changing camblet

[Gary406]

is it ok to use an aftermarket water pump or is a genuine dealer one advisable, wanna keep costs down

[omega]

cant see a proplem as long as you go for a brand name,and not a pugeot one

[Gary406]

what sort of brands should i be looking at ?

[Gary406]

also what sort of belt kit should i get ?

see a lot of gates brand on ebay, will these be ok ?

[Nuffield]

Hi Gary,
I am afraid that this reply may not be the type you want to hear. In a nutshell, if you have to ask the questions you are, I dont think it would be wise for you to do your belt. The job does need an experianced hand, and your questions show that you seem to be some way away from gaining that. Dont forget, one mistake= big bang and cardiac of the wallet! Oh, and a possable return to the " joys" of public transport!
Regards,
Nuffield

[swiss]

That is a possibility, but how can anyone learn to do this stuff if they never give it a go?

The golden rule is never work on a car which you need to drive to work on Monday morning.

[Nuffield]

Hi Swiss
Modern engines do not lend themselves to "on the job" learning.Years ago if you did something wrong on a service, your car just would not go, or at the best ran poorly. Do some thing wrong now, and its new engine time! Even back then simple jobs could be expensive. For example, a customer of the Swindon branch of Dutton Forshawe brought his new allegro back complaining that the indicaters were faulty. THey were, the rh front worked with the lh rear, and vice versa!As I had pdi d this car I was hauled in to explain why I had not noticed this fault. I was quite relieved when I found he had fitted mud flaps, and screwed them to both the floor and wiring loom! A new loom cost him a fair amount, and he had no car for some time!
Regards
Nuffield

[steve_earwig]

But the guy's sig says 1.9 td - does this qualify as modern?

[DiscoPol]

my two 'penneth worth is

go for it gary,

like swiss said how are you ever going to learn if you dont have the practical experience and the 1.9 td is a much simpler animal than say the hdi,

I wish i had smaller hands or more space in the engine bay and i would probably start thinking about doing mine too,

Good luck and God speed with it sir!

Polski

[mjb]

Modern engines do not lend themselves to "on the job" learning

Rubbish. I know 406s pretty much inside out and am confident tackling ANY job on them purely because I've stumbled through pretty much every job under the sun on mine over the last few years, and that's with virtually no experience of working on cars prior to that

I'm doing my Golf TDI's cambelt very soon too, despite the fact that my only experience under the bonnet of VAGs is the AC condenser and radiator change I muddled my way through last week. Am I worried in any way? No, not really.

Gary asked some very sensible questions, and doesn't need to be scared off what is really a pretty easy job (providing he can get the crankshaft pulley off)

[StevieboyTD]

The belt on the XUD is not a complex job, it's basically mechano for grown ups.

[Nuffield]

Well MJB,
Could you explain where the "Rubbish "lies in my post re Garry and his cam belt change? My intention was to make him have a rethink before starting the job, as it would seem that, like most of us he needs to keep costs down, and any mistake could prove to be most expensive! I am also surprised that a moderator can promote the " muddle through" standard of workmanship! The boys on the farm I frequent "muddled through" when fitting new brake pads to a car belonging to a friend of theirs. Pity they fitted them metal side to the disk!
To conclude, fitting the belt is not complex, but niether is wiring a three pin plug, and there were so many accidents from people doing this, that laws were brought in requiring plugs to be manufacturer fitted!
Regards,
Nuffield

[Gary406]

Hi Gary,
I am afraid that this reply may not be the type you want to hear. In a nutshell, if you have to ask the questions you are, I dont think it would be wise for you to do your belt. The job does need an experianced hand, and your questions show that you seem to be some way away from gaining that. Dont forget, one mistake= big bang and cardiac of the wallet! Oh, and a possable return to the " joys" of public transport!
Regards,
Nuffield

Rubbish. i was asking what sort of belt i should buy, having never ever bought a cambelt before i was just looking for advice in which one to buy thats all, that has no way on this earth got anything to do with me being upto the job or not,

absolute rubbish you speak

[swiss]

OK, well I never meant for anyone to be rubbished, so let us cease and desist with the rubbishing. Otherwise it's a short, slippery slope before we end up pooh-poohing people, and we all know where that leads. You have to disband the regiment - morale destroyed due to pooh-pooh!

Anyway, I fully agree with Nuffield's point about modern engines. When the AA guy pitches up with a laptop instead of spanners, it's out of my league. The self-employed mechanic that does my car now and then swears he would never have a post-99 car and rates the XUDs very highly (despising, in turn, the HDi).

It's a case of knowing the risks and having a back up plan. I read me Haynes Work of Fiction, looked closely at the job and replaced me alternator without trouble having never done anything like it before. Same goes for me wife's brakes. I struggled a bit with the water pump, but consulted the intarwebs and found the solution. When it came to me clutch I knew I had neither the facilities or equipment required, plus I needed it done quick rather than taking a week to learn as I went. So I got it done for me.

Like I say, just make sure you have a spare car just in case ^_^

[Welly]

Earrrrrgh, I'll do the moderatin Swissy alright eh? eh? eh? eh?.......