The price is normal and although I've never ordered from them, I've heard of them and they are a legit business. The parts they have are good. INA and Litens are OEM equivalents. I believe that the INA roller is the exact VW part. VW doesn't make every little part on their cars themselves. Many parts (like the stereo headunit) are made by someone else.
The one mistake I see is a mention of a "long life" timing belt. There was one on the ALH engine, your engine has only 1 type of timing belt. And of course, make sure all the parts are there before you go to your mechanic.
I wouldn't bother replacing the thermostat but I would replace the water pump. In addition, there is a rubber/metal gasket for the water pump that is better and less leak-prone than the paper gasket that the water pump probably comes with. It comes with a paper gasket that is more appropriate for the earlier VW engines that use the same pump. I've used paper gaskets with success but I'd rather use the better rubber/metal gasket for piece of mind. The part number for the hybrid rubber/metal gasket can be found here in the timing belt procedures:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_how_to/a3b4/TDI_timingbelt_remove_mk3.htm
The vag-com software is needed. The engine won't blow up if you don't use it but there is no other way to check the timing of the injection pump. The injection pump lock is to get a rough setting for the pump and make sure it's in an approximate range. Without it, I doubt you could get the car to start other than by luck. The vag-com fine tunes it. It's also needed for doing any other serious work or setting tweaks on your car. You can also sell it and only lose about $50. If you want to buy the "ebay" copy of the vag-cable, the cable is dirt cheap but you have to buy software or the software "activation" from vag-com. It will have no resale value afterwards since I believe that you can't transfer the software, so I suggest getting the real deal.
The writeup I listed above has parts links so you can compare prices from different vendors. I believe that tool rental can also be done at metalmanparts. And the only tool you must have are the camshaft lock (dimensions are listed in the writeup), and the injection pump pin. If you can substitue the items or fabricate them you might be able to save a little bit of money. The sprocket turning bar can be substituted with your own tools. The crankshaft doesn't move much either. I've never used the lock and if it does move a tiny bit, you can just move it back during your double check.
Beware, the tools must be an exact fit if you decide to substitue them. The camshaft moves independantly of the camshaft sprocket so the indexing tool is needed. Your mechanic friend might say that you don't need to loosen the sprocket but this is just how it's done. Unlike many cars, there are no accurate indexing marks on the engine (other than the flywheel TDC) and no marks on the timing belt. Not using the tools can lead to failure a few thousand miles down the road due to a mistake. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong, either way it's not worth skipping this simple step and using the correct tools.
Thanks for the compliment, there's some effort put into making sure this site has current information and corrections. Good luck!
The one mistake I see is a mention of a "long life" timing belt. There was one on the ALH engine, your engine has only 1 type of timing belt. And of course, make sure all the parts are there before you go to your mechanic.
I wouldn't bother replacing the thermostat but I would replace the water pump. In addition, there is a rubber/metal gasket for the water pump that is better and less leak-prone than the paper gasket that the water pump probably comes with. It comes with a paper gasket that is more appropriate for the earlier VW engines that use the same pump. I've used paper gaskets with success but I'd rather use the better rubber/metal gasket for piece of mind. The part number for the hybrid rubber/metal gasket can be found here in the timing belt procedures:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_how_to/a3b4/TDI_timingbelt_remove_mk3.htm
The vag-com software is needed. The engine won't blow up if you don't use it but there is no other way to check the timing of the injection pump. The injection pump lock is to get a rough setting for the pump and make sure it's in an approximate range. Without it, I doubt you could get the car to start other than by luck. The vag-com fine tunes it. It's also needed for doing any other serious work or setting tweaks on your car. You can also sell it and only lose about $50. If you want to buy the "ebay" copy of the vag-cable, the cable is dirt cheap but you have to buy software or the software "activation" from vag-com. It will have no resale value afterwards since I believe that you can't transfer the software, so I suggest getting the real deal.
The writeup I listed above has parts links so you can compare prices from different vendors. I believe that tool rental can also be done at metalmanparts. And the only tool you must have are the camshaft lock (dimensions are listed in the writeup), and the injection pump pin. If you can substitue the items or fabricate them you might be able to save a little bit of money. The sprocket turning bar can be substituted with your own tools. The crankshaft doesn't move much either. I've never used the lock and if it does move a tiny bit, you can just move it back during your double check.
Beware, the tools must be an exact fit if you decide to substitue them. The camshaft moves independantly of the camshaft sprocket so the indexing tool is needed. Your mechanic friend might say that you don't need to loosen the sprocket but this is just how it's done. Unlike many cars, there are no accurate indexing marks on the engine (other than the flywheel TDC) and no marks on the timing belt. Not using the tools can lead to failure a few thousand miles down the road due to a mistake. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong, either way it's not worth skipping this simple step and using the correct tools.
Thanks for the compliment, there's some effort put into making sure this site has current information and corrections. Good luck!
