God, what a total feckwit!

 

Gates have a simple plastic wear gauge for the micro V serpentine belts. They were giving them away for free in a recent promotion in Australia but I think you can order them from Gates for a couple of $. Worth getting and checking the belt yourself. 60k miles is possibly getting to the wear limit depending on the driving conditions, especially how dusty the area you drive in is

 

get your car out of the dealership ASAP! don't do what they recommend. they know nothing!

 

He also said I need to replace my "spark plugs" but was confused by my statement "No, it's a diesel, it doesn't have spark plugs", he still said it needs doing.

employee of the month nominee here!


and no mention of blinker fluid? muffler bearings? nothing?

 

You should look for another dealer to service your TDI that needs sparkplugs..... just sayin.

 

 

Wow… what greedy manufacturers! I’ve sold serpentine belts professionally since they dawned upon the landscape nearly forty years ago. Simply put, I’ve never replaced one on any vehicle I’ve owned. They should easily have a 150,000km/100k mi duty cycle… but you always do simple checks of the ribbing for cracking and degradation. If it’s good… it’s good! No reason to replace..

 

Consider DIY for the serpentine belt. Its a very easy job. At 60k mine was serviceable but noticeably worn. It would be a PITA if it broke while driving.

 

Mine still looks good at ~100k but I might replace in before winter just as PM since it's fairly inexpensive and easy to do.
Agree on it being a major PITA if it lets go while you're driving, and it will cost you way more to address, even if you're close to home, etc.

 

Replaced my serpentine belt recently at 150K km, put the Dayco belt tester on it and it was noticeably worn although it looked fine.
I think it still had the original belt as I purchased this Touareg with 70K on it, old service records do not list as being done.

I normally replace at 100K purely as a preventative measure as good aftermarket belts (Dayco, Gates, ContiTech) are relatively cheap and an easy DIY job.

TonyB

 

I dunno.... it's a $60 belt.... greed or not, there's a lot of factors... age, milage, leaks (oil\coolant), environment, road salt, tensioner roller bearings, etc...... seems like a no brainer to me to just replace as PM.

I'm sure if a belt fails and rips a bunch of things off in the process of leaving you stranded somewhere, you'll quickly see the "value" in having spend that $60 once every 5 or 6 years.....

 

Well, my statement assumes you’re reviewing all related components…belts usually fail because they are acted upon by another component, like a seizing pulley on a compressor or other accessory… I assume you’re not experiencing noise, chatter, or other affects of wear out.. the belt is worth ~$40 in one of the major brands… I have Continental Elite, which used to be the Goodyear brand. If anyone needs a serpentine belt for their rig, Contact me… I do offer more than simply brake kits..

 

Inept service writer on the spark plugs. I change the serpentine belt on our '15 Touareg TDI every 30K - it's cheap insurance, have 191K on vehicle and knock on wood things look like new. Very easy to do, why push the easy things?

 

Sir, I assure you, you are wasting your money to continuously change at 30 thousand mile intervals… Modern serpentine belts are good for 100,000 miles. Granted the diesel is a torquey monster, the belts are made to handle it unless there’s misalignment or damaged rotational parts that will seize and cause the belt to be damaged.

 

name and shame the dealer who allows their employees to do this. Wonder why dealers get a bad wrap! that service writer or what every they call themselves should be fired on the spot with nonsense like that!

On another note...
I went into Canadian Txxx for some engine cleaner and a person who worked there says to use brake fluid to clean the engine compartment!! and he was serious! Just plain stupid! Where do they get these people from?

 

The sad thing is that as diesel cars become more rare, the quality of service for them will just disappear.

 

I don't think it's related to "diesel cars"..... it's just society in general..... actually, humanity... not just society.... we are on a downward spiral

 

Amen brother!

 

It's comforting to know that not even the manufacturer knows which belt is correct.... at least they give you "options" 🤬

 

have you checked vendor sites to cross check the PN

 

Very few "vendors" actually list the correct one... and almost none list all the specs, so now I'm not trusting anything.... I pay have to pony up and get the OEM from VW to avoid this kind of fiasco..... now I'm looking at all the specs, not just trusting the vendors\manufacturer to know what they are talking about.

 

Doesn't your current belt have markings on it ?

worse case buy 2 or 3, match them to your current belt and return the rest

 

Doesn't your current belt have markings on it ?

Yes. How does that correct the "incorrect" parts vendors are listing\selling for a specific vehicle?

 

Getting vendors to be 100% on point is a lost cause. You know they just download their catalogues from WorldPac or whomever.

It should be worth a phone call before you go to VW

 

I've emailed RockAuto to see what they say.
As shown, lots of places have various lengths listed. I have to do more diagnosis before I can confirm that the small length difference is the issue, but I'm sure that it doesn't help.

Meh, lesson learned... Always check OEM spec first!

 

Look up the lengths....
Then look up the operating range of the tensioner...
I'll wait....

 

Don't care right now. When it's my turn to buy a belt, I'll care.

 

Atta boy! Way to contribute to the community and to help others do it right!

 

For anyone still with me, or who might care.... here are some things to be aware of:

For my application:
OEM 059903137AL (2518mm)
Ordered\Installed Continental 6PK2523 (2523mm)
OEM Tensioner operation acceptable belt length deviation ±3mm (so at +5mm, I'm out of range)

Deciphering PN
EXAMPLE: 6PK1003

• 6 - This indicates the number of ribs on the belt; therefore, this is a 6-rib belt.
• PK – The “P” indicates a metric designation, and the “K” indicates the belt is automotive per SAEJ1459.
• 1003 - This is the effective length of the belt expressed in millimeters

Useful references (and now, you know why I said, what I've said)

 

Oh, and just so everyone knows, vendors care even less about errors\specs than @C-ya does
Here's the reply I received from Rock Auto

Hello,

You need to check our website to see if we carry the correct belt for your application. The dimensions are listed for a reason and need to be matched to your original before purchase.
We're sorry, but our Return Policy explains that we cannot accept returns on parts that have been installed, modified, or otherwise cannot be resold as new.

Thank you,

So as you can see, even if you point out there garbage system offerings, they still say that it's up to you to verify everything.
Here's a visual.... one of these things is NOT like the other..... but, once again, nobody cares as long as they take your money.

Learn from my mistake and do your homework instead of relying on established vendors for something as simple as a belt.

 

Loading cannon....

 

First shot "missed" 🤡