Car timing belt - worth the bother?

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1734 posts

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#1023822 12-Apr-2014 09:37

There are no words on the actual engine apart from the number "6". On the hood it says "5S FE U3" if that means anything. It is 4 cylinder. Ok - google search says "non interference".

After reading a few of your post last night, I enquired some Trademe services which some customers appreciated his price and service. With the tensioner, seal and waterpump. $250 labour, $250 parts. I gather the $350 AKL figure might be just for the belt? Would call around when I get the moment .....

They also have a Volkswagen. The 100k is due in 12 months. That one won't be cheap.

Yep - they said again they might not want to spend the $500 in case other stuff goes wrong with the car, they might want to buy another newer used car. They just use the car for daytime commuting. Last time they drove longer than 1hr was maybe 5yrs ago.

shrub

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#1023846 12-Apr-2014 10:05

rayonline: There are no words on the actual engine apart from the number "6". On the hood it says "5S FE U3" if that means anything. It is 4 cylinder. Ok - google search says "non interference".

After reading a few of your post last night, I enquired some Trademe services which some customers appreciated his price and service. With the tensioner, seal and waterpump. $250 labour, $250 parts. I gather the $350 AKL figure might be just for the belt? Would call around when I get the moment .....

They also have a Volkswagen. The 100k is due in 12 months. That one won't be cheap.

Yep - they said again they might not want to spend the $500 in case other stuff goes wrong with the car, they might want to buy another newer used car. They just use the car for daytime commuting. Last time they drove longer than 1hr was maybe 5yrs ago.

ewww id hate to see the rocker cover on that one. When you only around town driving short stop start motoring the oil never gets up to operating temp and the sludge never makes it to the oil pan.
As my old man would say it needs a good blow out which happened to mean he would thrash the f out of it around the hills for couple of hours.

rayonline

1734 posts

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#1023860 12-Apr-2014 10:23

It includes a 5km urban motorway (daily). Not sure if that is counted :D Or 10km return on the motorway. But yeah their VW it only goes on the motorway maybe 1x return trip a week - it's just to the shops, the gym etc.

alasta

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#1023898 12-Apr-2014 11:50

Gilco2: think you drive at night and then the belt snaps and you are stranded. What does it matteer if it is non intereference. You are stuck possibly miles from home on a dark wet night and have to find a way to get home for yourself and the car. If it is non interferer it will be cheaper to fix but you still have the inconvenience finding a way home

Not to mention how dangerous it could be for the vehicle to suddenly lose power at any time without warning.

Sidestep

1017 posts

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#1023904 12-Apr-2014 12:11

Unless doing it yourself's a possibility, and saving money's the aim, sell the car “as is” on trademe – making sure to mention there's no record of belt replacement.

I'd allow 50% over the manufacturer's recommended interval before I start to worry. But at 200K without a change you're on borrowed time.

Timing belts will generally fail during either engine start-up or shut down.

Failure's the stripping of a tooth rather than breaking belt, commonly as you turn off the car somewhere - it just refuses to start again.

At that stage a '98 Camry's just about worthless.

rayonline

1734 posts

Uber Geek

#1023976 12-Apr-2014 14:09

Maybe they just want a different car. Haha. Toyota schedules timing belt @ 90,000M or 145,000kms so I guess if the odometer hasn't been wound back it's wiithin that 50%. Maybe it could be ok for myself using it for road tours to the south island etc and not worry about our more newer (used) cars. Supercheap had the timing belt and water pump at $60 each, maybe allow $60 for the tensiioner/seals that's $180, the $250 parts only I been quoted on has the markup :D

Sidestep

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#1023990 12-Apr-2014 14:21

Ahh.. off the top of my head I was thinking 100,000 km, but that'll be Subaru.
If you really want to be Super Cheap, and you're just using it as runabout yourself, closely inspect the idler & pump for any play, noise or weeping & reuse..

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Batman

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#1023992 12-Apr-2014 14:28

It's gonna snap anytime now. I've had two cars snap their timing belt around 200,000ks.

rayonline

1734 posts

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#1023998 12-Apr-2014 14:46

I watched enough Youtube videos and have done oils and filters myself. I could get the belt off, but how do I put them on correctly with the right alignment and tension and by doing so, I have to take the other (2) belts off to get to the timing belt. Woah .... Given our mechanic only charged us $10 when we did the WOF to fit our OEM fuel filter (we checked with him before we bought it). His labour won't be that high. The engine bay has a bit more room to play with than the modern versions.

nakedmolerat

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#1024003 12-Apr-2014 14:52

Have you actually talked to any Toyota dealer about this? It looks like the other gz member also had the complete replacement for $350

Sidestep

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#1024007 12-Apr-2014 15:03

nakedmolerat: Have you actually talked to any Toyota dealer about this? It looks like the other gz member also had the complete replacement for $350

Sometimes that's easier.
But if you enjoy tinkering, have a decent set of tools and the spare time, there's a feeling of accomplishment when you do it yourself.

rayonline

1734 posts

Uber Geek

#1024016 12-Apr-2014 15:26

I'll complete a online request form now ... In Wellington thou.

I just had a look at the Volkswagen. You gotta move one of the reservoir aside and take some metal out cos it traps the timing belt. Good fun ... That one is a 2004 which they would get it done, won't be kind to the wallet.

Fred99

13684 posts

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#1024048 12-Apr-2014 16:47

I doubt the $350 belt replacement would include the cost of waterpump, new seals etc, which might add another couple of hundred $. It sounds too cheap to me - especially from an OEM dealership.
As well as replacement schedule for cambelts based on mileage, manufacturers usually also specify a time limit, perhaps 5 years or a little more. It's an issue with jap imports - which often come in with low mileage for the age (most people commute to work on public transport there - so that's why km per year are often low - not because they're "all clocked" as some people like to claim).
The only regular car brand where AFAIK all their belt driven cam engines are non-interference are Mazda, so if the belt breaks or slips, the pistons can't hit the valves. Otehr brands you need to check by engine model. But they won't go - so add the price and inconvenience of a tow to the cost of eventual cambelt replacement if you want to go that way. Sod's law says the belt will break when you're a long way from home on an urgent and very important mission.
Also - despite cost of cambelt replacement - the recent sales pitch about "chain driven cams - no belt replacement costs" has a catch. If the cam chain stretches, then the engine usually has to come out and it's a major strip down costing thousands of dollars to replace the chain. For some reason, certain cars from the early 2000s on seem to be prone to this problem, even though the same makers (Nissan is an example - but it's not just a Nissan problem.) made extremely reliable chain driven cam engines back in the '90s. It's an added reason to be extra careful that cars are serviced (oil/filter changes) strictly to schedule.

Fred99

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#1024059 12-Apr-2014 17:00

rayonline: I'll complete a online request form now ... In Wellington thou.

I just had a look at the Volkswagen. You gotta move one of the reservoir aside and take some metal out cos it traps the timing belt. Good fun ... That one is a 2004 which they would get it done, won't be kind to the wallet.

They need to shop around on that. Extreme price gouging happens in NZ with parts for pretty basic Euro cars. Parts can often be obtained at a fraction of local price on Ebay UK - shipping time and costs are also usually pretty good to NZ. Euro dealerships also like to charge labour rates of $120/hour or similar as if you need a special Porsche trained and certified boutique automotive engineer to work on a VW Golf, which is nuts - as they're just basic runabouts made by the million.

richms

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#1024518 13-Apr-2014 20:18

Actually some of the OEM dealers are just so much faster on the job that they can do it for those low prices when compared to a general mechanic who works on all sorts of stuff.

I know that some of the cars a friends work took in to get the belts and services done were all completed in under 4 hours for the whole lot.

Richard rich.ms

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