Advice - cambelt & MOT

harriet.victoria

Hello! I took my car (Renault Clio 1.2 2001) for a service on the weekend. A few things came up - the fact that I had nails in my back tyre (got this replaced for a tenner!) there is no record of when, or if, my cambelt was changed (95,000 miles) also some other minor things.

Anyway, I know it is due for a MOT next month and I'm worried that maybe my car will fail for some of the issues and I would rather get them done now than wait a month and have to deal with it all then. So if anyone can give me some advice that would be great.

With the cambelt, could I fail the MOT for that? How much roughhly would it be to replace my cambelt?

My engine has a slight oil leak at the back. Again is this serious?

My roll bar bushes have splits in. I dont know what these are to be honest.

Finally, my exhaust is split aswell.

I am planning on definately getting my cambelt changed as I know im completely screwed if thats goes. But how serious are the other things? This will be the first MOT i've ever had to go to btw! haha, and I dont want my car to fail!

Thanks in advance!

rev_henry

Well, the cambelt isn't anything to do with the MOT failure, other than if it goes the car won't work and will obviously therefore fail. I believe the interval is 72k on that car, so overdue if not already done. I'd budget £300 for cambelt kit and water pump; call around a couple of independents, a main dealers and a chain type place maybe (NOT kwikfit) and get quotes. You should do the water pump at the same time as 90% of the labour is already done getting to the belt.

Everything else doesn't sound too serious. It'll cost another £200 or so I'd imagine but is just general maintenance.

jrrowleyws

Cambelt -MOT wont care

Oil leak -Probabily appear as an advisory

Roll-Bar Bushes -I'd guess at an advisory if its noticed at all

Exhaust -likely to fail if its leaking gases from anywhere apart from a joint (you're allowed a small leak at a joint)


Personally i'd get the cambelt changed, while you're getting that you may aswell get a price for the bushes and see if its a lot of money or not. Cambelt wont be cheap.

TBH the garage which serviced your car should have been able to advise if any of the above are MOT issues or not.

LandyAndy

If the cambelt is that far past its change point then it is a catastrophic failure waiting to happen.

Nevertheless I would put the car in for its MOT first and form a judgement on its future based on the cost of passing the MOT plus the subsequent cost of a cambelt and water pump change (£300-400).

If you are the gambling sort you could leave the cambelt change. It could go tomorrow it could last another 30k miles. If it does go the repair bill is likely to be more than the value of the car.

Mankysteve

My dads Scenic cam belt went at 80k, The egine your car uses will be a smaller brother of my dads. Get done ASAP if you not sure, A new engine will be more than your cars worth, but a not MOT failure but if goes while your on motorway it'll be scary experience, No brake assist, no power steering.

Weirdlittleman

Testers may refuse to touch a car with such a dubious Cambelt history, whilst there not legally liable if it did go in their testing they may opt against the hassle of fighting an unjust claim.

At 95k you should be considering doing it now and not driving it again til then as it must be well worn.

john96

Weirdlittleman wrote: »

Testers may refuse to touch a car with such a dubious Cambelt history, whilst there not legally liable if it did go in their testing they may opt against the hassle of fighting an unjust claim.

At 95k you should be considering doing it now and not driving it again til then as it must be well worn.

Ive never known a MOT tester ask to see the service history of the vehicle getting tested.
Think of how many cars dont have any!
Only point I agree with is that you should think about getting cambelt done. However to stop driving it is a bit too much!!

Weirdlittleman

john96 wrote: »

Ive never known a MOT tester ask to see the service history of the vehicle getting tested.
Think of how many cars dont have any!
Only point I agree with is that you should think about getting cambelt done. However to stop driving it is a bit too much!!

Its becoming increasingly common to ask on older cars about the cambelt before doing MOT's due to the emissions test being a red line exercise and lots of crappy cambelts going for the garage to then be hassled and sued over.

somech

Weirdlittleman wrote: »

Its becoming increasingly common to ask on older cars about the cambelt before doing MOT's due to the emissions test being a red line exercise and lots of crappy cambelts going for the garage to then be hassled and sued over.

only diesels get revved hard and even if the belt snaps during test the garage is not liable