Hello guys just a quick question if I may please.

have recently bought a new car which is from 2007, it has done 62,000 miles and has no service history but is very clean and looks well cared for.

i recently phoned my mechanic to book an a major service and a cambelt change.

he said why are you changing the belt? The dealers just make the cambelt change duration shorter than it should be to cover there arses and make money. He said the original belts are bullet proof and will easily run to 100k and suggested waiting till 80k before even thinking about it.

the recommended change is 4 years or 40000 miles so I’m not really sure what to do now.

any thought on this?

i get the argument just change it for peace of mind and if it goes its game over, but don’t really want to mess about for no reason, and the mechanic who said this I think is very good at what he does, he knows his stuff, but what he is saying contradicts pretty much what I have read and what others say.

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

I would run from this 'mechanic'

 

 

It would help if we had some idea which engine you're talking about.

If the belt is original it is well past the recommendation of every make I have owned. Ford was the longest at 10 years or 100,000 miles.

 

No idea what you have paid for your car but the simple fact is a snapped belt will almost certainly wreck the engine (there are exceptions). That will probably make ypour car at 12 years old uneconomic to repair.

 

A belt change at a trusted VAG specialist should cost no more than £300 (probably more with a waterpump if its needed with your engine).

 

Do the sums and decide if its worth doing or taking the risk and scrapping it if it goes wrong.

16 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

It would help if we had some idea which engine you're talking about.

 

Sorry it’s a Skoda Roomster 1.9 TDI pd 105 engine.

paid £1700

I think I get the message, change it pronto.

 

thanks for the help.

Strange the mechanic should say  what he did though. He is about the only mechanic i have really trusted.

i have had some bad experiences with mechanics, once got my cambelt changed on a lovely T4 van, they screwed the timing and the engine was toast.

then recently there was an oil leak in my last car from the turbo, the RAC man said the turbo is on its last legs and towed me to a local garage who said the turbo is fine, fixed the leak put in a new alternator and relieved me of £300 and returned it to me. On my very first journey it started juddering, took it back and the mechanic said, well the turbo is a bit ****! 

 

Never had any problems at all with the guy who said about the cambelt, always had top class advice and work from him.

 

oh well, even if he is right, it’s worth getting  it done for peace of mind if nothing else. 

 

Apprecite the replies, thanks again 

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

3 minutes ago, RoomsterRay said:

Strange the mechanic should say  what he did though. He is about the only mechanic i have really trusted.

 

oh well, even if he is right, it’s worth getting  it done for peace of mind if nothing else. 

 

Apprecite the replies, thanks again 

 

It rings alarm bells to me. If I took a car to a mechanic that was overdue a timing belt by a massive amount and he tried to talk me out of it I would think he isn't comfortable changing it/ unfamiliar with the engine maybe?

 

He could just be busy, or maybe hes minted and doesn't need the money 

 

Why don't you get the mechanic to put in writing that he will cover all expenses if the belt snaps? See how confident he is then.

 

5 minutes ago, SuperbTWM said:

 

It rings alarm bells to me. If I took a car to a mechanic that was overdue a timing belt by a massive amount and he tried to talk me out of it I would think he isn't comfortable changing it/ unfamiliar with the engine maybe?

 

He could just be busy, or maybe hes minted and doesn't need the money 

 

Why don't you get the mechanic to put in writing that he will cover all expenses if the belt snaps? See how confident he is then.

 

He can change cam belts, did one in my old VW Lupo, I supplied the parts and he did it for £80,said it’s very easy in a Lupo, no problems with it at all.

its a mystery lol.

Once took him an old Polo with the clutch slipping expecting to have to foot the bill for a new clutch, he phoned me and said he had made an adjustment so the plates sit closet together and could get another couple of years out of it, told me not to bother paying as it was a quick job.

he has done other things for free before also.

 

not looking to rip people of, that’s why I like him.

 

 

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

This is the Fabia 1 forum. You should be posting this in the Roomster forum....

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/101-skoda-roomster-mk-i/

1 minute ago, TMB said:

This is the Fabia 1 forum. You should be posting this in the Roomster forum....

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/101-skoda-roomster-mk-i/

Yea sorry it’s very quiet on there though lol

^ Coz Fabias are better 

1 minute ago, TMB said:

^ Coz Fabias are better 

No Roomsters are class mate, like a little van with the seats out.

do look a bit like a hearse though =D

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

Just now, RoomsterRay said:

No Roomsters are class mate, like a little van with the seats out.

 

Yeah, I like them 

My MK1 ran to 220K on the original belt, the main stealers had relieved my chauffeur friend for the price of changing it several times though, I concur with your mechanics logic as what is fitted in the factory is the best quality and even 20 years ago emissions standards required an engine to run for 100000 kms with no maintenance other than oil changes and remain within emissions limits.

 

I changed the belt only, kept the original water pump, pulleys, tensioners etc, they were all still going strong 10 years and another 100K miles afterwards.

 

I did however frequently remove the covers and check the belt condition very carefully, on my 1.9 PD 105 its so so simple to remove the cover and check the belt that you should do so yourself or ask the mechanic to look for you.

3 minutes ago, J.R. said:

My MK1 ran to 220K on the original belt, the main stealers had relieved my chauffeur friend for the price of changing it several times though, I concur with your mechanics logic as what is fitted in the factory is the best quality and even 20 years ago emissions standards required an engine to run for 100000 kms with no maintenance other than oil changes and remain within emissions limits.

 

I changed the belt only, kept the original water pump, pulleys, tensioners etc, they were all still going strong 10 years and another 100K miles afterwards.

 

I did however frequently remove the covers and check the belt condition very carefully, on my 1.9 PD 105 its so so simple to remove the cover and check the belt that you should do so yourself or ask the mechanic to look for you.

Honestly the guy really knows his stuff, he races cars and has a fleet of old school classics in his garage which he collects and looks after, proper car guy. 

 

If it was somebody who I did not know who said it, I would dismiss it out of hand.

 

 

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

I agree with him!

Just now, J.R. said:

I agree with him!

Really?

I agree with your old school mechanic!

1 minute ago, J.R. said:

I agree with your old school mechanic!

Interesting!

 

i have a feeling he is probably right as well, but would probably sleep better at night with a new one.

but even a new one is no guarantee, as explained with my old T4, wish I’d left the bloody thing alone.

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

Took the car out today for a little blast, it runs and sounds like a dream. Took the cover of the air filter to try and get an idea if the car has been looked after and it was clean as a whistle as is the oil.

there are some newer parts on the engine that are OEM.

it looks like a new car, despite the no service history, it sure looks like it has been cared for, can’t believe it’s mine when I see it on the drive =D

my missus has a 2014 plate 1.6 with 42k and you would not guess which one is younger if you could not see the reg plate.

 

think it’s a keeper, so going to do whatever it needs. 

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay

I would agree if it were a petrol engine, but NOT on a PD engine, the belt on a PD works very hard indeed, your mechanic knows petrol engines but we see lots of smashed heads on PD engines from belt failure.

Get it done.

2 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

I would agree if it were a petrol engine, but NOT on a PD engine, the belt on a PD works very hard indeed, your mechanic knows petrol engines but we see lots of smashed heads on PD engines from belt failure.

Get it done.

Thank you, yes, going to do it just for peace of mind.

 

if it was an old dog I’d take a chance, but not worth it here I think.

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by RoomsterRay