ZR Interval: ASV & 120,000 km

Hello everyone,

At ASV, the maintenance intervals for the timing belt have been extended several times, initially from 60,000 km (?), then to 90,000 km, and from the model year 2002 onwards to 120,000 km. My Ibiza, manufactured in May 2001, is one of the first Ibizas of the 2002 model year and therefore (as can be verified by the vehicle registration number and Seat service documents) falls under the 120,000 km interval.

I just searched the entire forum... there are already quite a few TDI engines that have been disassembled because the timing chain broke, but the number with issues related to the ASV component underneath is extremely low (I think one or two), and none of them, as far as I can tell, were at the 120,000 km service interval.

With now 91,000 km (approximately 56,000 miles) in 6 and a half years, my ASV is probably one of those with the lowest mileage for its age (and likely one of the few still having the original timing belt). However, it was also probably among the last ones to be installed, because shortly after that, production of VP models ended, and the era of PD-only engines began.

My question is: Are there any indications or information suggesting that it might be dangerous to really push the car to its 120,000 km (approximately 75,000 miles) limit? As I said, I haven't found anything about this here, and I can imagine that in 2001, they had completely mastered the problem of timing belt replacement. However, it's always better to be cautious than to risk a valve failure at full speed and 4500 RPM on the highway...

What do you think?

Visually, the ZR tire is perfectly fine. During the last inspection, there was no noticeable difference in width compared to the original, and there were no other visible issues. This summer, I'll check it again, paying particular attention to analyzing the wear pattern.

Best regards,

January.

Hello Jan,

You could still purchase the ASV engine for new Leons until the end of 2005. It was also available in the Octavia until only vehicles meeting Euro 4 emissions standards were allowed to be newly registered.

Wasn't there a list somewhere with the replacement parts needed to extend the maintenance intervals for the timing chain?
I'm not sure now whether it's for a range of 60,000 km to 90,000 km, or if the ASV setting can even extend that range to 120,000 km.

The quality of the belts has significantly improved due to the incorporation of fiberglass and metal inserts.
At Ford, ZR fluid changes are also standard at 120,000 km (approximately 75,000 miles).

I'm not sure if the tension rollers have been improved to that extent.

I've had a slightly negative experience with Alfa.
For my 145, the service booklet states 120,000 km, then it was once relevant for 80,000 km, and currently, a change is allowed after 60,000 km .

Best regards, Jochen.

Hi,

Quote:

You could still purchase the ASV engine for new Leons until the end of 2005. It was also available in the Octavia until only vehicles meeting Euro 4 emissions standards were allowed to be newly registered.

But still, it's been such a long time... I thought it would have ended sooner.

Quote:

Was there not a list somewhere with the replacement parts needed to extend the maintenance intervals for the timing chain? I'm not sure now whether it's from 60,000 km to 90,000 km, or if the ASV setting can even extend it to 120,000 km.

"There used to be lists like that... but it's not really important in my case because I already have the version with 120,000 km on the odometer."

However, since the introduction of 120 km (approximately 75 miles) - at least as far as I know - there hasn't been a reduction to a lower interval (similar to what you mentioned about Alfa), so perhaps the components are up to it. Otherwise, we would have seen countless ASVs failing at the 120 km interval.

Best regards,

January.

Hello fellow enthusiasts,

Here's a table that sheds some light on the matter.

Hi,

Okay, I didn't know about the 150,000 km figure for newer Audi SUVs, but that actually supports the theory that the 120,000 km interval wasn't just a random guess, and that you can probably rely on it – which was the point of my question. We already knew that 120,000 km is correct for my car... The question was more about whether it's actually reasonable (which I think it is, based on the table).

Best regards,

January.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that some ASV models have a timing belt replacement interval of 150,000 km.
However, I wasn't sure anymore, and since my car's service history only showed 120,000 km (approximately 74,500 miles) for the period ending in late 2002, I didn't mention it at first.

Best regards, Jochen.