OK, I know this has been, and will be covered a million times over BUT

I purchased a well knackered 306gti, that was written off bodily almost 3 years ago now.
It needed a cambelt change there and then but I never got around to it.
Since that time, I have ragged the s**t out of the car (whilst warm) and cooled the car down slightly before switch off.
I am a very hard driving person and the 6 gets pushed to its limits every single day.

Thoughts?..(and im waiting for my cam belt to pop right now, OBVIOUSLY)

Will a properly fitted belt, tensioner and water pump last A LOT more miles than published/recommended ?

My Girlfriends Audi A4 1998 20v that I purchased from my mechanic friend (it was his courtesy car) has never had a cambelt in his ownership over the last seven years and its still going strong, right now....

I watch my friend pick up engines, tow cars and generally feck about with old timing belts......

Is this timing belt change interval bulls**t, or am i just lucky?

Hard to answer would depend on how well the engine was driven belt type age driving hard doesnt mean your knackering the engine good rev range changes smooth gear changes and braking with the brakes and engine in balance have a lot to do with it in my experience

If you bean the crap out of it but only cover 5k miles in 10 years will be much different than covering 30k per year driving miss daisy style
If in doubt change it can get it done for 200ish with pump etc

Seen 6s do 35k and loose the belt seen them do 80k before loosing belts

Have seen a passat loose its belt at 12k

Do you feel lucky

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BLACK RALLYE - phoenix
WHITE RALLYE - valliant

http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com/

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

Just because the belt 'looks new' doesn't mean it's ok! Some of the newer timing belts are designed to last for years now - even though no one tells us this, also some people don't change the water pumps when doing a belt change but you have to remember that the water pump is also a bearing as much as the rest of the set up. In my humble opinion - and it's obviously not my hard earned cash - I always change the lot. To me it's just not worth the hassle of the engine going boom just for the sake of changing it. Having said that, back in the day we never used to change the cam belts on anything and in all my years in the trade I only ever had 1 cam belt snap on me in my 2.0 S Capri in those days it wasn't the 'norm' to change them?

cheers

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Bianca 306 Rallye.
Mondeo Titanium X.

Conversely my Rallye had an engine rebuild by Peugeot in 2005 at 53,000 miles due to a snapped cam belt. You might get 90,000 miles out of a cam belt or you might not.

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Cherry Rallye SOLD