Timing Belt

[Exocet]

been trying to source a Gates serpentine belt 6PK1550XS which is recommended by Gates
But Sparesbox, Repco and others recommend and only stock the 6PK1555
So emailed Gates and.....
Quote "With the accessory drive belt, there were issues with this VW drive that caused belts to stretch excessively in a short period of time. This in turn can cause the belt to dislodge and in some cases get tangled up with the timing belt creating very expensive repairs. VW have been replacing the timing covers on these cars for sometime now to prevent the drive belts from interfering with the cam belt however they have not upgraded the accessory belt. We created 6PK1550XS with Kevlar cords and a shorter length to handle the elongation issue. So this belt is better than the genuine VW belt for this application."

[Sunny43.5]

You also should look into getting what vw sell as a "Robustness Kit " this is a VW made divider which will save your engine from major damage if the serpentine belt lets go . There are some who have found out the hard way when it happens , my mates one was at a workshop for a auto repair and they started the van up to warm the engine , a few minutes later they found the engine had stopped for no reason and then found the belt had tangled with the timing belt causing a few grand in repairs to the engine . The following day I booked ours in to do its belt and fit that kit so we did not have the same result , VW should have fitted the kit to all of them but there was no recommendation by them .

[Exocet]

Thanx Sunny, Is the Robustness Kit only available as a genuine part from VW at how many $$$$
Is it the whole cover or just a divider and what's it made of plastic or steel?
thinking I might just make one.

[Sunny43.5]

Thanx Sunny, Is the Robustness Kit only available as a genuine part from VW at how many $$$$
Is it the whole cover or just a divider and what's it made of plastic or steel?
thinking I might just make one.

it wasn't that costly less than a hundred bucks from memory not sure of its composition but I would imagine its hopefully metal and yes Genuine VW .