Renualt Senic Timing belt- replacement

[swizzle]

Hi

Hope you can give me some advise, just had a ltr from the main dealer were we bought our 3 year old car- now 5 years old.

It says that we should have the timing belt changed at 5 years or 72k miles-which ever is 1st.

Rang them up and it will cost over £300, car has only done 40k and we will be changing it in a year. Do we need to have it done? Would it be covered under our warrenty if not?

Thanks in advance

[Hintza]

Yes, yes, yes.

You do not want it to snap, otherwise it will cost you over £1,500 in a top end engine rebuild.

However you might want to check how much your local mechanic would charge, it should be significantly less. Ensure they renew all the bits and bobs such a tensioners etc (this is a must)

You are talking to the guy who was very lucky and had a golf cambelt go at 33,000 miles and just within warranty the bill VW got was over £1,500!!!

[reheat]

Absolutely yes. Hintza's advice is bang on. See this thread if youre in any doubt ... Vectra timing belt has gone (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=357774) :eek:.

I'm pretty sure it would not be covered by the warranty if it failed after mileage or time says it should have been replaced and wasn't. If you're changing the car in a year then you're into a gamble - the belt could last years, or fail in 6 months. But when you come to sell it anyone who knows their stuff will know the timing belt should have been done and expect to pay less anyway.

[Albert2]

Hi Swizzle,

Same boat here, Scenic due timing belt change soon (68k and 02), I get work done by a good friend who has a garage and he mentioned this during my last service.

I'll ask him how much to do it and let you know.

Cheers

[Hintza]

Timing belts are the achilles heel of all modern cars and should be banned.

They were brought in by the accountants to save money over a more expensive chain if you are ever buying a car and intend to keep it over a number of years it would be better searching out cars that have chains.

[ariba10]

The belts on some models of the Scenic are easier to change than others.

I would shop around for a price but do not ignore it.

It can be very expensive if it does break.

[Cumbrian Male]

Get it done as I spent £900 to get a head gasket done on mine, if you add to that replacing valves, regrinding and a skim and pressure test, upwards of £2000

[swizzle]

Well spoke to hubbie when he got home from work in the car, car has only done 25000 miles, was v low milage when we bought it at 3 years old.

How long should a belt last or is that like saying how long is a piece of string?


Been looking at other cars, I don`t know much but reckon feb is a good month to swap it for another car. Aswell as timing belt, it is also due a service so £500 in all.

Go not know a good mechancic plus everything else service and MOT plus coil problems all sorted at main dealer.

Thanks for all your help

[DavidHM]

£300 is quite expensive though so if you can find a trusted independent to do it with good quality parts and save £100 or £150... have a look at the good garage guide on http://www.honestjohn.co.uk

Main dealer servicing simply does not make sense for a 5+ year old car unless the difference in cost is very marginal or the independent garage is especially incompetent.

But yes, irrespective of mileage, at five years old, the timing belt must be looked. If you do it now, you won't have to do it again before you sell the car, you won't be knocked down when the time comes to sell and you won't hvae to pay for a top-end engine rebuild (or a new engine) which would probably write off the car at main dealer prices.

[nej]

A mate of mine at work just had his go in his R reg scenic. It had never been changed... bill of about £1000 from an independant garage.

[oldagetraveller]

Agree with DavidHM, having it changed will make the car easier to sell, I'm sure any prospective purchaser who's done their homework should know it was due and it would be one of the the first question I'd ask.

[swizzle]

But what if I take it back to the dealer now?

Will they be bothered if it has been changed?

Was going to go in end of feb, though they might be up for a deal before new reg`s come in?

Thanks again

[reheat]

When you're trying to weigh up risk there are two key issues:-

How likely it is something will happen
How severe the consequences are if it does happen

If something is unlikely to happen and it's not a big deal if it does - easy to deal with. If something is likely to happen and major problem if it does - hard to cope with but easy to get your head round. It's the other two combinations that are tricky! If something's likely to happen but not a big deal if it does, or unlikely to happen but a big problem if it does! You are in the latter situation I think. If you sell your car within then next 6 months or year, you've a pretty good chance the worst won't happen ... but if it does it's really really bad news. Not just money but safety ... having an engine explode/sieze whilst rattling down the motorway is not a nice thought.

And risk is something we all have a different attitude to, so at the end of the day all anyone here can do is help you talk it through - in the end only you can decide, once you got enough info.

If you're not sure about the dealer you best bet is probably to just go and talk to them - the more information you have the less difficult your decision will be.

[DavidHM]

Swizzle, the dealer is not likely to ask about the timing belt if you trade it in now - it's too old for them to retail themselves so they'll just want to buy it and sell it on as quickly and cheaply as possible. Even if they did, they'd never knock off more than the retail cost of having the belt changed. However if you sell the car privately in a few years, it will be one of the questions you can expect to be asked.