Cambelt - SKODA Karoq !

[CodeCrusader]

Hello, I'm seeking for some guidance. i have a 5 year old skoda karoq. This Skoda comes with a complete service history. My issue is, considering that it has only traveled 12500 miles and I have received a recommendation to replace the cam belt due to the low mileage, should I really do so?

[ForumGuru]

This may be a £1,000 job, depending on the engine. At that age and miles, I'd just let it be. There is a 10-year/100,000-mile limit on most Fords. Why Vag should be any different is beyond me.

[IrvesBMW]

The same goes with my Fabia. Skoda suggests replacing your vehicle every 5 years, regardless of mileage. We're looking at a 1.2-liter gasoline engine here. I've been ignoring it so far, but I may have them fix it in September when it's due for repair.

[Screwdriver_1]

At the very least. The engine is at high risk of being ruined.

[WordSmith]

Get the 1.5tsi cambelt replaced if Skoda would do it for £550. It's just half of what I've heard other people say.

Any potential buyer in the future will inquire about the proper service history as you probably own it entirely.

November is when mine is due. Almost unable to wait

[CyberNinja]

The change interval appears often on this site. The bothersome part is that VAG in the United Kingdom suggests replacing the belts at half the mileage and time specified in other regions.

Last week, I had my 2018 Golf 1.4 non-ACT oil changed at my local independent. I reasoned that even if I left it for another couple of years, it would just be a one-time work in my ownership. Also, if I trade it in a couple of years with a missing belt change, the deal may lose value.

My indie also suggested updating the auxiliary belt (sometimes known as the fan belt), while I believe the official suggestion is seven years. I finished it anyhow.

[John278]

It really depends on what kind of ridiculous expectations you have. It would be ridiculous, in my opinion, to demand a significant and expensive repair on a vehicle that is five years old and does not need one. BUT it is much more illogical to build a vehicle that at the age of five needs a significant and expensive repair. Therefore, it is illogical regardless of whether or not it requires it.

[Alex1978]

I find five years to be very unrealistic. Where is the scientific proof that a contemporary aramid belt will significantly deteriorate in such a short amount of time? If VAG UK is the only organization in the world offering this advice, it strikes me as a shameful instance of making money off of unneeded labor.

The little unenclosed fan belt that also powers the alternator on my TR7 is still functional after 43 years. When the vehicle was dismantled after 21 years and more than 160,000 miles, the original Focus OEM cambelt was also still fully operational. Cheapo cambelt repairs carry the danger of replacing an excellent original belt with a subpar one from who knows where and improper reassembly of the apparatus by a cack-handed technician resulting in misaligned timing difficulties reducing power and increasing fuel consumption...or worse.

[Darrellll]

That is exactly my present position. (I'm the cack-handed mechanic, and the new belt is made of Chinesium, whilst the original is made of...er...Japanesium.)

Timing belts, unlike tyres, do not carry date tags, and in an old automobile with little demand for components, they might have been sitting on the shelf for a long period.

Finally, Daihatsu emphasizes in the handbook the need of notfolding belts at severe angles, which is how the replacement belt was kept.

All of this makes me skeptical that I'll be better off post replacement (if I achieve it), but it also makes me much more certain that rubber band autodestructing engines are a bad idea.