I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this style of car or simular when it comes to cambelt. I have just purchsed one at 115,000km and am yet to hear from the vehicle dealer if the cambelt has been replaced. Looking over the manual it says a few different timings haha. Any help would be appreciated :)
jasongroves,
Mar 24, 4:25am
You need to be more specific.there are at least 8 engines used in the Passat;)
vtecintegra,
Mar 24, 4:26am
Wouldn't ten years be pushing it on any of the engines it came with!
Anyway if you have the manual it'll say in there - just match up the engine in your car to the correct entry
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 24, 4:27am
Hi Cherry, A couple of points, firstly which engine does it have in it!
When checking with the dealer make sure they give you the age as well as the km's when it was replaced. So many forget that age is just as important as km's.
If the dealer offers to do it for you be cautious. When the cambelt is replaced you should also be replacing the waterpump and tensioners. You also want to ensure that genuine parts (which are very well priced) are used and that someone who has done a few VW's does the job. So be wary of dealer shortcuts. most dealers are good but not all. Best to negotiate a discount rather than get the dealer to do the job so you are in full control.
BTW, parts are best sourced from the 3rd party genuine importers like Qualitat. As a guide on price if its the 1.8 expect around $800 to get it done properly and for the V6 up around $1200.
They are a lovely car BTW, just make sure the air conditioning is working properly and use it regularly to avoid the sticky valve problem that can be a bit pricey to fix.
Also, make sure the waterpump has been replaced with one with a steel impellar. This was about the only design issue with the whole car and most have been replaced but you want to be sure. Originally the car had a plastic impellar water pump that could fly apart and break the cambelt leading to a very very expensive repair.
Don't let those points put you off. overall the Passat is great value and very reliable.
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 24, 4:28am
Snap, thats what I am thinking too.
jasongroves,
Mar 24, 4:28am
Good point.most of the engines have a recommendation of 4 years, regardless of Kms travelled.
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 24, 4:32am
Thats right, without looking it up the 1.8 engines are 4 years and the V6's 5-6 depending on where you look. Hopefully the OP will know which engine and we can confirm for sure.
cherry_,
Mar 24, 6:55am
thanks for all your awesome info. Its a 1.8T model. I have the dealer ringing me 2moro with recommended times. Im not worried if it needs done i am more worried about finding an indy that will do a good job :)
oh cool thanks :) Ill keep on the car dealer who is trying to find out for me if its been done. Hopefully it has. Everything else on this car has been serviced. If not, ill get it done.
jasongroves,
Mar 24, 7:13am
No worries. Is there no sticker under the bonnet to indicate whether it has been done or not! Any other info you need, just yell out. Jazz knows a fair bit about them and I have most of the specs/info here.
cherry_,
Mar 24, 7:16am
There is no sticker. Have had a good look. Would you recommend i get it done at a dealer or get a few quotes from around the place!
jasongroves,
Mar 24, 7:20am
Up to you, but I always shop around. Word of mouth is always a good indicator of how good a particular workshop is (as is how busy they are). Its not an incredibly hard job to do, so doesn't require a specialist. Don't forget to get water pump and tensioners done at the same time;) As you can see in the picture above, the water pump is run off the cam belt, so if it was to fail after doing the belt, the whole lot would have to come apart again;)
jasongroves,
Mar 24, 7:22am
Theres a few regular posters on here who are familiar with Invercargill so can probably recommend a good workshop/mechanic.
cherry_,
Mar 24, 7:23am
yes, i do see. Thanks so much! I thought it would be a bigger job since having to take the whole front of car off etc but it doesnt actually seem that bad. Do you know of anyone in Southland who you would recommend!
jasongroves,
Mar 24, 7:26am
No I don't sorry, I am in Dunedin;) You could always start a thread titled something like 'Workshop/mechanic recommendations - Invercargill' and explain what you want done.
cherry_,
Mar 24, 7:28am
good suggestion. Thanks!
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 24, 7:44am
Hi again cherry, Like Jason says you don't need a specialist just a good competent regular mechanic and preferably one thats done one or two.
The main thing is to insist on genuine parts. Ringing Qualitat for pricing on parts could be a good start, you may even find a mechanic who is happy for you to provide the parts.
The only thing is you want to be really certain on if the cambelt has been done is that the waterpump has been replaced with a metal impellar one.
The 1.8T is a cracker wee motor and the take the front off the car bit is an intentional design feature that makes it a much more pleasant job.
Some VW dealers are great and some are rubbish so get a quote and ask any other VW/Audi/Skoda owners you bump into if they have used them and what are they like.
If you are getting nowhere you can always see if there is a VW club where you are, there probably is and if you ring them they will likely be delighted to advise you on where's best locally. Likewise Qualitat if you ring them may know whos good as they likely supply parts to a few down your way.
Best of luck I think you will love it.
cherry_,
Mar 24, 7:49am
Thanks guys!
cherry_,
Mar 24, 8:03am
hahaha :)
cherry_,
Mar 26, 3:14am
I have a passat question - in my 2001 1.8T model, is the dash digital odometer and the clock meant to stay visible after i take the key out of the ignition!
intrade,
Mar 26, 3:21am
no or it would drain your battery.
cherry_,
Mar 26, 3:48am
yeah my battery is completely f**ked so im not sure
intrade,
Mar 26, 3:49am
does it stay on! clock maybe but digital readout usually is blank when ignition is off. maybe check here http://www.passatworld.com/
cherry_,
Mar 26, 3:55am
yeah i have just had the car for 3 days. When key is not in ignition both odometer reading and clock are still on. grr lol
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