Do NOT buy Continental parts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Quantum TD]

Here's a fun story. I purchased a Conti timing belt for a 2004 Golf TDI BEW engine code back in Jan 2009. I installed it, along with new INA rollers and a HEPU water pump on a friend's car: basically, all OEM or better than OEM quality parts.

She drove the car for 3 years, and put 60K on the belt. The other day, the belt exploded. I mean, there is nothing left of it except shreds. My initial thought was that the car dropped a valve, or the tensioner rollers or water pump siezed. Nope. Everthing was fine, except for the collapsed and mushroomed lifters, bent valves, scored camshaft, and impacted pistons. The rollers and water pump spin like brand new. The cam gear had not moved, and I had inspected the belt at her last oil change.

I've used Conti/ CRP parts for over 2 decades and never had a problem. Now this.

I've generally watched the quality of their parts slide over the past decade. From CV boots that dry-rot after only 2 years, to V-belts that stretch prematurely. Customer service basically told me to go (profanity removed by moderator) myself on any sort of warranty. 12 months, 24,000 miles is all they cover, unless you buy their complete kit. Apparently, you can't use their piece of (more profanity removed by moderator) belt with better quality parts, or it will explode.

If you EVER do a TB on a VW, diesel or otherwise, I would strongly suggest that you consider Dayco (another OEM supplier, and the co that makes nearly all the belts for VW right now), or Gates.

I will NEVER use Conti/Continental/CRP products AGAIN. If you value your car, or your car repair business, I would suggest you do the same.

[VW Jon]

Same goes for Meyle inner CV boots. German name on the box, but when you open it up, it has a tiny China sticker on it. They will crack within 1000 miles and be completely shot within 7000. I put 100,000 mile originals back on and have no problems. Really sad about the junk being sold today.

[Quantum TD]

Same goes for Meyle inner CV boots. German name on the box, but when you open it up, it has a tiny China sticker on it. They will crack within 1000 miles and be completely shot within 7000. I put 100,000 mile originals back on and have no problems. Really sad about the junk being sold today.

Yep. Meyle is junk. But Meyle doesn't sell belt parts (thank god).

I had the bleeders on some Meyle wheel cylinders strip out after 3 bleed cycles. I also had one of their tie-rods crap out after 9 months.

The ONLY Meyle product worth a crap is their HD rubber parts. Everything else sucks. But most people don't know it.

My list of trusted aftermarket parts manufacturers keeps dwindling. I'm down to the following:

Bosch
Febi/Bilstein
INA
SKF
FAG
Moog
Rueville
Dayco
Gates
Reinz (minus CV boots which dry-rot in 2 years)
GKN
Ate
Pagid
Textar
Balo
Zimmerman (though it's made in Italy now)
Lucas
VDO/Siemens
Lemforder
Valeo

I USED to buy the following brands, but have since stopped since the quality is so terrible:
Boge/Sachs
Meyle (minus aforementioned rubber parts)
Continental/Conti/CRP
A load of others I can't recall at the moment.

[82vdub]

Quantum, I hear your frustration and hope that this never happens to anyone else (doubtful) as it's an expensive problem to have. Unfortunately, I can't honestly fault Contitech for their denial of any warranty claim or why the belt only lasted 60k miles. They should last longer, but, every manufacturer of any product does have bad batches and faulty parts. While it does seem that about everything in our lives is getting made cheaper and cheaper, that's probably our fault. If we buy based on price only (which is what most people do), when one manufacturer cheapens up their product to keep their costs low, any other company that competes with them will have to do the same just to stay in business. Unfortunately, I don't see this trend changing. Most people look at the initial costs only.

[Caerbannog]

I have to admit that I had really short life with Febi ball joints, like 30K miles and maybe also their tie-rod ends. I think they were Italian made. Sigh.

[coke]

I've always gotten more than 30k out of my Febi ball joints.

[Quantum TD]

So, I'm still working thru the autopsy. The belt looped around itself at the crank sprocket and mushed out the lower timing cover. Worse yet, it cracked the alluminum seal carrier housing. It broke off the outer lip (no big deal), but it also cracked into the block. So, it looks like more fun.

At this point, I'm at one of a few possibilities:

1) The belt simply failed at 60K
2) The tension loosened (from belt stretch) and then jumped a tooth until the valves bent
3) The alternator pulley is siezed. Perhaps the contrast in reverse rotation caused the belt to jump. This may have been made possible by a loss of belt tension on the TB (as noted above). But, even on an AAZ, this never happens unless the crank keyway gets stripped out.
4) A foreign object caused it. Owner does not have an engine pan on their car. But MK1, MK2 and MK3 cars never had them either.

[coke]

Is the TDI an automatic by chance?

[Quantum TD]

Is the TDI an automatic by chance?

Indeed it is. Why?

If you're thinking it requires a sooner TB service, that's not the case. OEM specs call for 80K service regardless of trans. I pulled the original belt at 89K, and it looked like new.

[coke]

Because depending on year, the interval was 40k, it was changed to something else in like 01/02 vintage or something. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I do specifically remember VW calling for a 40k timing belt service on automatics, and the only way around it was using the upgraded roller kit with the larger bearing or some such nonsense. I just find it hard to digest is all, I've been using Contitech belts for years on my VWs and never had a premature failure.

Edit: Nevermind, the car is an 04 which would be subject to the upgraded design and would not have the 40k mile interval the earlier birds called for.