Question 1

What does a timing belt do?

Accepted Answer

The timing belt, or cambelt, is a vital engine component with a key role to play in keeping your motor running smoothly. It ensures the top and bottom halves of your engine rotate precisely in time with each other. 
Essentially, this ribbed rubber belt with teeth synchronises the crankshaft and camshaft’s rotation. It controls the sequencing and timing of the opening and closing of the valves on the cylinders in your engine to provide the right combustion. 
Camshafts, made up of the main journals, the lobes (or bulges) and the ends, control the valves in the cylinder head. A rocker head takes the spinning motion of an overhead camshaft and turns it into the movement that opens and closes the valves. 
Timing chains essentially perform the same function as cambelts but may be slightly noisier. The chains generally last as long as the vehicle (and generally require less frequent replacing), although the plastic guides they run over may not.

Question 2

How often should a timing belt need replacing?

Accepted Answer

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach for how often to replace yours—a lot depends on your motor’s age and condition. 
There’s also huge variation between manufacturers and different engines. So you might need a new belt after 4 years, or 6, or after driving 40,000 or 100,000 miles. Consult your car’s manual—most manufacturers’ recommendations are based on time passed or miles driven, depending on which elapses first. However, we’d always suggest treating these recommendations as a maximum, and erring on the side of caution.

Question 3

The law, vehicle regulations, and your MOT

Accepted Answer

The timing belt will not be examined at your car’s MOT, but the associated issues of running a car with a faulty timing belt can lead to severe engine damage, which can.

Question 4

What happens when we replace your timing belt?

Accepted Answer

Our efficient and fully qualified mechanics will disassemble the parts of the engine to access the timing belt and proceed to examine the timing belt, the belt’s pulleys and tensioner.
Wherever required your timing belt will be replaced and you’ll be advised of any other connected or associated problems arising from its malfunction.
You will also be advised of any other parts that may need to be replaced for the best operation and health of your vehicle.
Once the timing belt has been replaced, our mechanics will test your car thoroughly to ensure the correct running of the new part and make any adjustments required for its premium operation.

Question 5

What causes a timing belt to stop working correctly?

Accepted Answer

Like most car parts, your timing belt will wear out eventually due to cracking, snapping or tearing. Timing belts are also unpredictable, with few warning signs of damage. (Although starting issues and noise may offer clues.) Driving your car infrequently, oil leaks and temperature changes, among other factors, can all play their part.

Question 6

Symptoms of a malfunctioning timing belt

Accepted Answer

If a grinding or squeaking noise is being emitted from your engine, it could be a malfunctioning timing belt.

Question 7

You hear unusual noises coming from the engine

Accepted Answer

If your timing belt has broken, this can cause problems with your engine that lead to the vehicle not starting.

Question 8

Volkswagen

Accepted Answer

Volkswagen (often shortened to VW) is a German automobile manufacturer founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front, a Nazi labour union.Volkswagen is the flagship marque of the Volkswagen Group, who in turn is majority owned by Porsche. They own and operate a vast number of cars under other brand names—at the time of writing, they have 342 subsidiary companies.

Question 9

How popular is Volkswagen in the United Kingdom?

Accepted Answer

Possibly its most well-known model of the current generation, the VW Golf, was the 2nd best selling car of 2018, behind the Ford Fiesta, which consistently takes the top spot year after year.The Golf’s 64k registrations in 2018 added to the vast tally of 3.4million Volkswagen cars on the road today.

Question 10

High quality, highly rated, appropriately priced cars

Accepted Answer

VW cars achieve consistently strong reviews and are highly respected by critics and drivers alike. They are renowned for investing more money into research and development than almost any other marque and distributing their wealth of motoring knowledge across the many partner brands under the VW Group umbrella.

Question 11

The Volkswagen Beetle: The ‘people’s car’

Accepted Answer

A classic of its time, originally named the Volkswagen Type 1, it soon became nicknamed the Beetle due to its unique shape, and subsequently the bug. The unique looking car was designed by Ferdinand Porsche for Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap and simple mass-produced car to travel around his country’s new road network.The new model Beetle, originally launched to celebrate the original classic in 1997, and with an updated successor in 2011, was designed around the VW Jetta platform sharing much of its build with the Jetta and Golf. VW announced in 2018 that the Beetle would finally be removed from production in July 2019.

Question 12

VW’s reliability and reputation

Accepted Answer

Volkswagen ranked 17th place out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. Sister companies Skoda and Seat appeared higher up the ranks at 7th and 10th respectively, while executive brand Audi a few places further down the list at joint 20th.

Question 13

Recent Volkswagen recalls and reliability issues

Accepted Answer

Various recalls have been made on VW models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.

Question 14

19/04/2019 – VW Tiguan (2017–2018)

Accepted Answer

The material used for the rear coil springs may be inadequate

Question 15

13/04/2019 – VW Touareg (2018)

Accepted Answer

The suspension damper forks are defective and could break

Question 16

13/04/2019 – VW Caddy (2018)

Accepted Answer

The predetermined break point in the cushion for the side airbags in on the wrong side

Question 17

24/03/2019 – VW Polo (2016–2018)

Accepted Answer

On vehicles with a rear drum brake, the operational wear of the brake lining and use-related settlement of the drum brake may result in a loss of pre-tension on parking brake cables

Question 18

02/02/2019 – VW Touareg (2018)

Accepted Answer

A seat belt latch may not have been sufficiently secured to the rear, right-hand seat

Question 19

23/12/2018 – VW Golf, VW T-Roc, VW Arteon and VW Passat (2018)

Accepted Answer

The fitting for the headrest may have been incorrectly welded to the backrest

Question 20

23/12/2018 – VW T-Roc (2018)

Accepted Answer

An incorrect adhesive bond between the upper and lower parts of the rear spoiler may have been used

Question 21

20/10/2018 – VW Touran and VW Tiguan (2015–2018)

Accepted Answer

Moisture can reach the LED module of the sunroof’s ambient lighting which may cause a short-circuitAll recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.

Car make and model	Average dealer price	Price estimate	Average savings
Volkswagen Up!	£464	£373 - £455	£50
Volkswagen Transporter T3	£516	£411 - £503	£59
Volkswagen Touran	£652	£533 - £652	£59
Volkswagen Crafter	£564	£441 - £539	£74
Volkswagen Golf IV Estate	£503	£380 - £465	£80
Volkswagen Golf V Estate	£440	£330 - £403	£73
Volkswagen Golf III Estate	£458	£332 - £406	£89
Volkswagen Golf VII Alltrack	£704	£503 - £614	£145
Volkswagen Fox	£330	£270 - £330	£30
Volkswagen Golf III	£453	£339 - £414	£77
Volkswagen Polo	£511	£357 - £436	£115
Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan	£476	£390 - £476	£43
Volkswagen Passat CC	£528	£399 - £488	£84
Volkswagen Golf III	£453	£339 - £414	£77
Volkswagen Golf II	£478	£353 - £431	£86
Volkswagen Passat	£597	£433 - £529	£115
Volkswagen LT	£488	£351 - £429	£98
Volkswagen Jetta	£518	£409 - £500	£64
Volkswagen CC	£539	£382 - £466	£115
Volkswagen T-Roc	£669	£486 - £594	£130
Volkswagen Up!	£464	£373 - £455	£50
Volkswagen Transporter T3	£516	£411 - £503	£59
Volkswagen Touran	£652	£533 - £652	£59
Volkswagen Crafter	£564	£441 - £539	£74
Volkswagen Golf IV Estate	£503	£380 - £465	£80

Volkswagen timing belt replacement

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Our expert insights into Volkswagen timing belt replacement

Our expert insights into Volkswagen timing belt replacement

What does a timing belt do?

Symptoms of a malfunctioning timing belt

How much does it cost to fix my car?

What happens when we replace your timing belt?

What does a timing belt do?

Symptoms of a malfunctioning timing belt

How much does it cost to fix my car?

What happens when we replace your timing belt?

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