I have done timing belt on my z32 two times. 1st time I used Gates timing belt and the timing marks were not ideal. After a while I gave up and just left it being not ideal. 2nd time I used OEM Nissan timing belt (Z1 120k timing kit) and the OEM belt definitely fits better and timing marks aligned perfectly. I don’t think there was any difference in how the car ran.
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
This is a solid car at a fair price. I had 3 of these over the years and put over 1 million miles between them. Timing belt every 90k with oem or gates belt only is the only real thing to worry about.
I bought the Gates kits (\u00a3180 total) and decided to do my first timing belt and aux belt. Done over a thousand miles on it since and all great \ud83d\ude4c hope you enjoy your new car
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.
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.
Do you have a gates timing belt kit on this? Usually gates makes a whine when revving and coming down in revs and at idle makes a funky sound
I installed a Gates timing kit on my 2011 2.5 N/A 5 speed manual 50k miles ago (150k total). The belt snapped while I was doing 80mph on the turnpike. My valves were bent with deeper internal damage more likely than not.
Personally I use the gates blue racing T-belt, I've had a belt snap prematurely and it was within a few months of owning my e30. Belt was only 4 or 5 years old too.
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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 Gates were overall better than OEM Volkswagen.
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Gates were overall more popular than OEM Volkswagen.
By vote balance, timing belt Gates surpassed OEM Volkswagen:
By number of reviews, timing belt Gates surpassed OEM Volkswagen:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, timing belt OEM Volkswagen led more car-specific ratings than Gates:
OEM Volkswagen are chosen by owners of cars such as: Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, and others.
Gates are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Civic, and others.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of timing belt Gates with: AISIN, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, Continental, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO, OEM Volvo.
Also available: comparisons of timing belt OEM Volkswagen with: AISIN, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, Continental, 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 Honda, OEM Toyota or Gates, Continental or Gates, OEM FORD or Gates.
