JimTT - advice for an 00 TT FWD owner
 

JimTT, I noticed your advice below regarding the timing belt change at 60,000 miles. I have also read posts about results of not replacing the timing belt soon enough. My question is whether mileage is the only thing to consider? I only have 19,000 miles on mine now, but it has been in service 3.5 years. Should I be concerned about the timing belt prior to 60K? Any other items of concern as I reach the 4 year mark (this Oct.)?

Thanks for any advice

No it's really just a function of mileage
 

I think if you ask ten mechanics that work on 1.8Ts over half will tell you to change the timing belt at 60,000. The fact is that there have been too many cases where the belt has broken before 70,000 miles thus causing expensive engine damage in the form of bent valves. I think you know that the mechanical position of the crank shaft and camshaft in relationship to each other is fixed (not in engines with variable cam timing however they have a fixed range of cam movement) and when the timing belt breaks the two shafts `free wheel' causing some valves to be at full lift at the same time a piston is at 'top dead center'; not good. An obvious question is why does this happen in the 1.8T and not other engines given that the quality of the belts is the same yet the other engines have no problem until much higher mileage? I can't say for sure but do have a theory. Given the three valves on the intake side and the additional valve springs they bring to the party, higher loading occurs on the intake cam. Also in that the 1.8T makes very high torque at low RPM (much more that almost all similar motors) there is a very high acceleration of the crank and camshafts at these RPMs that result in very high belt loadings. I think this just wears the belt out. JIM

Only 19,000 miles? I thought I was low with 29,000 (4 yr mark in June).

Thanks, a little over my head, but I get the point

Benefits of living w/i 3 blocks of my office