Timing Belt Cracked: AVF Engine - Repair?

Hello,

My parents drive a 2003 Passat with an AVF engine.
For a few days, my parents have been complaining about very high fuel consumption. Well, there was also a huge stain of diesel underneath the car.
'The drain plug on the fuel filter had broken off... When I discovered the problem causing the high fuel consumption, I jokingly decided to take a look under the timing belt cover to see what the timing belt looked like.'

I was very shocked to see how worn the timing belt is. The car has only 70,000 km on it. I also don't think it would last another 20,000 km.
Has this happened before, or what could be the reason why it's already so cracked and porous after such a 'short' time?


panther

hi.

There's a solution for the filter screw issue... a protective cover (I don't know what it looks like) will be installed. The VW dealer should check their "HST" (presumably a technical manual or database).

Perhaps the timing belt is too old, which is less likely, or maybe a pulley is running too heavily. I would replace it.

If it develops cracks, it should be replaced immediately. The best option is to either take it to a workshop or replace it yourself.

'Material defect in the rubber compound?! Mine is already 8 years old and still looks good.'

'Our fire truck is already 23 years old, but it looks brand new - thankfully, it has an automatic clutch (otherwise, the work would fall on me).'

This is a problem that is known to VW. If the car is less than 3 years (or was it 4?) old, you can get a timing belt replacement, including everything, sponsored by VW. In my case, the timing belt was cracked after 60,000 km (30,000 km before the scheduled replacement interval). Now there is peace of mind until 150,000 km, hopefully .

The new belt that's being installed is the one for the 120,000 km service interval.
It also looks completely different from the old one. The old ZR had a rubber coating on the tread (which became/will become cracked), while the new one has a kind of fabric applied to the tread.

Hmm, but it's likely that all the inspections were carried out at a VW service center, right?

A friend of mine replaced it at a local repair shop. The car is from January 2003.


panther