That's me booked in for the timing belt on my Octavia.

[GregZX]

A 2020 1.5 TSI with 109k (change interval is 140k but I'm getting twitchy).

Only Skoda themselves or a VAG specialist can do it because of the need for a "special tool".

Specifically the VAS 611 007 electronic timing tool which costs so much ordinary garages don't have it and mainly because they would never see enough 1.5 TSI engines to justify buying it.

So that will be £920 inc VAT please sir and we'll have your car two days as well.

The belt on my ZX cost £150 including the bottle of tippex!!!

[twosmoke300]

Yea sad state of affairs really and doesn’t benefit anyone really . 

[twosmoke300]

Really 😂

[Matty]

11 minutes ago, twosmoke300 said:

Yea sad state of affairs really and doesn’t benefit anyone really . 

 

11 minutes ago, twosmoke300 said:

Really 😂

Really? 🤣

[SiC]

Laser have come up with a cheaper version

https://www.lasertools.co.uk/Product/8824/Engine-Timing-Kit-for-VW-Group-1.5-TSi-Petrol

Probably more faff and it's expensive still, but at least not quite as bad as the OEM tool. £600 with the VAT from here: https://www.thetoolacademy.com/laser-tools-8824-engine-timing-kit-fits-vw-group-15-tsi-petrol-154492-p.asp

VAG have said that newer engines will need the special expensive tool on future engines. 

If so, I suspect aftermarket tool manufacturers will come up with something much cheaper in the long run. 

[twosmoke300]

I’ve got a kit with an inclinometer in already for bmw / Prince junk . What’s the betting it’s not cross compatible 

[Rocket88]

And still people keep buying this over complicated shit..no offence, but this is the price you pay ……

[twosmoke300]

1 minute ago, Rocket88 said:

And still people keep buying this over complicated shit..no offence, but this is the price you pay ……

Zee Germans 

[Rocket88]

Don’t mention…etc etc

[SiC]

3 hours ago, Rocket88 said:

And still people keep buying this over complicated shit..no offence, but this is the price you pay ……

Drive alright and interiors are pretty decent. 140k intervals mean that it's much further down the ownership line where value is usually far lower. It's like 8k per annum average for most UK owners. Average car in the UK is scrapped at 16yrs. So there is a good chance many of these cars will have original belt for life.

[Rocket88]

Fair enough…… does make me mad that manufacturers wilfully make sure that the poor sod who buys relatively modern stuff gets stiffed with ridiculous maintenance costs……

[RoverFolkUs]

Those belts are supposed to be teflon reinforced and realistically will probably never break. I've seen some high mileage TSI engines, incidentally never with a broken cambelt. Obviously the tensioner or idler could be the main risk but the belts are made quite well from what I've seen. I've done a number of cambelt kits on the earlier 1.2/1.4 TSI engines (the ones that don't need the computerised tool) which have had a fair few miles under their belt [pun not intended] and the best part of 10 years old, with zero signs of deterioration to the naked eye. Some old style cambelts may not necessarily perish/crack but would usually at least show signs of wear 

Its wise to do the belt on time, but as said, relatively few cars see the scrappers with 140k miles on the clock, people just love throwing things away so aside from heavy taxi/fleet usage, very few belts are actually going to need doing.

That was probably the idea behind the Ecoboost wetbelts being so labour intensive - they're supposed to last 150,000 miles, but they didn't seem to consider, or indeed care, that there would be so many variables that could severely shorten that interval