Should I get my wife's Volkswagen Polo's fan belt changed?

My wife's Volkswagen Polo is four years old and has done 15,500 miles. It has just had a service at a reputable local independent garage, but they did not change the fan belt. When I raised with them the Volkswagen recommendation that this should be done at four years (or 60,000 miles), they agreed that this was an oversight on their part. Would you advise me to have the unit replaced? They have quoted £260 inclusive of parts, labour and VAT, which is less than my local main dealership would charge. Is there much chance the belt would snap if not replaced and, if so, what would be the likely consequences? Finally, is there a safety issue?
Fan belt or timing belt? I think that for £260 you must mean the timing belt. On Polo 1.4s the belt, tensioner and all minor pulleys need to be replaced. It is failure of the minor pulley bearings that cause the problems.
Answered by Honest John on

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