vs
Timing belt Continental or OEM Volvo
Reviews
All I can say is that the belt in this picture is 1000x better and will probably last longer than any non Volvo OEM pieces of garbage you’d buy off the jungle sales app. Heck those might not even get you back home.
Pros: better than aftermarket parts
Cons: aftermarket parts are garbage
Vehicle:
Volvo
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.
Pros: Continental timing belt
Cons: Gates timing belt
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
I bought the same 2012 S60 but a T5 for $5000 in August with 124k miles. It was a single owner vehicle with great maintenance records and my mechanic gave it a once over. I had to replace the timing belt and will probably need to replace the AC compressor next summer. I expect you'll need to do the timing belt too, and maybe some other things noted in the service manual, but even with $4k of work, you'll be well below your budget. I honestly smile every time I drive it, it's a blast.
Pros: blast to drive
Cons: replace timing belt
Vehicle:
Volvo S60
I have had to replace timing belts in two of my cars. One was a Volvo V40 and the other a Honda Accord.
Vehicle:
Volvo V40
Never had a problem with Continental belts in the 15+ years I've done timing belts, at recommended interval replacements as directed.
Pros: reliable performance, no problems
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.
Cons: cracking and dry
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Fox
Mileage: 5000 km
As the title says, I changed my timing belt today. I replaced the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley, serpentine belt, and serpentine belt tensioner. All replacement parts were OEM Volvo. There are two noteworthy cracks that go all the way across the belt and tiny cracks all over.
Pros: OEM Volvo parts
Cons: noteworthy cracks, tiny cracks
Vehicle:
Volvo V60
Mileage: 107000 km
Nako hindi na ako bibili ng Volvo! Sirain pala mga timing belt nun.
Cons: prone to breaking
I forced him to take it to my current indy Volvo garage and they gave him a huge lost of everything wrong with it, including a timing belt and fan belt. It had the distinctive whisp/chirp of worn belts.
Pros: worn belts, distinctive chirp
Cons: huge list of problems
Vehicle:
Volvo V50
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
Cons: short lifespan, catastrophic failure
Mileage: 128747 km
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.
Comparisons
Show all
Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page
The brake pads OEM Alfa Romeo got the first review!
The brake caliper OEM BMW got the first review!
The brake pads OEM Infiniti got the first review!
For wiper blades PIAA already 100 reviews.
For battery Energizer already 25 reviews.
In the rating best water pump already 12 brands participate!
In the rating best timing belt already 13 brands participate!
In the rating best head gasket already 3 brands participate!
In the auto rating oil filter for Volkswagen Passat already 5 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for Mazda 5 already 10 brands participate!
In the auto rating tires for Subaru Outback already 50 brands participate!
For cabin filter Fram already 25 reviews.
Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page
Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page
Which timing belt to choose — Continental or OEM Volvo?
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:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which timing belt are better — OEM Volvo or Continental?
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Continental were overall better than OEM Volvo.
- Continental received a PR Score of 73 out of 100, and OEM Volvo scored 58 points.
- Continental ranked 6 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volvo ranked 11.
- The average rating is higher for Continental (3.7) than for OEM Volvo (3.3).
-
Timing belt Continental have better feature ratings than OEM Volvo:
- Starting - owners believe, that this property for Continental is better than OEM Volvo.
- Noise - drivers claim, that this property for Continental is outperforms OEM Volvo.
- Visible wear - reviews suggest, that this property for Continental is preferred to OEM Volvo.
Which timing belt are more popular — Continental or OEM Volvo?
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Continental were overall more popular than OEM Volvo.
By vote balance, timing belt Continental surpassed OEM Volvo:
- For Continental, the ratio of positive (42) to negative (15) votes is 27 votes.
- For OEM Volvo, the ratio of positive (20) to negative (14) votes is 6 votes.
By number of reviews, timing belt Continental surpassed OEM Volvo:
- For timing belt Continental there are 18 reviews: 12 positive, 3 neutral, 3 negative.
- For timing belt OEM Volvo there are 11 reviews: 6 positive, 1 neutral, 4 negative.
Which timing belt do car owners prefer — Continental or OEM Volvo?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, timing belt Continental and OEM Volvo have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of timing belt
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 Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO.
Also available: comparisons of timing belt OEM Volvo with: Gates, AISIN, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO.
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.