Genuine Parts

948 Views 6 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Melchior, Aug 6, 2014

TheWay

Discussion Starter · Aug 5, 2014

I looked into my vehicles history, not only is it missing each and every 10k interval maintenance, but the records from 60k miles to 145k miles are non existent.

Better safe then sorry.

I start looking into timing belt water pump job estimates...
VW Dealership $750 plus parts
Kauth & Meyer $625 plus parts.
My (Toyota) Dealership $300 plus parts.

My real inquiry here is this:
How do you all, the vw passat community, feel about aftermarket parts versus OEM?
I will get a one year parts warranty for OEM parts. But, through my work partnerships (AutoZone), I can get a parts kit for this job at $190 with a lifetime warranty. And this warranty also covers labor costs for redoing a job.

This being my first major mechanical experience, I'm unsure which way to go. Do I go proper VW and their parts, totaling over $1k, or do I do it in house with aftermarket parts, and take the lifetime warranty as peace of mind?

Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

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vbora01

· #2 · Aug 6, 2014

You can have it done outside of the dealer, with the exact parts they'll use.

For the belts: Continental
Bearings and tensioners: Either Ina/*** or NTN (preferably the first)
Water Pump: Behr or Graf
Thermostat: Meyle, Behr, Graf, VW... I don't think these are hard for even a cheap parts maker to make, just replace it while you're in there though
Coolant: VW or equivalent G12 or G13

Most kits that come from the well known suppliers like FCPEuro, Germanautoparts.com, ECStuning, etc. Come with those brand parts. there is good reason for that. I just did a V6 timing belt job with all the associated hardware and got the FCPEuro kit. It was a solid choice as everything looked to be top quality. Plus, FCPeuro offers free shipping above $50. Timing belt isn't necessarily something you'd want to cheap out on obviously, but its also something that doesn't have to break the bank. If you decide to do it in house, remember that you need to adhere to torque specs! This is my guess at why some people don't see timing belts and its bearings last!

Lastly, if you're attempting this with a V6 and the shop hasn't a clue what the cam lock bar and crank lock pin is... Be weary. Those are "no brainer" tools for the V6 specifically.

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sirwired

· #3 · Aug 6, 2014

You want the t-belt parts to be either VW or a trusted aftermarket supplier. Parts of unknown provenance from Unknown Chinese Parts factory may be covered by a lifetime warranty, but even a payment for labor to redo the job won't help when your head gets destroyed by a failed tensioner.

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scotts13

· #4 · Aug 6, 2014

sirwired said:
You want the t-belt parts to be either VW or a trusted aftermarket supplier. Parts of unknown provenance from Unknown Chinese Parts factory may be covered by a lifetime warranty, but even a payment for labor to redo the job won't help when your head gets destroyed by a failed tensioner.

THIS. Warranty means nothing on timing parts. The "free" replacements, even with labor reimbursement, are nothing compared to the cost of a failure. I'd recommend genuine VW parts, installed by the VW specialist of your choice. NOT a generic mechanic. Matter of fact, if you can afford it, paying the VW dealer isn't a bad idea. Due to the size of the company, you MIGHT just get your engine fixed if the dealer does it and you have a failure.

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2002GLXV6

· #5 · Aug 6, 2014

Originally Posted by sirwired
You want the t-belt parts to be either VW or a trusted aftermarket supplier. Parts of unknown provenance from Unknown Chinese Parts factory may be covered by a lifetime warranty, but even a payment for labor to redo the job won't help when your head gets destroyed by a failed tensioner.

scotts13 said:
THIS. Warranty means nothing on timing parts. The "free" replacements, even with labor reimbursement, are nothing compared to the cost of a failure. I'd recommend genuine VW parts, installed by the VW specialist of your choice. NOT a generic mechanic. Matter of fact, if you can afford it, paying the VW dealer isn't a bad idea. Due to the size of the company, you MIGHT just get your engine fixed if the dealer does it and you have a failure.

3X what they have said. This is the most important service for the life of your engine you can have done. Not the time to try and go cheap.

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captain_video

· #6 · Aug 6, 2014

I would definitely recommend finding either a mechanic that specializes in VWs, Audis, and other German cars or take it to a nearby VW dealer. This is not a job to tackle for your first major mechanical maintenance task. A mistake here can literally cost you thousands to fix.

However, if you do decide to try this yourself, get quality parts from the dealers recommended above. Look in the B5 Garage forum and the Information Base for instructions on performing the TB replacement. If you don't have a Bentley manual then I would recommend you get one. At the very least get a Haynes or Chilton manual or one of the electronic versions you see listed on ebay. There are also online services that provide manuals you can download for a fee.

Take your time and check your work 2 or 3 times to be safe. Be extremely careful of the pulley alignments to make sure they don't get altered while you've got everything pulled apart. A white grease pen will help you to mark the gear positions before removing the old belt to ensure everything remains aligned when putting it all back together.

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Melchior

· #7 · Aug 6, 2014

Go to the dealer or VW specialist shop for this work, is my recommendation.

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