Changing cambelt - Needed?

Slithery

Hi folks.

Car is a 2013 VW Up! with 29k miles, owned from new.

Until now I've kept up with the full service history of the car through the main VW dealer it was purchased from. It's just coming up to MOT/service time again and they've informed me that they think I need the following...

Minor service - £164
Brake fluid change - £64
MOT - £54.85
Change cambelt - £449

If I had the money I'd get everything done to keep up the full service history, however I'm low on funds at the moment. I can afford the MOT, just about afford the brake fluid and service, but would need to borrow money to get the cambelt changed.

What would you do in these circumstances? How much is a full service history worth?

Bear in mind I'm not planning on selling the car anytime soon (if ever).

Lorian

Get a quote from a good (Recommended by someone you know) independant garage for all the items.

Carrot007

Service log? Pointless on a car over 4. (It proves nothing, your reciepts for the work are more important, do you keep them?)

Proper servicing? Essential on a car you expect to last.

Going to a main dealer rather than a decent independant? Insane.


Find a decent garage and stop paying inflated prices

Milage sounds low to me so proper servicing is needed even more.

iolanthe07

I wouldn't gamble on the cambelt. Failure could be catastrophic if the pistons hit the valves. You might be able to have it done for less, though.

Ebe_Scrooge

Scrimping on the servicing is false economy - it's not so much about having a stamp in the book ( you can buy stamps yourself off eBay ), but more about making the car last - even more important if you plan on keeping it for quite a few years. That sounds a lot for a minor service - which usually consists of little more than changing the oil and oil/air/pollen filters. These are simple DIY jobs on most cars, or very simple for an independant mechanic.


Cam belt - check what the manufacturer recommends for the replacement interval ( whether based upon age or mileage ). Yes it's a lot of money, but if it snaps then you're looking at a very much bigger bill. Again, any independant mechanic will be able to do the job, hopefully for quite a bit less than a main dealer. But if it's due to be changed it's really not worth risking it.

n217970

Cambelt changes on these are 5 years so yes it does need doing, but as above take it to a local indy and price will be much lower.

Stoke

Just sound like dealer prices to me. A good independent can usually do a cambelt for about £250, although maybe there's something particularly difficult about the Up? Doubt it though.

GunJack

...and £55 for an MoT???

are you going to the Harrods of garages??

Slithery

Thanks folks. Have found some local independents to visit tomorrow and get quotes.

GunJack wrote: »

...and £55 for an MoT???

are you going to the Harrods of garages??

Nope. Just standard main VW dealer prices (Robinsons in Norwich).

If anyone could recommend anyone in Norfolk that would be much appreciated, I don't know anyone else that drives so recommendations are hard to come by.

onomatopoeia99

GunJack wrote: »

...and £55 for an MoT???

Standard cost is £54.85, though testers are free to charge less if they want to.

I'd rather go to a place I trust and pay the standard cost than go to a discounter and run the risk of them making up failure points to get work, for the sake of "saving" a few quid on the MOT.

MX5huggy

The service interval on the Up cambelt is something of a debate. VW UK say 5 years or 70k which ever comes first VW rest of the worlds say inspect for wear at 160000 km. http://www.upownersclub.co.uk/forum/the-dreaded-cam-belt-debate_topic8636_page2.html