Cam Belt ?

[Kjn16]

After just purchasing an A3 sportback 2014 2.0tdi with only 6,300mls would the cam belt need changing yet or will it be OK, is it possible to inspect it yourself ?
Your comments appreciated....

 

[NHN]

6300 miles on a 7 year old car, wow.

Tbh if its a belt & not chain, I'd check it visually, but ideally yes best to get done as if it does snap, the cost is far far more.

 

[Kjn16]

6300 miles on a 7 year old car, wow.

Tbh if its a belt & not chain, I'd check it visually, but ideally yes best to get done as if it does snap, the cost is far far more.

Thank you for your reply, how do I check if its a chain or belt?

 

[richinsoton]

It has a cambelt as it's the same age / model as my car. It's due renewal at 5 yrs so I'd get it changed.

 

[Kjn16]

It has a cambelt as it's the same age / model as my car. It's due renewal at 5 yrs so I'd get it changed.

Thanks for your reply, booked in today many thanks for the info, anything more I should know about this car its my very first Audi cheers.

 

[george forbes]

After just purchasing an A3 sportback 2014 2.0tdi with only 6,300mls would the cam belt need changing yet or will it be OK, is it possible to inspect it yourself ?
Your comments appreciated....

don't want to be a killjoy here but have you checked the past mot history of the car as under 7k on a vehicle that old I would be suspicious. does the mileage between mot's look legit

 

[Kjn16]

don't want to be a killjoy here but have you checked the past mot history of the car as under 7k on a vehicle that old I would be suspicious. does the mileage between mot's look legit

Yes I have checked the full history with audi and checked the mileage with the MOT tests and all seems to be legit, not sure what else I can do, the car is pristine condition and drives superb, I'm still sceptic myself about it all I can think is the car has been sat in previous owners garage most of its life, so fingers crossed.

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

It has a cambelt as it's the same age / model as my car. It's due renewal at 5 yrs so I'd get it changed.

Are you out for real?? Car literally NEVER seen day light and you telling him to replace literally brand new belt with 6od thousand miles???
You gotta be kidding me now... IF the car been sat outside or being ''SORN'' or whatever reason the all bearings only could ged rusty becuse car wasn't moving !
But if car was in dry garage everything is fine and ther eis absolutly not need to change anything. Waste of money !

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

Yes I have checked the full history with audi and checked the mileage with the MOT tests and all seems to be legit, not sure what else I can do, the car is pristine condition and drives superb, I'm still sceptic myself about it all I can think is the car has been sat in previous owners garage most of its life, so fingers crossed.

You absolutely do not have to replace anything on the car ! With such little mileage the car is BRAND NEW ! YOu change the cambelt when your car will reach 100.000 miles ... TDi (diesel) has cambelt and TFSI (petrol) has chain ..
Regards

 

[Mikeso51]

TDi (diesel) has cambelt and TFSI (petrol) has chain ..

EA211 engine used in 1.4/1.5 TFSI has a cambelt, not a chain.

 

[richinsoton]

Are you out for real?? Car literally NEVER seen day light and you telling him to replace literally brand new belt with 6od thousand miles???
You gotta be kidding me now... IF the car been sat outside or being ''SORN'' or whatever reason the all bearings only could ged rusty becuse car wasn't moving !
But if car was in dry garage everything is fine and ther eis absolutly not need to change anything. Waste of money !

It's a rubber belt therefore it perishes over time irrespective of mileage / usage & hence why it should be replaced at the 5 yr interval. It's the same reason there is a production date on tyres etc.

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

It's a rubber belt therefore it perishes over time irrespective of mileage / usage & hence why it should be replaced at the 5 yr interval. It's the same reason there is a production date on tyres etc.

So tyres are sat in shops for years and you buy them as brand new and you ok with it.. That rubber belt is made nearly same way as tyre reinforced with strings And if it's quality oem no need to be worry.. Too much exaggeration

 

[6EGA3]

I posted some time ago about the massive difference between what Audi UK say and the rest of the Audi network say regarding the changing of the cambelt. I posted the text of the conversation I had with Audi Germany who said that they still maintain that the belt be changed at around 130,000 miles with no time limit as per the schedule in the original paperwork that came with the vehicle. I then put all this to Audi UK who stonewalled me and simply refused to answer the questions put to them as to why they had made the change to the schedule when the manufacturers and parent company didn't, regardless that both countries have similar weather and driving conditions (at least in urban areas).

It seems pretty ovbvious that this is nothing more than a cash cow move by Audi UK.

 

[richinsoton]

So tyres are sat in shops for years and you buy them as brand new and you ok with it.. That rubber belt is made nearly same way as tyre reinforced with strings And if it's quality oem no need to be worry.. Too much exaggeration

You're going to the wrong tyre shops if they have years old stock of tyres in common sizes such as those that fit an A3!!

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

I posted some time ago about the massive difference between what Audi UK say and the rest of the Audi network say regarding the changing of the cambelt. I posted the text of the conversation I had with Audi Germany who said that they still maintain that the belt be changed at around 130,000 miles with no time limit as per the schedule in the original paperwork that came with the vehicle. I then put all this to Audi UK who stonewalled me and simply refused to answer the questions put to them as to why they had made the change to the schedule when the manufacturers and parent company didn't, regardless that both countries have similar weather and driving conditions (at least in urban areas).

It seems pretty ovbvious that this is nothing more than a cash cow move by Audi UK.

Hip-hip hooraay BINGO
At last some who actually get facts..
But I really don't know why people still asking this
Many years passed and we know now how cars are how they run.
And people never been bothered about this and ran their cars for many miles. I belive belts will hold on up to 200.000 miles. Or if we taking german cars into account in eu they working with kilometres not miles so car belt will last up to 200.000km

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

You're going to the wrong tyre shops if they have years old stock of tyres in common sizes such as those that fit an A3!!

I don't mean 10-20 years.. Maybe 5..
So if the tyres are not sold what they do with thwm? Hmm
I have brand new ones

 

[Kjn16]

It's a rubber belt therefore it perishes over time irrespective of mileage / usage & hence why it should be replaced at the 5 yr interval. It's the same reason there is a production date on tyres etc.

That's exactly what I have been told by several people hence why it's booked in to be changed, I will feel more comfortable when it's done a no brainer
really thank you for your feedback appreciated.

 

[A3SLine2014]

That's exactly what I have been told by several people hence why it's booked in to be changed, I will feel more comfortable when it's done a no brainer
really thank you for your feedback appreciated.

How much have you been quoted? If its the EA211 engine you won't need the waterpump done as on other side

 

[Mikeso51]

If its the EA211 engine you won't need the waterpump done as on other side

The OP said he has a 2.0tdi. This will be the .EA288 engine. The cam belt on this engine also drives the water pump, so it’s normal to change the water pump when the belt is changed.

 

[dtv1983]

So tyres are sat in shops for years and you buy them as brand new and you ok with it.. That rubber belt is made nearly same way as tyre reinforced with strings And if it's quality oem no need to be worry.. Too much exaggeration

no, you should never buy tyres that has more than 2 years old. I never buy them with more than one year. That’s why the manufacture year and month is written on the side walls. So you can look and always choose the ones that are younger.

The same principle goes for the cambelt. I wouldn’t necessarly say to the user to go ahaed and change it now, but never to wait until 100.000 kms. Probably safer to change it in the next 2 years.

 

[dtv1983]

I don't mean 10-20 years.. Maybe 5..
So if the tyres are not sold what they do with thwm? Hmm
I have brand new ones

They are returned to the factory and destroyed to make new ones

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

They are returned to the factory and destroyed to make new ones

They are not destroyed at all but dumped like this

 

[A3SLine2014]

Left school and did an engineering apprenticeship based at a tyre burning to energy plant. Since closed 20 years ago

 

[Mikeso51]

no, you should never buy tyres that has more than 2 years old. I never buy them with more than one year. That’s why the manufacture year and month is written on the side walls. So you can look and always choose the ones that are younger.

Since some folk worry about belts degrading over time even when the car covers very few miles, I wonder how long cam belts sit on shelves at the manufacturers/suppliers before they are used. Do they have date codes?

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

Since some folk worry about belts degrading over time even when the car covers very few miles, I wonder how long cam belts sit on shelves at the manufacturers/suppliers before they are used. Do they have date codes?

Mine tyres, fronts are from 2020 brand new purchased in march and I have purchased used rears they are 2019
I will show you reality read below :

Do tyres have a shelf life? Mobile Tyre Fitting

Mobile tyre fitters providing new tyres for car, van, sports, 4x4, caravan and motorhome. Low prices - all makes and sizes available. Order tyres online

www.hometyre.co.uk

 

[Mikeso51]

I was asking about cam belts, not tyres.

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

I was asking about cam belts, not tyres.

Same story mate , you didn't read above ? posts? belts are made same way as tyres as it is reinforced rubber but I actually googled about it but didn't want to put it here But I will say it
Not used rubber left in stores becomes stiff and brittle so the less quality rubber will crack due to stiffness.. But belts that are used in engine are stretched all the time , so they have elastic behaviour... But other sites will tell you that belts are extremely durable and it would need 10 years to become kind of stiff.. Read below :

Timing Belt Handling & Storage | Pfeifer Industries

www.pfeiferindustries.com

 

[Mikeso51]

Interesting article, but it doesn’t answer my question, which was whether cam belts had date codes on them.

 

[Kjn16]

How much have you been quoted? If its the EA211 engine you won't need the waterpump done as on other side

£699 How do I find out what engine it is?

 

[Mikeso51]

See my earlier post.

The OP said he has a 2.0tdi. This will be the .EA288 engine. The cam belt on this engine also drives the water pump, so it’s normal to change the water pump when the belt is changed.

If you want to double check, look for the engine code in your service book, and compare it with the list in Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_diesel_engines

 

[Wibbly]

Anyone had a problem with the quality of the work of a cambelt change? Just wondering what the risk is of work like this being screwed up...