[Waylander]

now all we want is a high performance balance belt,

 

I got a reply from the belt seller, we take them out the boxes to make the postage cheaper, we can send you the box if you want it?????????

 

how do i know its the box for my belt? what drugs are these people on...

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[Ernie]

They are on the "good stuff"! Lmao! They are going to send you the most recent box, right? It's brand spanking new!

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[MLB]

Wouldnt the belt itself have the date code stamped on it?

Thats what ive reported on the forum for the most recent gates belt that i purchased. Ds968 also reported on that, i think.

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[ds968]

Yes, if it's a Gates it should have the date printed on the belt, UNLESS they stopped doing that at some point . They still did as of about six years ago, but no clue now. I'll check for sure when I get both of my belts . Yes, I started a thread on belt shelf life / manufacture date a long time ago with a photo and "legend" of how to interpret the code .. I'd search for it and put up the link ,but no time ..I'm rushing out the door in a few minutes ..

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[Ernie]

So I got the racing belt today. I found ds' decoder post, but it doesn't seem to make sense, according to the decoder. It was made in the U.K. and the number sequence is as follows 6 41 5DS 063, below that are the same numbers except the last 3 are 064 instead of 063. Do we have any code breakers, among us?

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[ds968]

The BALANCE belt arrived today from Autohausaz , but look at what the box indicates ! Not sure if I should contact them and see if indeed it's a balance belt shipped in a timing belt box by mistake , or, rely on the fact that it has teeth on both sides , whereas

the timing belt is flat on the top and assume it's the correct one .. ?


   


BTW, no date code or print of any kind stamped on this belt !

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[MLB]

That looks like a timing belt. The balance shaft belt is ribbed on both sides, right?

(no sex jokes ds968!)  LOL

 

discouraging if theyve stopped putting date codes on the belts.

Ernie, I will have to think about that one. A picture maybe?

 

This gates webpage

https://www.gatestechzone.com/en/product...on-general

says authenticity is guaranteed by a code on the box (which Waylander's vendor curiously did not provide), but hello, what about a code on the belt itself?

 

Its problematic that its not necessarily in the vendor's best interest to be transparent with customers about when a belt was manufactured. But they claim this code system on the box has only been in place since 2015, so verifying this info on the box could at least indicate the belt was no more than 3 years old. We want better than that, but as the song says, you cant always get what you want.

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[Waylander]

I have had a message from the seller this morning, if I would like to purchase a balance belt they will ship it for free and put the box from my timing belt in the package


Also it’s quite possible the racing belt was made in the UK there is a big gates factory in Scotland

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[ds968]

That looks like a timing belt. The balance shaft belt is ribbed on both sides, right? (no sex jokes ds968!)  LOLt.

The belt I received IS ribbed on both sides ( I referred to them as teeth in my previous post ) . So maybe they did send the right belt , and just in the wrong box. The box was not sealed and the belt was also not in a plastic bag, which I recall is how they used to be packaged. That's another concern now ; what if they took an old belt sitting on a shelf somewhere for years , or maybe it was a return item and threw it in an empty ( and wrong ) box ? And I can't verify how old it is, since there are no codes printed on it not even a brand name so I'm not even sure it's a Gates ! Could be a Conti or who knows what else which they put in a Gates box. I'll contact them tomorrow to get some answers .

edit p.s. Having said all of the above , I realized there is really no way to stamp or print anything on a belt which is ribbed on both sides ...so it would have been reassuring is the belt came in a sealed Gates plastic bag , and with some date on it . Right , I guess I expect too much ...

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[Waylander]

So the box arrived this morning, i have been on the gates verification site and the box checks out as genuine,

 

but still no way of checking the belt I don't think,

 

I still cant work out how its cheaper to just post the belt out of the box than in it.....

 

bag it arrived in

 



 

the Belt



 

The Box



 

 

 

So I still cant work out if its a genuine belt or not,

 

UPDATE:-

 

I have managed to speak to someone in gates factory in scotland,

 

I have been told to not use any belt that is not in a sealed holograph box.

 

Tinwald Downs Road Heathhall

Dumfries DG1 1TS

Tl: (44) 1387/24 20 00, Fx: (44) 1387/24 20 10

 

If you hit the tech number it just refers you to the web site, speak to sales and they will put you through to tech support,

 

And the numbers work out like.

The date code is 3 45 7DS which means 3rd day, 45th week, 7th year(1997, 2007, 2017), DS=Dumfries Scotland

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[Ernie]

I have not tried to post a picture on here yet. I'll give it a try later today. Btw, my belt didn't come in a plastic bag, just a box. Will take a pic of both.

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[Ernie]

So I just saw Waylander's update. It looks like my belt was made the 6th day, 41st week in 2015. That means the belt is nearly 3 years old. It did not come in a sealed hologram box though. Now the dilema, to return and re-order, or just go with this one? I may try to call them and see who is an authorized dealer. I got this one from Rock Auto. Then again, I may just let Max put in what they have in stock and give the racing belt more time to be "tested"? UGH!

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[ds968]

So the box I got is the right one for the balance belt , it's T 293 , the timing belts are T 152 . I suppose it's possible Gates refers to all of their drive belts as " timing belts " , and just the code on the box distinguishes which one is which . Clearly only by he balance belt is ribbed on both sides so at least it seems I got the right belt , bit who knows how old it is ... I may present another one from another source and use the one which looks and feels to be the " newer " one upon close inspection ( magnifying glass looking for any hairline cracking , between the teeth , bending it backwards to check for same on the inner part of the belt, and so on )

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[ds968]

So maybe the Gates belts made outside of US have a different coding , if you look at the photo I posted of my timing belt in that original thread , it not only has Gates stamped on the belt, the code is different than the above ones ; as explained by the Gates rep here at their US HQs, the day and the year, no week is stamped ...which seems odd to me but that's what they said . So 0868MC = 86th day of 2008 and MC is the plant code whet it was made . Like I said it's possible they changed the coding since then, and it's also possible ROW-manufactured Gates belts are and maybe have always been that way , but I'm very surprised the brand name is not stamped on the belt ! Stil waiting for the delivery of my high performance one so we'll see what markings that has on it .


An update on the balance belt - and that should teach me to look at something without my reading glasses ! - what appeared to be a row of little white dots across a single cross section of the belt , on closer examination, is a code : 18DS. So they either customized the belt with MY initials , lol, or dare I hope the code means that the belt was made in 2018 ?! At some planet coded as DS ? If I could only get through to someone at Gates ...! Argh .

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[Ernie]

Ds, the 1 I have does have "Gates Racing T152RB" stamped on it.

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[Waylander]

DS, the DS on the belt means Dumfries Scotland

 

shame there is not a bit more info on the belt, but if its 18DS then i would take it as 2018.

 

and the phone number is up there,  044 1387 242000

 

and hologram boxes started in 2015

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[ds968]

Ds, the 1 I have does have "Gates Racing T152RB" stamped on it.

 

 

I did not receive THAT one ( that's the timing belt ) yet.   Should get the delivery any day now, and will post with photo.. 

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[ds968]

DS, the DS on the belt means Dumfries Scotland

 

shame there is not a bit more info on the belt, but if its 18DS then i would take it as 2018.

 

and the phone number is up there,  044 1387 242000

 

and hologram boxes started in 2015

 

  

 

I'm guessing that as well ( 2018 )  I'll  call AZ first, and the Intl #  subsequently.     Hmm, I wonder if the timing belts are still made in the U.S. and all other belts in Scotland , or if everything  moved to Scotland a while ago.  

Called Autohausaz  AND Gates HQ in the US.     AZ  wasn't absolutely certain but fairly confident 18 is the year, and they also said, belts usually turn over very quickly  ( surprises me a little, but the balance ones fit 924, 944, 968 and a bunch of VWs ..) 

I got through to one of the technical  support reps at Gates here, and although he also was not entirely certain (  SERIOUSLY ,,?!   ) , said that he's 90% confident 18 is the year of manufacture .   

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[paulzebo]

I've got two spares bought at different times. The latest one was from Rock auto. None of the three had a holograph label. The Gatestech Zone is for Gates Europe. While timing belts in the European markets may have holograph, that does not mean USA markets have it. If you go to the Gates Techzone Europe to report a suspected forgery, when you get to the country, "USA" is not an option. You have to choose "other". It's also interesting all three of my belts were of 2015 vintage. Yes, all three had the "Gates Racing" on the actual belt. Just for grins, I'm uploading photos to Gates Europe to see if they feel there is an issue.

   

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[ds968]

They started making these racing belts in 2015 ( or may be even before that ? ) ? I was under the impression they just started this production last year . Clearly I was misinformed .

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