My friend has a 2.0 mk6 Jetta and it’s been the most reliable car he’s ever owned. It’s only needed a timing belt and basic maintenance items and he’s had it for almost 3 years and around 100,000 km added. It’s seen multiple cross border road trips without skipping a beat, and It’ll likely outlive him
Continental for timing belt and Geba water pump. Gates is fine for accessories belt not timing due to more recent production issues. I will get a gates for any of our 5 vehicles for an accessories / serpentine belt but not for timing.
For future reference timing belts get changed at 80,000 miles. No excuses. That's 20% within oem spec.
For context i bought a 2008 passat estate with 149,000 miles on it for a 27 miles each way commute 3 years ago.
I got it and did a timing belt change straight away which was preventative and for peace of mind.
Ich habe mal an einem Passat das Wechselintervall von 60000 km auf 170000 überzogen. Ging vollkommen problemlos und hat super gehalten.
Der Zahnriemen in unseren Golf 4 hat 21 Jahre gehalten :D
Beim Alfa auch so...Soll wohl alle 4 Jahre gewechselt werden, war über 10 Jahre drin.
Mein Polo hatte selbst 12 Jahre Überzug aber es ist weder der Zahnriemen gerissen noch sonst was. War mehr oder weniger auch in der gleichen Situation, nur waren es bei mir 11 Jahre mehr Überzug.
Solange der Zahnriemen nicht im Ölbad läuft und er nicht porös, erste Risse oder Brüche (auf der Innenseite) zeigt würde ich mir da wenig Gedanken machen, sowieso wenn deine Karre mit nächsten Jahr weg soll.
This Continental Contitech on my VW FOX's EA111 1.6 8v engine is supposedly cracking and dry, according to the shop I sent it. It got only 5000km on it and less than a year.
After sending the car for service to change the timing belt, tensioner, and the water pump on my VW Fox 2014 (brazilian model, EA111 1.6 8V), I got this noise for the first 5min the car is on, then the motor heats up a little and its gone, no performance issues so far.
My mecanic do my timing belt last time 130 k miles and now at 230 k miles.Was a continental tech was nice state but is a granade stuff…no more than 80 k miles period catastrophic failure
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If choosing timing belt across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare timing belt across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt OEM Volkswagen were overall better than Continental.
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt OEM Volkswagen were overall more popular than Continental.
By vote balance, timing belt OEM Volkswagen surpassed Continental:
By number of reviews, timing belt OEM Volkswagen surpassed Continental:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, timing belt OEM Volkswagen led more car-specific ratings than Continental:
OEM Volkswagen are chosen by owners of cars such as: Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, and others.
Timing belt Continental have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of timing belt Continental with: Gates, AISIN, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO, OEM Volvo.
Also available: comparisons of timing belt OEM Volkswagen with: Gates, AISIN, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO, OEM Volvo.
You can also see who is better among other timing belt manufacturers: AISIN or Gates, Gates or OEM Volkswagen, Gates or OEM Honda, OEM Toyota or Gates, Continental or Gates.
