QuestionMy mechanic has been after me to replace the original water pump - I know it needs it - but now he says while he is there he should also do the timing belt, thermostat, and three oil seals. Is all this extra work normal when doing a water pump? I can't remember the last time the timing belt was done - but the car only gets 3000 miles a yr. I think the thermostat is original.
AnswerI am a million miles away(you get what I mean)and I can't see the condition of anything so I'll give you the general info and you go from there.
First off, do you trust your mechanic? Is he a VW dealer mechanic or just a general mechanic? "I have a suspicion dealer mechanic get bonuses for extra work and parts sold - but that is me so I fix my own. Ain't that hard, you can get a book from thew library and do it yourself. Most of mechanic work is looking and listening.
Waterpump...generally you know when it is failing when there is a puddle of antifreeze under your car and all the hose connections are tight. The only wet spot is at the water pump, and you are always adding more coolant. Don't have to get from VW either...you can get a rebuilt one(they are just as good as new), or if you are tight for bucks- the auto wreckers or salvage yard...they come with a warrantee.
Thermostat: keeps the engine from overheating. Does yours overheat?-the needle goes to the extreme right and /or does your heater work well? If it doesn't heat well, and the car overheats - yeah thermostat has kissed it...can get another at Wal-Mart. Get the "fail-safe" model. If it should fail it will fail open...which is what you want.
Oil seals...are you leaking oil or is the bottom of the motor just wet with oil? It's up to you, the oil may be coming from the valve cover above. If you are losing a drop overnight, I wouldn't worry about it (after all, one of those checks a person is suppose to do on their car before driving it is check the oil level(up to the line, no more)Unless I was gonna do a motor overhaul, I live with it. If you use 10W30 motor oil, go up to 15W40 or 20W50 which are thicker and won't leak as quickly.
Timing belt. Now that is a touchy one. They are rated for 60,000 miles (or 6 years). It is hard to see as you have to take the cover off, and even then you don't see the entire belt. If any teeth are missing or there are cracks in the belt anywhere- chuck the belt. IF THE BELT BREAKS THE ENGINE WILL STOP IMMEDIATELY AS IT ALREADY BENT THE VALVES minimum. This is something you can do yourself provided you have some mechanical skill and you HAVE A VW REPAIR BOOK(Haynes or Clymer are good publications) Read upon it and you will know how it goes.
If you don't know when it was changed I would have the belt done as well as the water pump. Belt should only cost about $20 tops in the US. Could also be gotten at BOW-WOW autoparts...they deal with vw parts or maybe even a regular autoparts store. You can only ask.
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