The timing belt and its tensioner pulley are the weakest point of this engine. The factory specification is 150 000 kilometres or ten years, and whichever of the two comes first is what counts. A non-original belt, however, snaps at around 100 000 kilometres already, so the origin of the part is a question here too.

The quality of the change matters just as much. If the correct locking tools are not used during the belt change, the bar of the tensioner pulley is damaged, and the belt can jump.

If the belt snaps, the damage typically affects the valve rockers, and the valves themselves mostly survive. Even so the repair starts with opening up the cylinder head.

There are two production batches worth asking about separately. The examples built between December 2014 and May 2015 had a defective camshaft gear, which caused rapid cracking and valve damage. A campaign was launched for this in 2015 (16B42), in which the pulleys were replaced on several models.

The early sign is a squealing or droning noise from the direction of the timing belt cover.