Car (2.0 TDI Leon ST) is five years old in November. Belts used to be (and still are in the workshop manual) an inspection, with replacement at 120,000miles.

However a few years ago there was a switch to a five year time limit on them, with no mention of mileage.

Dealer is £420 for timing belt with +£170 for the waterpump. Five year warranty on this work, although the car will probably be changed within the next year for other reasons. A couple of independents in Glasgow have been the same ballpark figure.

I have no issue getting the work done- I know the change of it going bang is very slim but the repercussions are pretty expensive!

Is the waterpump worth doing at this time? I understand its to save future labour but there seems to be a lot of mixed information on this, so hoping there a few clued up forum users!

Absolutely yes mate done his as the waterpump started leaking and that is probably why they recommend 5 years, waterpump is about £150 and another half hour on job. I think he was about £600 A4 diesel (same engine)

Did you try the different VAG dealer they will still use same parts (though I think my mate done that and it was about a tenner diiference between them)

Just bought a kit for my seat and it was about £180 trade for a good make including water pump. It would not be a good idea to not fit a water pump.

I’m pretty sure the workshaop manual says inspection of waterpump before refitting.

But i’ve just smashed a new one in. I’m also fairly sure it was 40000miles for the timing belt when i bullied a dealer into doing it for me ( still quoting to old version.)

Quoted £210 for the parts (official VW kit). I expect its 3-4 hours labour and I’d also like to know that the work gets done properly. Now I know that doesn’t mean a dealer nesscarily but I also don’t want it to be borked if there are things to do in a certain order/way that your regular garage might miss.

Any recommendations for garages/mechanics welcomed. Think it was A for Audi I asked for a price before and main dealers seem to operate under the SEAT fixed servicing scheme.

LUK (amongst others) do a complete kit including the coolant pump and all the nuts etc to complete the job. They will not warranty the belt if you don’t change the coolant pump at the same time.

Yeah I noticed a few aftermarket options, including Gates. Aware the VW kit is likely made by another manufacturer too. I’ve been told the waterpump is a bit more costly due to having a loom for water monitoring but happy to source the parts if I can get a mechanic with a decent reputation and fair labour rate.

Not sure on the Seat but is the water pump driven by the cam belt? There is a school of thought that the extra tension of a new cam belt can stress an old water pump and make it fail. Also some people say you shouldn’t reuse a cam belt if it’s been on for a few months so there is extra cost.

I think on the diesel its certainly in the same area, so could well be driven off the same belt. On the TSI petrols I think the waterpump is the other side of the engine bay, so many just do belt or pump as required.

I am happy to get both done..

Just a word of warning about Gates – I’ve only had two parts from them but neither was good. The last one I had was a pressure hose for steering. The flarenuts required different size wrenches than the original, the outer rubber was smaller diameter so none of the clamps fit and some of the bends were off. Not a huge deal and all possible to work around but still a pita for what was supposed to be a drop in replacement.

I’ve made the mistake of looking at the workshop manual, via another forum. It seems like a complicated job, with a fair few “specific” tools. All laid out but a lot to get right.

Any recommendation’s mechanic wise? I have a friend who is a mechanic for the emergency services who I will chat to but I’m a bit nervous about this work as apposed to an oil change/shock absorber change etc!

Where are you based and what is the engine code (should be on the belt cover or on the RPO plate)?

If you are confident fitting shocks and brake pads I’d say it is only a notch or so up in difficulty and the special tools are not expensive. Book time for a 2.0 litre with a CUNA engine code is a  3.3 hours (not including the coolant pump). To make that time you would need to be doing them all day every day. Allow yourself  a full day, check and double check and you will be fine.

HTH

Hi Marko, Glasgow. I’ve got CRLB on the door sill sticker but a quick look at another site suggested that was 2018 (its a 65 plate).

I will look a bit further, belt cover didn’t seem to have the correct format code on it.

Sounds right. Leon 3 (type 5F) 110Kw.

Sorry I don’t know anybody in Glasgow.

Looking at the procedure (and if it is the same as the one I did on a Passat) then it is an absolute pain in the futtocks. If you have a section of heat shield riveted to the upper timing belt cover (at the rear of the engine) then run away.

Yeah verified in the service book

I’ll look for riveting, but an updated (non-trade) parts quote including bolts and coolant of £315 is making the £588 fixed price and warranty more appealing!

Thanks