Timing belt Gates or OEM Volkswagen

I don't have a problem with Gates. I install lots of those without problem so I went with one on my Z32

Don't cheap out on the timing belt. Get the entire kit with rollers, tensioner and water pump. If it fails it is catastrophic. I use Gates kits all the time.

Usually with auto parts you get what you pay for. So pay a little more for better quality stuff. The brands I like to go with for timing belts are gates and continental.

Gates belt is great but I'm not convinced that anyone not tracking their car needs it. Even then, it's probably not necessary 80% of the time.

My gates belt looks identical to that and has ever since 5 miles after i changed it, and that was like 4 years ago....

I would highly recommend replacing the oem hydrolic tensioner and pulley with a conversion kit to the older style manual mk3 tensioner. The kit provides an idler pulley. Very nice kit from integrated engineering. This is a sure way to avoid another possible failure and i would also recommend going with a gates timing belt. I just did this job on my1.8t and am very happy with it and can sleep peacefully at night knowing i won't have a failure.

I just had my 80K-mile service at Niello VW in Sacramento, where three Phaeton-certified techs are on staff. The timing belt is included in the 80K service, which was a little over $1,200.

Here in Australia the timing belt interval for the FSI engine in the Golf R is 105,000km (which is around 60,000 miles).

i got the gates racing timing belt. have had no complaints about the belt. other than it squeaking at first and making me think something was wrong.

So my gates racing belt snapped. This is the reason i bought gates so my t belt wouldnt break, 40 miles after valves were replaced t belt breaks. Fantastic. They have great QC. Just kidding. There had to have been a flaw, the way it broke