At Duo Motor our trained technicians also provide a cam belt replacement service. This is a vital requirement on most vehicles at manufacturer recommended mileages. If the cam belt is not replaced at the set intervals it could break and then most often causes expensive damage to the engine. This can be a complex job that requires skill and specialist knowledge and technical information, all of which is available from DUO MOTOR.
Certain engines with overhead camshafts have timing belts that have a limited life span. Car makers use these belts instead of more durable chains because chains are noisier and cost more to manufacture. Your vehicle owner’s manual will recommend at what mileage the timing belt must be replaced. These intervals range from every 60,000 miles to every 105,000 miles.
To see what is recommended for your engine, click on the link at the bottom of this article Timing belts fail without warning and on some vehicles, are almost as hard to check as they are to change. In most cases, your only protection is to change the belt at the recommended intervals.
Timing belt replacement is not a cheap job but it is far less costly than the alternative. Some technicians may recommend that you replace the water pump during a timing belt job even if there is nothing wrong with it. This is because 90% of the labour to change the water pump has already been done with the timing belt job and some technicians consider it good insurance to replace the pump at this time.
My feeling is that some water pumps can last the life of the car but many do fail and will cost big money to replace at a later date. So ask your technician what his experience is with the water pump on your model car and look at how long you plan to keep the car. This way, at least you will be making an informed roll of the dice.