Reviews of OEM Volkswagen timing belt

I had my local mechanic (not a VW specialist) do this on my 1.8T in my Passat not too long ago. The total was around $1100. That included my regular oil and filter change, replacement of timing belt, water pump, timing belt damper, and accessory belts (a/c, power steering and alternator).

got the stock timing belt parts in and replaced the hack job that I had for hte mk1 mount back to all the stock mk4 thicker tdi timing belt - got rid of the 16v style mounts and back to all of the appropriate covers.

It's ezier to do AWD if the tranny is pointed towards the rear wheels than if its set crosswise in the car...so the "pro" is EZ AWD..the con...its a betch to work on the nose of the engine (timing belt, waterpump etc are much more labor intense than on a transverse VW).

Yes six years is the most I truly trust rubber (also for timing belts and tires ). I just had the timing belt on my Passat changed: it had about 75,000 miles, and just under six years (was changed once before after a water pump failure). It actually looks quite good until you bend it and see creases developing.

I've slacked on some maintenance, but did the timing belt and oil changes and I have 131k and still running strong.