Fiesta 2008 Cam Belt Change

LowCreditSteve

Hi All,

I've just got myself a 2008 Fiesta, it's done 60,000 miles and feels really nice to drive.

However, the car came with limited history. Apparently I bought it from the previous owners grandson who was asked to sell it when his grandfather died. They didn't find the car documents when they cleared the house so he applied for a new V5 from the DVLA and that's all I have along with an MOT certificate from last month.

I'm wondering if it would be wise to get the cam belt changed for piece of mind. I don't know much about cars, I know this is something you would do at 100,000 miles with a ford but with the car being a 2008 and probably running the original belt would it be a good idea to do this now?

If I was to do it how much money would this cost approx? I did speak to a garage about this, they quoted me £550, is this fair or high?

Thanks

JGB1955

AIUI cam belts on cars that old  were 'supposed' to be replaced at 6 years old/12,000 miles...so, being 14 years old I would have expected it to already have been replaced twice.   I would get it done ASAP and yes, less than £600 sounds reasonable.  

Bigwheels1111

I would look direct at Ford £419.00 here.

https://www.forest-gate.co.uk/ford/service-parts-repair/ford-essential-service-offers/

I would ring round every dealer within say 20 miles.
Each time you get a better quote, say to the next dealer that Ford derby are £15 cheaper but thanks for the quote.
I did the with Peugeot, All the dealers wanted £1380 for 5 year service contract yeas 6-10.
Found a dealer 1 hour away, £899.
After fuel etc it’s £85 a year cheaper, well worth calling around.

What area do you live in, someone might No if a good is available in your location.

Ibrahim5

The belt is normally about £50 so the rest is labour charge. It's not an uncommon car so any experienced mechanic should be OK.

mgfvvc

LowCreditSteve said:

I'm wondering if it would be wise to get the cam belt changed for piece of mind. I don't know much about cars, I know this is something you would do at 100,000 miles with a ford but with the car being a 2008 and probably running the original belt would it be a good idea to do this now?

Different Fords may have different timings, but if you don't know it's been done on a 2008 car then I would get it done. My garage recommended doing the water pump at the same time.

If you can find out who serviced it you may be able to ask them. I know there were no receipts, but try the MOT history to see if the MOT garage also serviced it.

Ebe_Scrooge

mgfvvc said:

LowCreditSteve said:

I'm wondering if it would be wise to get the cam belt changed for piece of mind. I don't know much about cars, I know this is something you would do at 100,000 miles with a ford but with the car being a 2008 and probably running the original belt would it be a good idea to do this now?

 if you don't know it's been done on a 2008 car then I would get it done. My garage recommended doing the water pump at the same time.

I'd agree with this - for peace of mind, I'd definitely get it changed unless you know for sure that it's been done recently.  £500 is a heck of a lot cheaper than a new engine!

Good call on the water pump as well.  On *most* (not all) cars, the water pump is easily accessibly whilst you've got the cam belt off, but if it needs doing as a separate job, you've still got to remove the belt to get to it anyway.  Since it's the labour - to dismantle stuff and actually get to the belt/pump - that's the biggest part of replacing either the belt or the pump (the parts are relatively cheap), it's always worth replacing the pump while you're in there, so to speak.

And yes, for an "ordinary" car like this, it's a bread & butter job for any mechanic.  It's a different matter on something like a Ferrari!