Timing Belt expire date on the box, help

[besian]

hi every one. I prept everything to goahead and change timing belt on my mk4 tdi. After looking through the boxes of the timing kit I found on the box of timing belt an expiry date 12.2012. Can some one tell me if this expiry date refers to the timing belt? The timing kit I got from the official vw store in london, I call them up to get some explenation and they said to me, dont worry the expiry date refers something else and not the expiry date of timing belt. That something else they did not know.

[mikeybutch]

Might be a sell by date so as it doesnt stay on the shelf for years.If its good quality seems safe to use as I dont think it will be a date when the belt will fail!!!

[STEWY L]

that's interesting!
the change interval is 60k or 4yrs, as you probably know.
it's well doccumented, and widely accepted.
what i've not read anywhere is the "shelf life" of the belt.
i'm wondering if that date is the "use by" date, and would
be removed from sale after that date?
you may have opened a can of worms here bonnie lad ,
regards,
stewy.

[besian]

16490

[besian]

After conntacting some car fanatik I have learned that timing belt life expires 5 years more or less of its production whether car is driven or not belt needs changed. So I come to conclusion that deliberately vw try to sell me a nearly expired belt that should have been scraped 3 years ago.

[mikeybutch]

Thats hard to believe cos if a belt has only a max of 5yrs from manufacture not use then I think this would have been well known as I assume most spend some time on the shelf

[itavaltalainen]

No that's not the expiry date of the belt as such, it's more of an "install before". They do sell some of these so wouldn't worry.