UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has any advice on timing belt changes. My GTI is approaching 6 years old (just short of 50k miles).

Reading various comments online about 100k miles or 5 years, whatever comes first. So think I’ve already left it too long!

Anyone had it done? Wondering what I can expect cost wise.

@S_94; no need to panic - the 2.0 litre EA888 engine in the GTI / GTI+ has a timing chain, not a rubber cam belt. The timing chain is a non-serviceable item, although IMHO it might be worth getting the chain checked annually (at service time) for stretch once your car’s mileage gets to 80k miles.

If during one of those annual checks it shows signs of stretch beyond what is considered to be acceptable, that would be the time to get it changed.

Fantastic! Thanks SRGTD, learn something new every day and even better if it’ll help the bank account.

Service and MOT is coming up so good timing and sure if anything isn’t as it should be it will be flagged then. Appreciate the help mate.

I'd like to know experiences of this too...

I have only done 29,000 in 5 years...

My Son has a 1.2 2014 Polo 4 door, just spent almost £900 on new clutch, shocks and others bits and pieces, he's only has 64k on the clock, I've been using it for work and it has been fine, I parked up a few days ago, and went to start it the next morning, and it wouldn't go, it just kept turning over.

Thought it was the starter motor, called the RAC breakdown, and the guy turned it over, and said straight away the timing chain has gone, and has pretty much buggered the engine, so, so much for 120km chain lifespan.

Now we have the option of getting a replacement engine, £700+++ or having it towed and rebuilt, around £2k, or selling it as a project car for someone to swap out engines. Value now dropped from circa £5k to a few hundred

Needless to say, we are gutted, any takers, (or ideas/options!)?

Chain or belt? Have a read of this, how was it determined that the chain/belt was "gone"?.

https://uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?p=608166#p608166

[The link is to this page]

The RAC man turned it over, said straight away what he [thought] it was, you can hear knocking in the engine, so it's proper fooked. He said he can hear the air escaping where the valves are bent and not sealing

I guess its the tensioner that failed, otherwise I guess it wouldn’t turn over if it was the chain?

If that is the case and the belt had snapped, when you turn the engine, you would soon know, I would go for a new engine, sorry to say. Belts changes are 4 years or 40k miles. Yet depend on the belt fitted aftermarket would be different and if they dud the full kit.
Newer vw cars belts are ment to last 5 years or 50k miles. Sure I read that somewhere