KV6 timing belts.

[Micky Mouse]

Hi, I replaced all belts in my 2.5 KV6 in 2013, car has since covered 33k miles.
Belts due every six years or 80/90k miles but am wondering if I can safely leave alone for another year or two given the low miles?

[SD1too]

Opinion is divided on that question Andy. There are plenty of threads to read to help you make up your mind. From my experience the risk lies not with the belts but with the tensioner and idler pulleys. Consider the total mileage these have covered. Mine were in definite need of renewal at 90,000 miles.

Simon

[DMGRS]

A very, very divided topic, as Simon says!
Personally I wouldn't hesitate to leave it a year or two as that is very low mileage; but it all hinges on if the tensioner and idler were changed when the belts were last done.

We do have the KV6 Cambelt Kits down to a new, permanently low price here:
https://www.dmgrs.co.uk/products/gro...e81885a8&_ss=r
This includes both tensioner and idler too.

I'd be digging out the receipt for last time, and seeing what was changed.

[Blink]

My belts, tensioner & idler are older than Andy's (post 1) but they've done less miles. What's the general consensus on that situation?

[trikey]

Chang at the recommended miles or time whichever comes first.

This is why the factory set the recommendations.

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by trikey

Chang at the recommended miles or time whichever comes first.

This is why the factory set the recommendations.

Don't be silly, that was simply a money making exercise for the dealers, like changing oil, and filters

Brian

[Comfortably Numb]

Having had 2 cambelts snap - the first on a Peugeot XUD 1.7, 25K past the change milage (I plead ignorance - my previous car was a Cavalier, and the timing CHAIN lasted its whole 199,000 mile life) the second was a dealer-maintained-from-new AudiA4 TDi, cambelt snapped a few hundred miles short of the specified 60,000 mile interval, at 179600. When I checked the service record, it had previously been changed early, at 119,500. Both cars went to over 250,000 miles after a replacement, 2nd hand head was fitted complete. As said, tensioners are often the cause of belt failure. I know changing the belts on a KV6 is a pain, and expensive at a garage, but not changing them and tensioners could be a very expensive false economy.

[bl52krz]

The car I bought from my son in September last year, had the belts done in September 2009. Without going and looking at the miles, I think the belts have done around 75,000 miles over the 10 years. I intend to have a look at them before I change them just for my own info on the belts. See how they are looking. The car will not be going on the road until they have been changed suffice to say.

[Richcl]

This is something that concerns me too.
I changed the belts on my v6 about 4 years ago now, but the car has done less than a 1000 miles in that time.
At this rate to change them at 6 years they'd only have 1500 miles on them.

[coolguy]

Originally Posted by Richcl

This is something that concerns me too.
I changed the belts on my v6 about 4 years ago now, but the car has done less than a 1000 miles in that time.
At this rate to change them at 6 years they'd only have 1500 miles on them.

I am in the same boat. I suspect that the 90,000 or 6 years arose because the average mileage per annum was around 15,000 in those days, but whether it is the age or the mileage that causes the problem I don't know. It's a bit like "use by " dates on food - it does not know to go off at midnight, and a fair bit of tolerance is built in.