V belt and tensioner help

[Sharrie]

Help and advice please, my camper went in for an Mot and it was a little noisy, the man said it’s possibly the V belt and tensioner. He suggested taking it back to VW as recently had new cambelt and water pump fitted. The van runs lovely, albeit a little noisy, VW said they would recommend a new belt and tensioner which they said would also include alternator costing £820. I would really appreciate some advice, if I drive the van will it damage anything, can someone recommend a local garage to take a look, etc.
Sorry for the long post, really appreciate you help
Sharon

 

[Spaghetti]

I had a noisy belt and tensioner and it got worse after a cam belt change.

I changed the tensioner and pulley for about £90 and it was fine. Does it definitely need an alternator? Are you getting the warning that it’s not charging? Or are the bearings noisy? Has it recently got worse, or has it been making the same noise for some time?

There is a clutch pulley on the alternator which can be changed. If it seizes, it makes the belt run rough as it can’t freewheel when the engine slows down.

Without seeing yours, it’s difficult to say whether driving it will damage it. May be worth asking a trusted garage to give you a second opinion.

 

[Sharrie]

Hi I’ve not lost any power my voltage charge is fine, it’s just a bit noisy and the mot man commented on it. I had my cambelt and water pump done in November (by VW) and it’s been a bit noisy since, hence why I went back to Vw garage which did the work to check all was tight. I do not feel I need a new alternator but the garage said when the called Vw for parts cost they were told the pulley is now one piece with the alternator and parts are £600!! But I have seen others have fitted each component separately. I will take it to a garage recommend on here as soon as I can for an honest sensible opinion. Thanks so much for all you advice

 

[Spaghetti]

It’d be useful to have a trusted mechanic look at it at home to ensure it’s good to drive as it stands, to make sure it’s not likely to throw the belt off or cause any other damage.

 

[Sharrie]

Yeah I will sort it out thanks you