2 liter 150PS diesel.

We are travelling to Prague this September and the cam belt will be 5 years old in December. Is it worth getting them changed while in Czechia, rather than waiting until December. The car has only done 35,000 miles so far.

Edited 10 February, 20206 yr by King John

2 minutes ago, King John said:

We are travelling to Prague this September and the cam belt will be 5 years old in December. Is it worth getting them changed while in Czechia, rather than waiting until December. The car has only done 35,000 miles so far.

My advice would be not to have it done in the Czech Republic, for a number of reasons. 

 

From a practical perspective, how good is your Czech? Would you be able to understand what they tell you when you pick it up? And why take the risk on exchange rates? Can you book it in and be sure it will be done to your timescale?

 

I'd also want to be sure they are happy (and able) to deal with a car that drives on the "wrong" side of the road and is configured in English with a UK spec? What about the warranty implications?

 

Financially it may (repeat may) be marginally cheaper, but if you wouldn't just go for the cheapest quote in London, then you shouldn't in CZ either. 

 

Just to add a bit of balance... I'm a functionally fluent Czech speaker married to a Czech girl and I spend quite a few months a year in Prague. Their engineers are as good as it gets and if my car was a Czech-registered LHD I would drive it back to Prague each year for its service. But horses for courses... mine is a UK car and it gets serviced in the UK for all of the reasons above. 

 

Enjoy the trip in September!

Besides, 5 years and 35000 ,miles are way to soon.

For several years, there is no time limit anymore. Only ODO matters now.

It must be written in you service plan. To me it's either 180,000 or 210,000 km (112,000 or 130,000 miles) depending on the engine code.

If've done only 32,000 miles in five years, OK, it might not be a good idea to wit until 112 or 130,000 miles. Replacing the belt around 60,000 (roughly 10 years), should be OK, without taking much risks 🤔...

On 10/02/2020 at 23:44, Bap33 said:

Besides, 5 years and 35000 ,miles are way to soon.

For several years, there is no time limit anymore. Only ODO matters now.

It must be written in you service plan. To me it's either 180,000 or 210,000 km (112,000 or 130,000 miles) depending on the engine code.

If've done only 32,000 miles in five years, OK, it might not be a good idea to wit until 112 or 130,000 miles. Replacing the belt around 60,000 (roughly 10 years), should be OK, without taking much risks 🤔...

Is that the same in the UK?

I am used to the old 5 years or 120,000 miles, which ever is sooner.

@King John As said, it should be written somewhere in your Service plan manual. 

Edited 25 February, 20206 yr by Bap33

On 10/02/2020 at 23:44, Bap33 said:

Besides, 5 years and 35000 ,miles are way to soon.

For several years, there is no time limit anymore. Only ODO matters now.

It must be written in you service plan. To me it's either 180,000 or 210,000 km (112,000 or 130,000 miles) depending on the engine code.

If've done only 32,000 miles in five years, OK, it might not be a good idea to wit until 112 or 130,000 miles. Replacing the belt around 60,000 (roughly 10 years), should be OK, without taking much risks 🤔...

60.000 miles or 8/10 years is about right i think, 

imo though,  the water pump is more likely to fail than the belt