Just did my timing belt at 60k miles and 8 years. Bought OEM timing belt kit, OEM water pump with electric control, OEM G12Evo coolant.
The timing kit without water pump = 04L198119K, Water pump only = 04L121011N, Timing kit with water pump = 04L198119KS2. I paid just under £240 on fleabay.
The right coolant seems to be G12Evo now. I got 10 litres for £60 from fleabay. Officially it is 8 litres but I used 5 litres and a small cup worth.
Dealers reputedly want £975, Darkside £540.
I also had to buy a £20 timing kit and bought an OMT 22 part coolant pressure tester for £36 (with better aluminium bodied vaccum valve and threaded adapters). I had VCDS already, they say you need it, I am not sure, I would not have needed it if I did not drain the intercooler but really after the vacuum filler I only managed to put in 25mm more fluid so probably could have got away without VCDS.
I started about 9am, had finished by 1430 but VCDS bleeding then took 1.5 hours as there was some messing about as online guides do not match reality.
DIY timing belt/water pump/coolant.
Odd things you need 18mm socket, 24mm socket, T27 for deep recess, timing locking kit, Vacuum coolant kit if doing coolant change (removing intercooler pipe).. plus compressor to drive vacuum kit.
Using VCDS Version: 24.7.1.0 from January 2025.
Main coolant bleed;
I found the temp gauge showed only one bar despite water temps of 55-60C from VCDS. The intercooler bottom hose was hot after 12 mins, then I saw 2 bars on dash temp, the top intercooler hose was warm at this time. Basic setting “was ended” after 15 mins or so. Note accelerator not working during this time so you cannot add engine rpm. I think what happens is that it operates the intercooler water pump and that cools the main coolant by mixing in the cold intercooler coolant so the dash temperature drops to one bar. Then it runs the engine on idle until the temperature rises to nearly normal which takes 15 minutes in 7C temperatures and then it finishes. Other folk are not patient enough to wait and so they do it 3 times for 5 minutes each which results in the same thing.
Back out of cooling function;
Clear faults…
Check fluid level next morning..
Hope that helps someone.
The timing kit without water pump = 04L198119K, Water pump only = 04L121011N, Timing kit with water pump = 04L198119KS2. I paid just under £240 on fleabay.
The right coolant seems to be G12Evo now. I got 10 litres for £60 from fleabay. Officially it is 8 litres but I used 5 litres and a small cup worth.
Dealers reputedly want £975, Darkside £540.
I also had to buy a £20 timing kit and bought an OMT 22 part coolant pressure tester for £36 (with better aluminium bodied vaccum valve and threaded adapters). I had VCDS already, they say you need it, I am not sure, I would not have needed it if I did not drain the intercooler but really after the vacuum filler I only managed to put in 25mm more fluid so probably could have got away without VCDS.
I started about 9am, had finished by 1430 but VCDS bleeding then took 1.5 hours as there was some messing about as online guides do not match reality.
DIY timing belt/water pump/coolant.
- Driver’s wheel – slacken bolts
- Jack up car on axle stands enough to clear tyres
- Remove driver side wheel
- Remove driver side front inner wing liner to show crank pulley
- Remove undertray (to drain the coolant)
- Drain coolant, I unclipped the radiator lower pipe
- If doing coolant change, also unclip and remove the intercooler lower small rad hose
- Remove Alternator/Aux belt with 16mm ring spanner from wheel arch
- Remove the crank aux belt pulley – the 4 bolts. It maybe need hammer taps to work it off.
- Remove engine cover
- Remove the small plastic clip joining the DPF sensor pipes
- Remove the bolt securing DPF sensor pipes to cambelt cover
- Split the cover over DPF pressure sensors with small screwdriver
- Undo the first DPF sensor mount bolt and unclip plug
- Undo next DPF sensor, then pull up and remove the hose
- Unclip the wires and plug feeding the exhaust sensor behind the camcover.
- Feed a 19mm ring spanner over plug and down to exhaust sensor, it will be tight.
- Remove the little torx screw on the camcover by the exhaust sensor. Easy to lose!
- Remove the 3 clips on the fuel filter and ease hoses off
- Remove the fuel filter – three 10mm bolt/nuts
- Remove coolant header tank, 2 hoses, one plug, lever clips off from above into body work.
- Remove the fuel return hose that is now over the camcover in front of cylinder head.
- Support engine on sump at crank side with wood board and trolley jack.
- Remove the 2 bolts between the 2 parts of engine mount – 18mm
- Remove the body side engine mount – 16mm and 13mm
- Drop engine and remove the top cam cover, it needs to come straight up at the rear and there is a silly lip that makes it hard to do.
- Jack up engine, and remove the top bolt of engine side engine mount – big torx or socket
- Lower engine, remove the lower 2 bolts of engine side engine mount – 16mm
- Jack up engine, then remove the engine side engine mount at 45 degrees on it’s front.
- Remove the lower cambelt cover, 4 bolts T27 in deep wells.
- Rotate engine and set timing tools to check timing.
- Photograph camshaft and diesel pump timing positions.
- Slacken diesel pump using locking tool and 24mm socket
- Slacken locking Torx bolt and the use locking tool and 18mm socket on camshaft (temporarily remove timing pin)
- Replace timing pin on camshaft
- Slacken tensioner (15mm), use allen key to remove tension
- Remove timing belt – remove cam timing pin to make it easier
- Remove the 2 cambelt idlers (13mm)
- Position bucket to catch coolant.. it came out the back by flywheel for me.
- Remove waterpump 3 Torx, same as crank pulley,
- Clean up waterpump mounting face,
- Lubricate waterpump O ring and face with red rubber grease
- Maybe lubricate waterpump seal with water (some recommend this before turning pump)
- Refit waterpump 20Nm and two idlers 20Nm and tensioner.
- Refit timing belt start at crank, up to camshaft then down to diesel pump.
- Set tensioner with pointer in window/notch 20Nm + 45 degrees
- Tighten camshaft 100Nm and diesel pump 90Nm
- Remove timing pins
- Turn engine twice,
- Replace timing pins and check position of pins compared to original placement.
- Reassemble
- Use Vacuum fill to fill coolant.
- Use VCDS to bleed coolant
- Let it cool and top up coolant.
Odd things you need 18mm socket, 24mm socket, T27 for deep recess, timing locking kit, Vacuum coolant kit if doing coolant change (removing intercooler pipe).. plus compressor to drive vacuum kit.
Use Vagcom to bleed radiator
I watched this but found a few differences with my software.. use it as a guide anywayUsing VCDS Version: 24.7.1.0 from January 2025.
Main coolant bleed;
- Warm Engine to 30-45C
- Bonnet shut, door shut.
- Stop engine, ignition on.
- VCDS, select Module control - top left
- 01 engine – top left
- Security Access 16 - bottom right
- Enter security access key = 27971 + enter
- Pop up “security access accepted” – click OK (seems picky if wants ign on or not?)
- Adaption – right mid bottom
- Select Channel
- “IDE08287-bleed cooling circuit" + enter
- Change New value = Active
- Select “Do it” at bottom left.
- Pop up “controller accepted the request. Will now read the channel again…” .click OK
- Go back – at bottom
- Start engine
- Security access 16 = bottom right
- Enter 27971 + enter
- Pop up “security access accepted” – click OK
- Basic settings 04
- Select “IDE08087- test - bleed cooling circuit"
- Select “GO”
- read instructions in box – I had to hold brake and accelerator full down for the full time
- 5 minutes by computer control, idle, then 2 mins rpm goes up 2500, then 3000 then 1000
- To monitor progress ..
- Select “Show Measuring Data” bottom left
- Type 00021 and tick box for Engine Rpm IDE00021
- Type 00085 and tick box for Normed load value IDE00085
- Type 00322 and tick box for Status of basic setting IDE00322
- Type 00450 and tick box for Operating instruction IDE 00450
- Type 00451 and tick box for Currently running routine IDE00451
- Type 00787 and tick box for Cause for cancellation IDE00787
- Type 07725 and tick box for Coolant temperature IDE07725
- Move the measuring box window over to the right
- Move selection criteria window over to bottom
- Monitor what happens…
- At end you get “status of basic setting” = “was ended” in monitor window
- “Operating instruction= = “Finished active routine, OK”
- Click “done, go back” on bot right of monitor window
- Basic setting “Done, go back”
- Engine temp on dash is in the middle now and normal.
- Heater on HI in car.
- Engine off, ignition on… first time I went straight to Basic settings.. it seems to work.
- Basic settings -04
- Select “IDE04795-ENG98891-test - bleeding low temperature circuit!
- Press “Go”
- I used “0” in box in middle, some use “4”
- Redo “Show measuring Data” .. same as above
I found the temp gauge showed only one bar despite water temps of 55-60C from VCDS. The intercooler bottom hose was hot after 12 mins, then I saw 2 bars on dash temp, the top intercooler hose was warm at this time. Basic setting “was ended” after 15 mins or so. Note accelerator not working during this time so you cannot add engine rpm. I think what happens is that it operates the intercooler water pump and that cools the main coolant by mixing in the cold intercooler coolant so the dash temperature drops to one bar. Then it runs the engine on idle until the temperature rises to nearly normal which takes 15 minutes in 7C temperatures and then it finishes. Other folk are not patient enough to wait and so they do it 3 times for 5 minutes each which results in the same thing.
Back out of cooling function;
- “IDE08287-bleed cooling circuit" + enter = (channel (1B)) on main screen
- Stored value = not Active
- Pop up “yes to change value”
- Select “Do it” at bottom left.
- Pop up “controller accepted the request. Will now read the channel again…” .click OK
- Go back – at bottom
Clear faults…
Check fluid level next morning..
Hope that helps someone.
