Timing belt change

C_Breeze

Its every 60,000miles that it should be changed, right?
Im going to buy a car tomorrow, it has 94,000 on the clock .

I asked had the timing belt been changed and he said it has not been changed since he got the car at 79,000miles (it was originally imported from UK) so i cant ask the previous owner.

so ill need to change it , but should i do it right away ? and whats the cost of getting it done?

thanks.

Borzoi

C_Breeze wrote:

so ill need to change it , but should i do it right away ? and whats the cost of getting it done?
.

Yes, you should. Cost depends hugely on the car

C_Breeze

Ill change it asap.
Am even fearfull of the journey back , its 300miles.
Id hate for it to snap just after buying it and driving it back!

How long is the job itself?

caesar

C_Breeze wrote:

How long is the job itself?

Again it depends on the car, what kind of car is it.

JohnCleary

You kno wC_Breeze, for such a sm4rt4rse I thought youd be well capable of changing it yourself

</joke>

Con_316

well you should be able to have a fair idea if it's f*cked if it's slipping (squealing/squeeking noises), or if there's lots of rattling and flapping about sounds comin off it.
It should be ok if you drive carefully and keep the revs down. No dropping gears to overtake.
IMO though, it's a bad idea to buy a car you've to be that nervous about. Surely would it have not been better to try find one that'd had it done rather than buy a neglected one and be worrying over it?

SouperComputer

well you should be able to have a fair idea if it's f*cked if it's slipping (squealing/squeeking noises)

You're confusing it with a fan\waterpump belt which is not (generally) on a toothed drive! If the timing belt slips it will at best result in very poor running of the engine.

@ CBreeze, definately get it changed. If it fails it usually results in valve(s) hitting piston(s) often causing terminal damage. IE total engine write off. Budget at least €300, maybe as much at 500 depending on the car, it might be a good plan to change the water pump too. The belt itself is cheap enough, its the labour of stripping down and adjusting that you are paying for.

When driving, avoid any sudden changes in revs of the engine, smooth curves are good. As to when it will fail, it depends on a lot of things but best not to take the chance.

AMurphy

I'll assume it has a timing belt, some have chains these days, if a chain, no need to worry.
What car & engine are we dealing with anyway.

As you may have learned from folks who have had pre-mature belt failure, the life is anywhere from 30K to 150K or more.
And again depending on the engine, some wil not damage valves, others will probably damage several.

If you are that concerned, then I would suggest you reduce the price you pay by $400 and change it immediately. I'd expect a belt change to cost $300 to $500 also.
or now that you knwo the car and engine, get a local quote and reduce the price by that amount.