[PSM20VT]

After reading quite alot of topic's on airfilters recently on the forum i thought i would buy a new Pollen filter and airfilter as my local accessories shop was doing buy one get one free, wasn't sure i would need them straight away as i had only brought the car 8 weeks ago (7 1/2 weeks off the road due to accident) and the car dealer supposedly gave the car its 80k service inc timing belts. So had a look this afternoon, took the pollen filter out and i think its the vw original filter as fitted in 1998, it was black to say the least and clogged up with leaves and allsorts, fitted the new one and tested the climate control and the airflow from the vents is like 100 times better. So thought i would look at the air filter, humm definitely not changed on the service, very clogged up and definitely not from the 100 or so miles i have driven since buying it, not driven the car since so not sure if its breathing any better for the change.

Checked in the Haynes manual and it says in the service schedule that the pollen filter should be changed every 20k and airfilter every 40k and as the car has just supposedly had its 80k service both should have been done. Now i am wondering whether they actually did the timing belt, i have it in writing that they have and have a years warranty if it should snap, but is there any simple way of checking that the belt is pretty new at all, what should i be looking at??

So i would advise you all to check your pollen and airfilters after a service, just to see if they have been done, i suppose i better check the spark plugs and all the other stuff it says for the 20 & 40k services to see if they have been done.

 

[pacent]

Bring it back to your dealership and complain! I would also check your oil to see if its nice and clean. Pull out your plugs and check what condition they are in. It wouldnt be a glad idea to do a coolant + brake fluid flush.

 

[PSM20VT]

Bring it back to your dealership and complain! I would also check your oil to see if its nice and clean. Pull out your plugs and check what condition they are in. It wouldnt be a glad idea to do a coolant + brake fluid flush.

Not sure i can complain too much as i didn't pay for the service, they just did it as part of the 100 point pre delivery car check and they said they did the timing belt because it was due in 2.5k time, would you need to drain the coolant system to change the timing belt?.

Yeah the oil is nice and clean and has a new filter, Coolant looks new, good colour and clean, just need to check the plugs and i'm looking to change the brake disc's and pads for a performance setup as the stock ones are not as good as i thought they would be, or maybe its the sh#t suspension that they fit as standard to the b5.

 

[jaero]

You can remove the upper timing belt cover pretty easily and take a look at the belt. There are two hoses that clip to the front of it, then two (maybe three) metal spring clips that need to be release, then the cover will slide upward off of the engine. The tensioner roller rides on the outside surface of the timing belt and causes a little wear over time. You should be able to make a determination if what you are looking at is 100 miles worth of wear versus 80K miles worth.

Take a look at the other belts while you are under the hood. They would have to have been removed for the timing belt service. At 80K I would expect that they would just put new ones on when they reassembled the engine. It those belts are new it will give you some confidence that the service was really done.

I'd also be concerned about the timing belt tensioner since this is a '98. It is important to be sure the old tensioner has been replaced as the early design was prone to failure; it should have been changed with the timing belt. You can see pictures of what the new tensioners look like in the timing belt change instructions in the info forum, or you can just look at the parts kit on the ECS Tuning web site. I am not sure if you can get a good look at the tensioner with just the upper cover removed, but if you can shine a flashlight in there and see a nice clean housing you should feel warm and fuzzy all over.

Cheers.

 

[PSM20VT]

You can remove the upper timing belt cover pretty easily and take a look at the belt. There are two hoses that clip to the front of it, then two (maybe three) metal spring clips that need to be release, then the cover will slide upward off of the engine. The tensioner roller rides on the outside surface of the timing belt and causes a little wear over time. You should be able to make a determination if what you are looking at is 100 miles worth of wear versus 80K miles worth.

Take a look at the other belts while you are under the hood. They would have to have been removed for the timing belt service. At 80K I would expect that they would just put new ones on when they reassembled the engine. It those belts are new it will give you some confidence that the service was really done.

I'd also be concerned about the timing belt tensioner since this is a '98. It is important to be sure the old tensioner has been replaced as the early design was prone to failure; it should have been changed with the timing belt. You can see pictures of what the new tensioners look like in the timing belt change instructions in the info forum, or you can just look at the parts kit on the ECS Tuning web site. I am not sure if you can get a good look at the tensioner with just the upper cover removed, but if you can shine a flashlight in there and see a nice clean housing you should feel warm and fuzzy all over.

Cheers.

Thanks Jaero.

I had a look at the other belts for the fan, alternator etc and in my eyes they look pretty worn, i might get my regular garage to have a look at the car to see what they say, even though i have it in writing from the managering director of the place i brought the car from that if his mechanic's have ticked that the timing belts were replaced in the service book then they were done. I had budgetted to have a service and cambelts (timing belts) replaced when i brought it and was suprised when i saw they had done the service & belts when i picked it up and looked at the service book.

The car has done just over 76k, so to be on the safe side when i get the oil change done at 80k i might get all the belts and tensioner replaced, as the warranty i have with the car only covers me for £1000 ($1800) worth of repairs and i bet if the belt snapped it would do a hell of a lot more damage than that or failing that i might buy a seperate warranty that covers me for upto £5000 ($9000).
BUT!!!
I suppose ultimately i should get my regular garage to check the car over and then if its found its not been done i can confront the dealer i brought it from and get them to do it, i must say i was shocked that they had carried out such an expensive service to my car prior to picking it up, especially as the service wasn't due for another 4k.

 

[NYA VW]

F'ng stealerships!! My stealership did the same thing me. I brought my car in for the 20K checkup and their little check off sheet said the pollen filter was replaced. When I brought my car to SRS to have my TT exhaust installed, I had to the mechanic check the filters. Guess what they dealer didn't change the pollen filter!! I couldn't go back to them because a couple of months had passed.

If you can check to make sure your stealership does the work they say they did!!

 

[PSM20VT]

F'ng stealerships!! My stealership did the same thing me. I brought my car in for the 20K checkup and their little check off sheet said the pollen filter was replaced. When I brought my car to SRS to have my TT exhaust installed, I had to the mechanic check the filters. Guess what they dealer didn't change the pollen filter!! I couldn't go back to them because a couple of months had passed.

If you can check to make sure your stealership does the work they say they did!!

They get away with it these days as not many people bother to check that the work has been done and some cars are so bloody complex under the bonnet that you wouldn't know where to look.

I think we trust them too much, we see ticks in all the right places and are happy.

i remember in the days when i was a kid, when my parents and grandparents used to get their cars serviced and the garages would always put all the old stuff they had replaced in a bag in the car so that you could see it had been done.

Its about time they gave us some proper customer service.

But not all dealerships are the same, its just a bitch trying to find the ones which are honest as for every good one there's about 10 bad ones.

 

[Rad]

Where is my pollen filter located and how can I replace it. Any DIY instructions out there? Sorry if this has already been discussed and if so, a link would be helpfull.

 

[pete1]

^^Rad - it's under the hood, near the passenger-side windshield wiper area. On the B5's, it's inside a box in this area - just pop the clamps. On the B5.5's you have to remove a large panel in order to see it - pull off the fat rubber trim at the firewall and pull the whole plastic panel forward to expose the area behind the firewall (the trim just pinches the firewall and panel together). Everything goes back together in the same way it came apart... no screws or sealant to deal with.

 

[PSM20VT]

^^Rad - it's under the hood, near the passenger-side windshield wiper area. On the B5's, it's inside a box in this area - just pop the clamps. On the B5.5's you have to remove a large panel in order to see it - pull off the fat rubber trim at the firewall and pull the whole plastic panel forward to expose the area behind the firewall (the trim just pinches the firewall and panel together). Everything goes back together in the same way it came apart... no screws or sealant to deal with.

Thats different to mine Pete1.

I have a Uk B5 (known as 3b over here).

I found mine on the passenger side of the engine bay at the back, i had to remove a screw that was holding the filter cover on (near the hood hinge), then lift the leaf/rain guard, then pull out the cover and then you can just get your fingers in to pull the filter out, pain to get the new one in as there were plenty of bits of trim for the new filter to snag on.

 

[jaero]

PSM20VT, what you describe is the same as what my B5 had. One long phillips-head screw that secured the cover. Then the filter had to be raised a bit and slid out toward the nose of the car. No clamps on mine as Pete1 is describing.

 

[1ReclusiveOrc]

There should be a clip at each narrow end that holds the filter down for the slight bow shape. The clip that is closest to the passenger mirror is easily removed by pulling straight up. Remember to get it into the notch before pressing down to secure the new filter.

 

[PSM20VT]

There should be a clip at each narrow end that holds the filter down for the slight bow shape. The clip that is closest to the passenger mirror is easily removed by pulling straight up. Remember to get it into the notch before pressing down to secure the new filter.

Thanks, best check i've done mine right then, couldn't tell if there were any clips when i took the old filter out as it was black.

 

[pete1]

Good catch - the B5 filter box uses a screw, not clamps. I have a B5.5, so I was going from memory.

 

[ericpeterman]

PSM20VT: Please do make sure you have the updated tensioner. Mine failed at around 95k and I was very fortunate that the belt didn't skip a tooth. Apparently the belt cover held the belt down enough that it couldn't skip, but it sounded like a diesel when the belt slapped against the cover. I thought the top end had come apart.

All: Our local Ford dealership is good. They've always put any used/failed parts an a plastic bag for me to inspect. I really can't complain about how they've treated our Windstar, but I've decided to tool up and I do all the maint/repairs on my Windstar and Passat now. No matter how good they are I just can't afford or understand paying them $72-$90/hr for work that I can do as well or better. $72 is the cost of a nice air wrench for my home shop, and $90 is the cost of the Bentley manual.

 

[PSM20VT]

PSM20VT: Please do make sure you have the updated tensioner. Mine failed at around 95k and I was very fortunate that the belt didn't skip a tooth. Apparently the belt cover held the belt down enough that it couldn't skip, but it sounded like a diesel when the belt slapped against the cover. I thought the top end had come apart.

Thanks

I will try and get vw to verify the timing belt and tensioner as i have to take the car in for a free vw check on the rubber boots on the front axle ball-joints soon.