Timing belt age ??

[Jesse]

I recently purchased a 02 vw Passat with a v6 . It has 109k miles and previous owner said timing belt was done at 100k, but doesn’t have receipt. The car seems to have been maintained well and i took off the timing cover to look at the belt . To me the belt looks new , no dis coloring of wear or anything else I can see. I’m not s mechanic and I just don’t know if an 9k timing belt looks different than the original one with 109k.

Topic

[Jesse]

I recently purchased an 02 v6 Passat with 108k . Po said timing belt was replaced at 100k but no receipt. I inspected the belt and to me looks new . No wear or discoloration at all, that i can see. I’m not a mechanic and don’t know what a 8k belt looks like compared to the original 108k belt .. If anyone can take a look and give feedback , it would be greatly appreciated https://vimeo.com/151200591

[Richard Kirshy]

The belt looks new but never judge the book by the cover …
Might try looking for some other signs the belt was replaced.
Hopefully the tensioner and idler were also changed at the same time.
Inspect to see if they look new.
Might look for paint marks on the timing marks on the cam(s) and crank which would show someone lined up the timing marks.
Look to see if the water pump has been replaced.

If none of these show up..
Suggest you think about investing in doing the job.
If the belt wasn’t changed or the tensioner and idler is original and it fails, you may ruin your motor.
If the water pump is original, well you know what happens then.

[college man]

This is tough not knowing service records. If there are no cracks then call it good.
Can the previous owner provide the shop that did the work. This way you can verify
the date it was done and what was done.

[Ian Williams]

They often put a sticker on the windscreen to say the belt was done , if you can find out who did the replacement to verify would be the other option

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[William Richardson]

If you cant verify if it was replaced I would replace it. If it fails engine damage is inevitable since its an interference engine. Here is an excellent write up on timing belt replacement for that engine: http://www.blauparts.com/vw_timing_belt_replacement/28l30v/howto/how_to_replace_vw_passat_timing_belt_installation_guide.html

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