Timing belt replacement: VW Polo3 (ADX, AEA, AEE, AER, …)
Step-by-step timing belt replacement for the VW Polo3: 65 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
Timing belt renewal on the VW Polo 3 petrol engines from 1.0 to 1.6, codes ADX, AEA, AEE, AER, AEV, AEX, AKV, ALL, ANX and APQ. The page is short and gives the order of work rather than detail: note the radio code before disconnecting the battery, remove the engine cover, air filter and ancillary belt, support the engine and undo the engine mount and pendulum support, then remove the crankshaft pulley and timing belt lower cover. Belt, tensioner, crankshaft and camshaft gearwheels and coolant pump are covered in the same job. The deciding points are basic: work on a cold engine, fit the tensioner pulley finger-tight before setting tension, and never turn the engine backwards. Use new bolts where the page says so.
🧭 Before you start
Note the radio code, disconnect the battery, remove the engine cover, air filter and ancillary belt, and support the engine. Remove the engine mount, pendulum support, crankshaft pulley and lower cover. Fit the new belt and tensioner, set tension on a cold engine, then refit the covers, pulley, ancillary belt, air filter and engine cover.
Fits: platform codes 1.0, |, 1.3, 1.4, (40/44, KW), 1.6
Don't miss
- Check the audio security code before disconnecting the battery.
- Set belt tension only on a cold engine.
- Never turn the engine against its normal direction of rotation.
- Use new bolts where specified, including on the engine mount.
- Handle the new belt without bending or twisting it.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
Preparation and removal
- Before disconnecting the battery cable, check the audio system security code
- Unless otherwise advised by the manufacturer, the following procedures are recommended:
- Never turn the engine in the direction opposite to that of normal operation
- Note: Avoid bending, torsion or traction
- Remove the ancillary drive belt
- Pendulum support to subframe:
- Remove the timing belt lower cover
- Crankshaft pulley
Installation and checks
- Use new bolt(s)
- Fit the tensioner pulley with bolt finger-tight
- Note: The engine must be cold before timing belt adjustment
- Refit the timing belt covers
- Fit the ancillary drive belt
- Refit the air filter
- Refit the engine cover
Other VW procedures
- Checking function and voltage supply – VW Polo 6R
- Checking lines to fuel tank and fuel cap
- Vehicles with chain driven oil pump
- VW Notes on removing gearbox removal & installation · 10 torque figures
- VW Notes on installing gearbox removal & installation · 6 torque figures
- Removing engine · 41 torque figures
- Removing and installing camshaft – VW Golf Cabriolet · 47 torque figures
- Adjusting valve timing – VW Passat B5 · 83 torque figures
- Removing and installing camshafts – VW Passat B6 · 39 torque figures
- Removing and installing coolant pump · 53 torque figures
Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
Seen a figure that does not match your manual? Write to us — we correct it and note when. support@torqfix.com
The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.