. ~
$450. with new tensiner/roller kit but could save thousands of $$ and a
breakdown on side of cold highwat x miles from home........
Joel Osserman, proprietor
SelectEurocars.com -Top 10 Buyer VW Off Lease USA '85-2001
0685 Waterloo-Geneva Rd.
Waterloo, NY 13165
(315)-789-9368 phone (315)-789-9018 fax
Always a choice of, 1995+ off-lease VW/Audi See us @ www.selecttr.com

Wide spread, it's not... at least in our area. Over all we do about 10-15
broken timing belts a year on the 1.8t Passat. And yes the early tensioner
would fail before the 100,000 warranty ran out so the repair is free unless
you purchased the car used and didn't purchase an extended warranty policy.
Shame on you. Another bit of trivial information for the Passat 2.8 V6
owners... open your hood and look and see what the red label states. It's
located near the left side of the grill.It states t-belt should be changed
at 75,000mile! Personally I'm from the old school of VW techs and would
rather see everyone replace the T-belt at 60,000miles. "VW does not admit
and has no recall for (of course, what else is new)" If it was an issue we
would have a lot of Passat's with a bunch of bent vales!

"Alex" <a701440 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Sure it's not safety...it will cost you $3000 or more that's all...
And when was the last time an average VW mechanic spotted a problem early on ?
They will spot it allright when the belt breaks.
To the original poster: Would you like to bet $3000 on your VW dealership ?
I would not. And by the way for a second owner the powertrain warranty is not
100,000 miles. I think VW has redesigned the tensioner on 2001+ 1.8T

"Pete Cressman" <cressmanp (AT) rogers (DOT) com> wrote

I love anal retentaive jackasses who think they know VW like the back of
their hand...


"Alex" <a701440 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Ask any good VW tech what would he rather do 1- easy t-belt job or 2- t-belt
job and head full of bent valves? Eh.. like my northern friends it's a hands
down "choice #1"!


"Alex" <a701440 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

You see 10-15 broken belts per yr out of how many? And how many miles, usually. Thanks for the advice.

I e-mailed VW service last week saying my owners manual did not specify the timing belt service requirement (1.8 turbo). They called me back and said 60k miles. The woman who called did not seem fully informed (shall we say) and might have been mixed up with the TDI engine - which does have a 60k mile limit. If it is covered by the 100k mile drive train warrenty you would think VW would offer a deal on replacement. The dealer said ~$850, a local garage ~$450
I had an inspection done at 60k mile service (garage not dealer) and it looked fine to them. THANKS jim