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Preventative maintenance & new coolant pump?

gti2015

Passed Driver's Ed
Hi all,

I have a 2011 GTI and have been considering some preventative upgrades for it. It has 68k on it now and I'm planning to drive it forever.

So, I've been looking at things like this complete timing belt tensioner kit from ECS. My question is - does that kit include an updated tensioner?

Should I get booked in to the dealer to see if I need to get an updated coolant pump also, since VW issued a notice about it and it's free? I looked on VW's recall site but when I searched for my VIN, I didn't come up with any recall results. But I've read that their VIN database isn't always up to date, either.

Any other recalls you all know about or preventative maintenance I should do?
 

BlueE30

Ready to race!
Timing chain tensioner should be #1 on your list, hands down.

Grab the kit in the for sale section and save yourself $50.
 

Boscogn

Go Kart Champion
The pump is covered under warranty up to 120k miles but it has to break first for them to replace it.

Edit: nevermind they'll do it if you have the old pump they'll check and replace if old.

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk
 

gti2015

Passed Driver's Ed
The pump is covered under warranty up to 120k miles but it has to break first for them to replace it.

Edit: nevermind they'll do it if you have the old pump they'll check and replace if old.

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk


Thanks!
 

zrickety

The Fixer
My 2010 has 140k on the original pump, so I wouldn't stress about that unless it becomes an issue. I would agree on the tensioner but if you do early oil changes and watch the level you should have some time. I would save some money for suspension replacements/upgrades depending on how you use the car. Depending on your transmission it may time for some new fluid in there.
 

gti2015

Passed Driver's Ed
I have read that the DSG fluid isn't supposed to be changed again til 80k, isn't that right? I had it changed the first time at 40k, I think.
 

Jarred767

Ready to race!
There's so little info on when coolant flush/replace is done on our cars, is that because people don't need them often due to pumps always failing and coolant being flushed out in the repair process?

My car's radiator was replaced at 57k and new coolant was added in the process (I'm told) and I'm currently at 97k. What's recommended for when it should be flushed again? I know it's stated as lifetime, but :lol:

I've seen anywhere from every 20k to 150k in threads on here haha
 
Last edited:

BlueE30

Ready to race!
Personally, I'm not worried about the coolant flush... VW specs it's super long life, will change it when my water pump goes. Plus if you had your radiator replaced, would definitely have to put in new coolant at that time so I wouldn't worry about it... Get the tensioner done!
 

alpha3

Go Kart Champion
I wouldn't replace the water pump unless it was starting to leak. I made a big mistake and did my recall even though the pump wasn't leaking. When the dealer replaced the pump, the tech didn't do it right (apparently, they're tricky to replace) and the new one leaked within a month. Had to get THAT one replaced too.
 
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