So I got my vehicle at 94k miles and have not had to do any major repairs on the car. Reading several posts and recommendations on the internet, I found that replacing the timing belt is vital to my car's life.

I have no knowledge/clue if the previous owner had replaced the timing belt. My question is, when should I replace the timing belt? I have not seen/heard of any symptoms from the vehicle indication the need to replace my belt.

 

NOW! You can inspect the belt by taking off the black plastic cover at the front of the engine.

 

So your saying I should replace it regardless of what condition it is in? Saying that at 110k mile mark, I should replace it regardless?

Have you done yours, and is it hard to DIY? Also, which timing belt repair kit would you recommend?

 

I did not do mine, i had it done at about 95k. I got the kit from ECStuning. Im saying that you should inspect it and if the belt looks new you maybe shouldnt change it. If the belt was done you still dont know if the water pump and tensioner were done, and its sometimes those parts failing that causes the belt to break. Either way, not doing it is a gamble. A big gamble bc when the belt breaks it will most like take the whole engine with it.

 

an inspection should reveal alot. If the belt looks worn with discoloration its safe to assume you need to replace. Like shane said it is a big gamble, we are re-valving a head right now on a vw 1.8t that had 77k. Our timing belt kit offers a kevlar belt which i highly recommend.

http://www.raimotorsport.com/R-A-I-M...rai18tbkit.htm

 

I mean no offense whatsoever, but obviously you're biased toward your own product. Does anyone else on the forum have direct experience with the R.A.I. kevlar T-belt? Is it worth the extra money for a 1.8T that's currently stock but might get a stage 1 chip at some point? I ask simply because I'm going to have my T-belt done in another couple of months (I'm @ 68K miles, gonna get it done @ 75K). It sounds like a great idea on paper - kevlar is strong stuff, and would presumably be more durable/less likely to snap/everything they say it is. I'm just looking for some real world experience in order to help me determine whether I'd like to go that route.

 

My indie shop did my TB using the Blauparts kits at 90k and now have 167k. Car has been chipped all along. Make sure your replacement waterpump has metal impellers and replace all tensioners.

 

Thanks everyone for your help & advice. I think I am going to replace my timing belt soon based on what people on here are saying. However, the best and most complete kit I've seen so far is on ECS tuning.

@RAI Motorsport, what's the difference between your kit and the ECS timing belt kit? Why does it seem like there is far less parts in your kit? Sorry for my ignorance.

 

If you are the least bit doubtful about your timing belt service history then it really does pay to get it changed sooner rather than later. I've lost count of the number woefull tales where a friend has bought a car and killed it in the first year by not changing the timing belt. In other cars, I've always changed the tensioner, pulleys (if any) and waterpump at the same time. Some people argue that the waterpump servicing interval is different to that of the timing belt but if the belt also runs the pump - which it does on many cars - then a failed waterpump bearing will thrown the belt off and cause as much damage as a broken belt or tensioner. The peace-of-mind far outweighs the minimal additional cost.

 

Our kit has everything you need for a proper service. We could inflate it with more nuts and bolts etc, but we feel quality over quantity is the way to be. We have done countless installations in the shop , because we are also a shop, and we use the components we sell every day. i can assure you that the kit is complete in every way, and with the options on the site it goes beyond the standard service.

With 1.8t's and timing belts I feel this is a no brainer, Audi lost a class action lawsuit for the OEM belt prematurely failing on the Audi TT's. They did no revision to the part, they just changed the service interval. The lowest mileage failure we have seen was ~40k.

Before you do the service I would recommend you do your diligence, meaning pop off the upper timing cover, check the cam seal and see if it is leaking, look for oil and buildup around the crank pulley as well. If these items are not leaking you dont need to replace them. They are both pretty solid seals and are not common fail points, and we have seen people replace them anyway with only regret as they then become problematic. Reason being, they are lesser quality seals in most cases then the genuine oem.