Timing belt Gates or OEM Volkswagen
O.K. I replaced the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, most water hoses, cap, rotor, rotor, plugs, air and fuel cleaner to start off with.
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).
I'm using a 16V crank sprocket, 9A 16V intermediate shaft and sprocket, oil pump drive and oil pump, Gates T226 timing belt (155 teeth) and a tensioner pulley from a 2.4 Mitsu Galant.
I installed a VW oem belt made by Gates in Germany without having to pry the belt on. The Gates belt seemed to have a little more "give" than the Contitech belt.
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.
The timing belt is a Gates unit.........came in a kit with the tensioner, cam seal, and an intermediate shaft seal. I really like the answer that my belt is fine, and fuzzy is ok......I mean, it'll bug me still, but it's nice to know I didn't screw something up while doing a little maintenance.
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.
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