Tensioners, timing belts/chains, misc belts... replace according to mileage? or???

[B5Burn]

Spurred by another member asking...

My car (98.5 B5 A4), as you guys know has ridiculously low miles (around 25,000 as she sits for the deep freeze we call "winter"). The original owner drove it periodically up until around '02 and it was parked indoors, climate controlled and driven occasionally to move it, until 2 years ago when I took it (21,000 miles).

So, regarding all of these "MUST FIX BY" maintenance items - considering the age of the car and the low miles, should I be thinking of doing some of the heavy maintenance items sooner than the mileage recommendations?

I currently don't have any stock belts, hoses or anything as the motor was completely built by the prev owner... unfortunately, due to the shop not being computerized back in the late 90's (can you imagine ordering out of printed catalogs all the time? haha), I don't have access to any 'receipts' or records, but the shop remembers some details of the car and prev owner tells me as much as he knows (friend).

I can't rely on them for every little thing... what do you think?

Thanks guys,
B.

[B5A4Kevin]

i wouldn't recommend going just by what either the shop or the owner tells you but if both the stories line up at some point, most likely they are correct. your best bet is just to check yourself. if the engine has the stock timing belt cover, its just 2 clips at the top. look at the serp belts for cracks or glazing. check the timing belt for frayed or missing teeth, cracks at the base of the teeth, exterior cracking/glazing. most belts wear light horizontal bars on the outside. those bars are normal and you dont have to replace the belt if thats all thats wrong with it. general rule of thumb for timing belt/tensioner/water pump replacement is 80k miles (50-60k on TT's) or 6 years. the problem is that a lot of cars that sit actually wear the belts more than if the engine was at least started every day or even every week and ran for about 15-30 min. take the upper cover off, mark the belt, bump the starter, check, bump, check, etc untill you see the mark again, or until you feel you have seen the majority of the belt. not really a way to check the water pump or thermostat as you wont really know until it goes. but if the belt is worn to the point that it needs to be replaced, so does the water pump.

[B5Burn]

wow, very cool. Thank you for this feedback. I have no problem trusting the details from the shop and owner, but thought it may be a moot point depending on the time factor.

Saving your post and will check this stuff in the spring. (it's -20c in my garage today). The belts all look good, but I'll dig deeper. Some things may be coming apart this spring anyway, so if it goes deep enough I'll likely just pony up and replace it all for piece of mind.

Thanks again!
B.

[B5A4Kevin]

no problem. also check for split cv boots, and cracked bushings.