How long have your cambelts lasted?

[Gam]

Just thought I’d get an opinion on whether you lot would service my car. It’s a 172 02 plate with no service history and lots of dints in half the panels. It’s pretty tatty on the outside but has been fairly good to me for the last 2 years and is now on 80k. I keep on hearing that some belts go at 30k so maybe time and mileage don’t really come into it?
I doubt I’d get 2k as a trade in so don’t really want to service it because the costs of everything that needs doing would be £715 before any MOT failures which is on Friday. Think I’m pushing to risk it lasting another 12 months.

 

[Lagerlout]

Had mine done at GDI today and that was after 42k ish and 5.5 years.

No telling how long one will last. It might be fine.... but they're rubber... and rubber does perish over time... who knows.

That's the gamble as they say!

 

[SkidMarx]

Definately needs the belt doing

 

[DrR]

Might supprise you but most people get them done before they snap, so who knows how long they last.

 

[iimushroomzii]

If I were you I would get done ASAP. You dont want the belt to snap.

 

[DrR]

I'd say the aux belt has done well if it's made it to 80k!

 

[shiftspark]

A mate at work has a 2002 cup not had cam belt or even aux belt done yet but says I have the oil done regulary

 

[JayR]

I asked the same question a while ago and the general opinion was get them done even though i cover just two to three thousand miles a year and the car is on less than 30k and always garaged!

I got them done yesterday and am a fair bit lighter in the pocket but i suppose i can drive with peace of mind now that i wont get caught out on a motorway (or any road for that matter) with one going pop!

 

[Lagerlout]

I'd say the aux belt has done well if it's made it to 80k!

And when they go it can take the cam belt out too iirc.

Basically just get the fucker done lol.

 

[Alastair.]

lol get them replaced, when i bought my 306 in january, the belts had never been changed and were proper split and perished, not bad for a 98 car with 100k on the clock

 

[Andyman]

You'll be even lighter in the pocket if it snaps!

 

[W111ALG]

If in doubt get them done!

 

[JayR]

If in doubt get them done!

Haha....So if you've got to 5 years or 72k get them done then!? Yes?

There is always going to be a doubt if you should be doing something at a certain time but dont....Its more so are you willing to take a chance and live comfortably with the doubt and the chance of the engine going tits up and costing you £1500 in an engine rebuild!!!

For the fact this chap obviously uses his car a fair bit and covers a fair bit of milage id say it would be a certainity for me.

 

[Tucker]

it's not how hard the car is driven or where it's kept, the materials perish after 5 ish years and it will snap if you leave it too long

 

[Fluxuk05]

could you not just get the socket set out and see what its looking like? if its perished and old looking get a new one, if not then risk it if you want?

 

[Tucker]

do you have to take the alt tensioner off to get the cambelt cover off?

 

[Dave Hester]

belts snap alot quick if your constantly doing short journeys

 

[Gam]

Think I might be being persuaded to get them done now. The belts were £415 to replace and there are other bits too that push the price up to £715 so not that bad and I can afford it. I'll see how it gets on in the MOT on friday and if it's expensive to get it through I may look into exchanging it. If it goes through cheep I'll get them done. Just don't want to be gutted if I spend a load on it and then other bits go wrong but I guess thats just the chance you take. Cheers guys

 

[micallef1990]

my timing belt slipped mate and i just had to buy a new engine. then pay hundreds for fitting and then paying for belts for the new engine, just change the belts and you dont have to worry

 

[Greeny.]

A mate at work has a 2002 cup not had cam belt or even aux belt done yet but says I have the oil done regulary

Sounds like a prick

 

[Big Bob]

Sounds like a prick

LOL

Must admit i remember speaking to someone i know adn he has a 172 ph1 and i happened get onto the subject of mileage and he was saying how his car had been really reliable and that it had done 70k without a problem and i said have you had your cambelt done and he replied no word of a lie, Nah im not into modfiying my car,

Classic.

 

[Craig]

^LOL

 

[micallef1990]

^
^
lmao

 

[pip.]

If your cambelt goes the car will be worth roughly.............. nowt.

Get em changed.

 

[MarkCup]

LOL at the thread title, like we all wait until they go.

 

[Jay Payne]

Mine lasted untill I decided to change it


The trader i got my old one off said he wouldnt bother untill 72k (it was 5years old and on 48k when i bought it)

Didnt take his advice

 

[DMS]

I think the OP should perhaps have worded the original question differently.
He should have asked who's had a cambelt snap on them, and at what age / mileage. He obviously knows it's overdue, so by finding out who's had them snap it might help build up a picture of how much longer he can expect his to last.
Everyone's right though. Get it changed A.S.A.P. Rubber can perish so it's a good idea not to rely on it for any longer than recommended. I suppose that's why they say you should only use a johnny once...

 

[172.com]

Got mine done after 4 years and 36k.

Better to be safe than sorry!

Plus the aux belt was due, so might as well have got the cam belt done a year early rather then pay for two jobs were they'd change the aux belt anyway!

 

[Gam]

I think the OP should perhaps have worded the original question differently.
He should have asked who's had a cambelt snap on them, and at what age / mileage. He obviously knows it's overdue, so by finding out who's had them snap it might help build up a picture of how much longer he can expect his to last.
Everyone's right though. Get it changed A.S.A.P. Rubber can perish so it's a good idea not to rely on it for any longer than recommended. I suppose that's why they say you should only use a johnny once...

HaHa, that’s exactly where I was coming from. I know it's a risk and have taken a chance already. I already know I'm gambling with time, I was asking to see if anyone else would too for a bit longer. The cars a bit knackered, I'm tight, so just don't want to spend the money. It certainly wouldn’t be worthwhile rebuilding the engine if it went, I’d just get a new car.

I'll see how much it costs to get through the MOT but if the service pluss MOT bits costs more than a grand I'll probably change it.

 

[Munday]

I used to work with a guy (a few years ago) who had a Mk4 Astra and he would never service it apart from doing an oil change once a year. He had done this for years on different cars and would get some hefty mileage out of them (he was on a car allowance scheme at work and did a lot of motorway miles). Only when something went wrong would he fix it. When a car did go wrong and it was beyond repair he would simply buy a new one. I think the whole thing was done on a profit basis for him. Buy a car for £3-4k, don't service or look after it and get £400 a month car allowance. Makes a profit of over £1k a year from doing that (times that by a few years if the car lasts and he has made a tidy little profit).
In the time I have known him he has never had a belt snap but then again he is lucky. Not worth the risk in my opinion as I have seen the aftermath of a belt snapping - it's not pretty and costs a lot to repair!

 

[.Kev.]

Got mine done at 82,000 on and 02 plate 172. They guy who did it said it looked better then the cambelt off a 05 plate 182 he'd changed recently. Just depends realy, like everyone else says. Feel better now its done now, not affraid to red line it. lol

 

[Mark One]

OP, sort your head out. If it needs doing, do it. Thats all there is too it. When GDi did mine they found that the cambelt had already been done, but thats worth nothing to me as I can't prove it when I come to sell the car.
Just stump the cash and do it.

 

[Ronnie R]

Mine 02, and got it done on last july so 5 n half years... 44k

 

[rory182]

first thing you do on any 2nd hand car if you don't know the history

 

[Beef-Mc]

So true ^^^

 

[How15]

i didn't get mine done for the 4 years i owned, the car was 7 years old then and done 68k, first time any belts had been done!! they looked bad tho, makes me wanna do them every year!!

 

[Jonny1*2]

i'd stick to the manufactures guidelines when it comes to servicing. They are there for a reason. Who know when they will go as there are loads of factors potentially involved in it (how it was driven, general services, how well looked after, was the cambelt up to scratch when fitted). I'm planning on doing mine at the 5 year point, or maybe just before. So it will be 60K and belt service at the same time.

You're always going to hear the bad stories on a forum of cambelts going. But the majority of RS clios are probably fine.

LOL Big Bob, that mate of yours sounds like a keeper

 

[DrR]

One thing i always find odd is people think as soon as it hits 5 years it will melt, explode etc, as a rule it won't.

It's like a 20tone bridge won't collapse if you put 21tones on it.

 

[Gam]

OP, sort your head out. If it needs doing, do it. Thats all there is too it. When GDi did mine they found that the cambelt had already been done, but thats worth nothing to me as I can't prove it when I come to sell the car.
Just stump the cash and do it.

As mentioned, I consider the car worthless (well maybe a couple of grand but I would get 1k as spares and repairs possibly if the belts went so why spend another 1k to keep it going). There comes a time when it isn’t worth repairing cars or keeping to the service schedules, who here is going to spend a grand replacing their cars air bags when the car is worth £800 etc?
I probably will get the belts changed but will wait and see how much the MOT bill is first. It’s been mentioned in this thread that the belts of an 02 car can look better than an 05 car so it aint a dumb question. Belts don’t suddenly go at 5 years, it aint an exact science, some go after 10k if they haven’t been put on right. I was curious if anyone would take a risk so I could side with them and save me a couple of quid (unless the car breaks). I could replace the car with another run a round for the same price as the service so that’s why I’m reluctant to spend the cash.

 

[Big Bob]

One thing i always find odd is people think as soon as it hits 5 years it will melt, explode etc, as a rule it won't.

It's like a 20tone bridge won't collapse if you put 21tones on it.

yes but but if you keep dropping more than 20 stone on a bridge consistantlywhen its only rated to carry 20 stone then the cracks will start to show over time

its designed to last 5 years or x amount of mileage which ever is first as a best guide depnding on the abuse and conditions the car has had to endure many will probably last more than 5 years some may never even be replaced and never snap even after 100,000 miles but its a gamble after you run past its design life of 5 years or X amount of mileage, and if your working the car hard ie. heavy road use and track days you should even consider changing earlier than reccommended as the design life stated if for the intended use on a road car not for track running and constant redline treatment.

But as allways its a gamble

So all in or fold choice is yours ............