how long should a cam belt last????

asbokid

boysim34 wrote: »

take it i better start saving my pennies then, a awlful lot of them, do the cam belts degrade over time even if you have not used the car much or done many miles

the cambelt, being rubber-based, can perish over time.

although in my experience, it is the belt tensioner that more often fails. With the belt no longer held under tension, it can jump teeth on the cam and crankshaft sprockets.

This causes the valvetrain to fall out of sync with the bottom end of the engine. The valves collide with the piston crowns, and the engine is all but ruined.

i don't really buy into routinely changing cambelts. if the job is done badly or in a hurry, there is more chance of doing harm than good. For example, with modern (soft) alloy engines, it's very easy to cross-thread a bolt, and cause a huge amount of extra work.

but it is probably worth removing the timing belt cover just to check the condition of the belt and the belt tensioner, idlers and pulleys, and to check for signs of weeping from the water pump, etc.

qualify all that with "YMMV", as they say...

boysim34

looks like i'm going have to get it done then, have to wait for a couple of months, just had car mot and service £260.00, next car tax end of this month £100.00, then insurance £250.00 plus i dare not even look for a quote yet everyone is saying it's gone up one hell of a lot, they have quoted £360.00 to change the belt i don't know if this includes what you mentioned above (tenssion etc ), what world you say is a fair price for going the job?

asbokid

boysim34 wrote: »

looks like i'm going have to get it done then, have to wait for a couple of months, just had car mot and service £260.00, next car tax end of this month £100.00, then insurance £250.00 plus i dare not even look for a quote yet everyone is saying it's gone up one hell of a lot, they have quoted £360.00 to change the belt i don't know if this includes what you mentioned above (tenssion etc ), what world you say is a fair price for going the job?

what is the car? for a fairly mundane vehicle, i would say £50-£100 to buy a timing belt kit and waterpump, and £80 in labour costs (three hours work).

boysim34

renault laguna 1.8 expression ( Y )

Geordie_Ahmed

How much should i expect to pay to replace the timing belt (the full kit) on a Honda Accord, 2001, 2.0?

Thanks in advance

movingforward2010

Everytime I buy a used car over 4-5 years old I get the cambelt/tensioners and waterpump changed, yes, it may cost a few hundred quid but its peace of mind, i've never trusted anyone who's told me the cambelt has been done and cant provide a receipt to show it.

40k is a good time to have the belt changed, obviously sooner if your only doing 2k a year.

the lady i bought my astra off said the belt was changed at 37k but couldn't prove it, so I've just had the belt tensioners and water pump done @ 47k

sebdangerfield

Its easy to just research on the net when the manufacturers reccomend replacing them and when the owners clubs or similar reccomend it. For example, I used to run a really old Citroen ZX who's belt went and luckily caused very little damage. I now have two Alfas who's belts are reccomended to be replaced at 36000 miles or three years! :eek: And as the storys from the owners club say its catastrophic if they go.

It gets bloody expensive now!

NickWarren_2

I always think that when buying a used car, So long as it is not a cheap round about, You should always factor in the cost of a service and belt change. Start as you mean to go on and all.

jeannieblue

asbokid wrote: »

what is the car? for a fairly mundane vehicle, i would say £50-£100 to buy a timing belt kit and waterpump, and £80 in labour costs (three hours work).

Where do you get your parts? For a cam belt kit & water pump, I find that really impressive. I don't know a garage that charges £80 for three hours work. Are those prices including VAT?

martin2010

MerseyLad wrote: »

Ive just taken my 51 plate Renault Clio in for a service today and they have ticked the sheet saying "Timing belt - urgent attention"....although it was so urgent that they didn't mentioned it to me personally.

Its done 51k....

What would you recommend? can I check it myself for wear and tear and if so, what should i look for?

How much would I be looking at to sort it [as Renault wanted £395 for the job]

Thanks.


Hello, yes as long as the garage is trustworthy then take their word for it, cambelt replacement is a relatively cheap job in comparison to a engine replacement if it goes. Your average backstreet garage should charge anything between £100-200.