Cambelt fitted wrong way around!!

[DrR]

Took my car into have the cambelt done last night as it's just hit 50k and is just 5 years old, got a phone call from them saying the cambelt had been done before, but put on the wrong way around!!!!! Thing is last owners had the car 2 years, he says it's never been done. So i'm guessing it's been like that for over 2 years!!! Will this have done anything damaging to my car?

 

[Dan@SJM]

nope. if it hasnt broken it wont have done any damage.

 

[DrR]

Thats good, he said the timing would have been out though? so it might go even faster? hehe

 

[lemonnobby]

not when you should lock it in place. and how can he see the marks of which way it is as most cambelts ive done its worn off

 

[Dan@SJM]

not when you should lock it in place. and how can he see the marks of which way it is as most cambelts ive done its worn off

I was thinking the same thing lol.

How thje timing will be out with a belt the wrong way round(Onless io misunderstand, how im reading it is that the belt being the wrong way round will make the timing out, not jumped teeth...)is beyond me!

 

[daviebroon]

new cambelt at 50k?

 

[Fred@BTM]

doesn't really matter which way round it goes as far as i can figure out!

 

[lemonnobby]

the 16v engine have no arrows on as i remember do they? ages since i id one.

 

[p3rcy1]

new cambelt at 50k?

its about 70k or fives years which ever comes first mine snapped on me at 65k but the car was 6 years old and did a hell of alot of damage and cost about 500 quid just for the parts at trade price
so imo its better to be safe than sorry

 

[DrR]

Well thats what he said, i have no proof of it being done, he said it wasn't a reanult part, so maybe he can see the directional arrows on it.

 

[Fred@BTM]

its just a toothed belt, works the same whichever way you put it on

 

[DrR]

Just seems odd to me that it's been done already, and the last owners has no knowledge of it, so why was it done when the car was only 3 years old with 22k on the clock?

 

[Fred@BTM]

maybe your mechanic is talking out of his backside?

 

[DrR]

Why would he lie? Not like he's getting any extra money for it or anything.

 

[Fred@BTM]

i have no idea!

 

[Chris_H]

fpmsl!

 

[Gaz_]

its good working practice to have the numbers/letters on the cambelt facing you.....these obviously were the wrong way round, thus him telling you. Its not the end of the world though

 

[DrR]

Just seems odd that it's been done already thats my main concern.

 

[Chris_H]

its probably the original belt.

i see 12 year old 16Vs and P plat elagunas and meganes with the original untouched belt all the time.

 

[DrR]

it's not a renault belt, and as the car is only just 5 and only done 50k, why has it been changed once already? and as the previous owner had it 2 years and says he never got it done, it was changed when the car was less that 3 years old with about 22k on it.

 

[Chris_H]

renault belts don't always say renault on them! Only some of them say 'gates power grip renault'

its not a big deal anyway.

 

[Neil G]

it's not a renault belt, and as the car is only just 5 and only done 50k, why has it been changed once already? and as the previous owner had it 2 years and says he never got it done, it was changed when the car was less that 3 years old with about 22k on it.

I wouldn't worry about it

 

[Englebert]

If the owner hasn't changed it then surely it came like that from the factory, therefore validating the theory that it doesn't matter what way it goes round...?

 

[Joe@ShedMotorsport]

It could have had a dodgy water pump or tensioner on it that was replaced under warranty, hence the belt was changed as they're not meant to be re-used. I really wouldn't get your knickers in a twist about it.