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.
That ring of belt material on the idler *implies* an anti-skip plate was installed too tight and rubbing on the belt, but I don't see one over the crank. The DOHC engines have them in the corners of the timing guide. SOHC manual trans engines had one over the crank but auto trans had none. Never reuse an unknown mileage/history belt... And even then, if you've already got in apart, just replace it. (For what it's worth Subarus service interval is 105k miles or 105 months.)
Did you use a high quality timing belt? We had a 98 impreza 2.2 and put an aftermarket timing belt kit on it and the belt broke in 30k miles for no reason. Tensioner and pulleys were all fine.
Never had a problem with Continental belts in the 15+ years I've done timing belts, at recommended interval replacements as directed.
I actually ordered an oem sti timing belt and have had no issues.
I have a continental timing belt with 180K km on it. Yes it’s time to change it, but it still looks good. They are good belts, my engines life depends on it.
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.
Man i had some foo change my timing belt in my subaru and the timing belt broke less than a month after the warranty ended. So I had to get it done again. Super important thing to do with interference engine though
I just did this. Most of the items Subaru said were "broken" were in fact, not broken. Some were just worn but still in good condition. They also wanted to replace my timing belt, the same one THEY REPLACED LAST YEAR.
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 Continental were overall better than OEM Subaru.
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Continental were overall more popular than OEM Subaru.
By vote balance, timing belt Continental surpassed OEM Subaru:
By number of reviews, timing belt Continental surpassed OEM Subaru:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, timing belt OEM Subaru led more car-specific ratings than Continental:
OEM Subaru are chosen by owners of cars such as: Subaru Impreza, 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 OEM Subaru with: Gates, AISIN, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, DAYCO, OEM Volvo.
Also available: comparisons of timing belt Continental with: Gates, AISIN, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, 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.
