[veedubmechanic]

1.8t :

disconnect intake pipe from throttle body.

use 15mm wrench and put open end side on tensioner, pull toward front of car
and put thick cotter pin into small hole on side of tensioner to hold it in place.

you should be able to easily slide the belt off if the tensioner stays in place with the cotter pin. You can install the belt by holding the wrench foward, but its kind of a pain and after the belt is off and you release the wrench it goes back pretty far and pushes against the fuel lines.

you can remove/install the belt w/o taking off passenger side lower engine cover (its just easier to do on vr6 because the belts a pain to get on the crank pulley)