Cambelt Change / Use Of Car

[marinabrid]

hi all

110 tdi 98, had a cambelt change 3 years ago with pulleys as well. car has done around 9000 miles since. it just goes to school and tesco and an odd trip out.

does belt need changing at the specified mileage or lenght of time in years, in 5 years it will probly have done 10,000 miles on the belt, do belts wear out with time or mileage or both ?

or could say a belt that does low low milage last for 10 years ?

does the starting of the engine also shorten the life ?

thanks

[insider]

"How long is a piece of string?"

 

There are so many variations in usage, driving style, belt quality, individual vehicle characteristics, etc. that there is no definitive answer to your question. Belts will age and eventually fail which is the reason for the specified time interval. They will also wear out the more use they get hence the mileage interval. The belt is also likely to be more stressed if the engine speed is frequently varied, i.e. short urban journeys as opposed to long distance cruising at constant speed.

In your case it's quite likely that the belt will last longer but there is no way of telling how long. You need to decide whether you are willing to go past the next interval and risk costly damage to the engine if the belt fails before you eventually decide to change it.

[seatkid]

Mk1 TDi with Manual transmission cambelt change is every 60,000 miles or 5 years whichever occurs first. So you have another 2 years to go.

 

How long a belt lasts depends on many factors, quality of components, installation standards, environmental conditions and useage. It is usually the tensioner that fails before the belt. IIRC Continental brand belts are supposedly lifetime items although no dealer will accept this.

 

If you park your car outside, near the sea and do a lot of stop/start motoring, I would stick to the 5 year limit. IMO its the temperature/humidity cycling that's bad for the components. And salt if you live near the sea.

 

I changed my belt after 75,000 miles/8 years. On inspection, the (original) belt was still in very good condition and the tensioner showed no signs of play and was silky smooth. I drive with "mechanical sympathy" (gently) and my car is garaged. But it may also be luck that my car was built with good parts.