Help and Advice needed

[skuddy]

Hi all...let's hope I'm in the right place here

A friend is thinking of buying a VW Polo 1.4 SE TDI (80 PS) from an authorised VW dealer.
It's 4 years old, only had one owner, and has around 18000 miles on the clock.

At the pre-sale inspection he was told that it needed a new timer belt.
Is this normal for a VW car of this age ? What would cause this problem in the first place ?

Knowing nothing about Volkswagens I just thought I'd ask on here for some sensible advice / comments.

Thanks in advance

[alexperkins]

4 years or 60k on cambelts/timing belts now. Rubber deteriorates with not only use, but age too. For safety its wise to get it changed!

Its just wear and tear - its the main drive belt that transfers power from the top at the camshaft to the bottom of the engine at the crankshaft which is connected to the gearbox