Motoring Discussion > Cam Belt change	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: CGNorwich	Replies: 46

Sun 22 Jan 12 14:43   Cam Belt change - CGNorwich

About to book Octavia in for cam-belt change this week - Have done 50,000 miles/4 years. Main dealer is charging £399 including new water pump which doesn't sound too bad to me Is this reasonable? Anything else I should know? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 14:44   Cam Belt change - Zero

i assume thats a cambelt kit, complete with idlers? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 14:45   Cam Belt change - CGNorwich

Yes I understand so. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 15:15   Cam Belt change - Ted

My indy charges £200 plus £50 if it needs a pump. Always does a full kit. He's done half a dozen for me and only needed a pump on 2 occasions. A good honest indy who knows what he's doing shouldn't rip you off. I'm booking the Vitara in next week. 60K interval and I've no idea if it's been done. Better safe, etc. Ted Last edited by: Ted on Sun 22 Jan 12 at 15:16 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 15:21   Cam Belt change - Zero

The cam belt kit is about 100 quid, the water pump is about 50 quid. With labour at £60 an hour, thats a lot of hours or a lot of profit. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 15:28   Cam Belt change - -

Don't know, lot of difference between slipping a belt on Teds north south engine and dismantling half the car and lifting the engine on one side whilst standing on your head and needing two pairs of hands with an east west FWD thing. Having had the misfortune of replacing the heater matrix and engine radiator on a VAG car before, i came to the conclusion they were designed for manufacture only. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 15:35   Cam Belt change - Runfer D'Hills

Sounds reasonable CG. I'm allergic to cambelts though. I've had 3 of the beggars let go on me expensively over the years despite rigidly following manufacturers service intervals. I do cover a lot of miles I suppose but I'd need a lot of convincing to buy a car (with my own money anyway) now which had one. Never had any personal bother with a chain equipped engine. Probably superstition, but wasn't it Churchill (or someone like that) who said something like "once is happenstance, twice is coincidence but the third time is enemy action" :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 15:37   Cam Belt change - CGNorwich

£399 is the standard VAG fixed menu price. No idea how many hours labour Web search reveals local Independent VAG specialist charges £315 for the same job . www.vwnorwich.com/servicing_prices.htm Main dealer will also let me have a car for the day so overall doesn't seem too far out of line Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 22 Jan 12 at 15:39 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 16:46   Cam Belt change - corax

I'd say that price was reasonable for a dealer if it includes tensioners and water pump. There's not much space to work in meaning a fairly involved job. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 17:37   Cam Belt change - mikeyb

When I had the main dealer do the cam belt on the Sharan it also came with a 2 year warranty Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 17:50   Cam Belt change - CGNorwich

That's a good point Mikeyb. Will check with the dealers. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 17:52   Cam Belt change - Runfer D'Hills

I would....Cam belt? ( sucks teeth ) :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 10:32   Cam Belt change - smokie

"With labour at £60 an hour, thats a lot of hours or a lot of profit." Come on Zero, get with the times :-) - my local Ford main dealer was over £90 ph a year or so back. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 18:07   Cam Belt change - Dog

I always preached that I'd never buy another car with a rubber band, and I went out and bought a Lancer Estate, I became a bit neurotic about listening to my Almera's timing chain on cold starts as they were known for stretching requiring very expensive repairs. My Lancer goes to the pain dealer next month for the cambelt replacement, whatever the cost may be. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 18:34   Cam Belt change - Zero

>> My Lancer goes to the pain dealer next month for the cambelt replacement, whatever the >> cost may be. 180 quid ish Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 20:53   Cam Belt change - Dog

>>180 quid ish<< Yes, I did phone the dealer in Ply-mouth + Fal-mouth and was pleasantly surprised at the quote I received, £300 on the old Clio a few years back. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 21:00   Cam Belt change - Lygonos

Lancer engine DOHC or SOHC ? I remember my old Prelude was surprisingly cheap for a Honda belt change but was a 12v SOHC. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 22 Jan 12 21:08   Cam Belt change - Dog

>>Lancer engine DOHC or SOHC ?<< It's a SOHC 16v jobbie. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 23 Jan 12 15:13   Cam Belt change - L'escargot

>> My Lancer goes to the pain dealer next month for the cambelt replacement, whatever the >> cost may be. >> My Focus will have the cambelt changed at 100,000 miles or 10 years, whichever is the sooner, whatever the cost may be. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 23 Jan 12 15:24   Cam Belt change - Crankcase

The old LS430 had to go when the price for the cambelt change, at the 100k service, was given to me. £1200, four years ago. Not nice. Sold the car instead. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 23 Jan 12 23:01   Cam Belt change - blackbird

As cam belt replacements go, the LS430 is quite an easy one - 2.5 hours book time. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 06:16   Cam Belt change - ....

Mmmm...FIAT Coupe 20v turbo I was quoted two days, engine out £1595+VAT by a main dealer just for the belt change. New water pump was extra. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 10:00   Cam Belt change - blackbird

It is possible to do that one without removing the engine, but very difficult. Book time is 13.8 hours, so allowing about 100 quid for the belt kit your dealer is working at approx £108 per hour - nice earner. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 10:04   Cam Belt change - bathtub tom

The worst one I've ever done was a Maestro diesel. An engine mount passes through the middle of the belt. The engine mount's also got coolant passing through it, it acts as a sort of junction for various hoses! Whoever thought that up should've been shot. I had to dismantle it a couple of extra times to get it all sealed. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 11:09   Cam Belt change - Dog

I can remember doing Pinto's in alf an hour with one arm tied behind me back and a cup in t'other :) Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 11:29   Cam Belt change - DP

>> I can remember doing Pinto's in alf an hour with one arm tied behind me >> back and a cup in t'other :) First one I ever did as well, Dog. An absolute doddle. Apart from having to buy a splined bit to get the tensioner bolt undone. :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 13:52   Cam Belt change - Dog

>First one I ever did as well, Dog. An absolute doddle.< Just as well DP, as they were always going! Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 17:23   Cam Belt change - DP

>> Just as well DP, as they were always going! Funny enough, this one had snapped (83 1.6 Sierra) albeit at idle. Timed everything up, stuck a new belt on and it fired up first turn. They don't make engines like that any more. :-) Last edited by: DP on Wed 25 Jan 12 at 17:24 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 17:32   Cam Belt change - crocks

The only cambelt that has ever snapped on me was also a Pinto (1979 2.0 Cortina). Went at idle in the carpark at Donington Park while I was charging another battery with jump leads. Only problem was it was a Sunday afternoon and I had to wait until Monday morning before I could get a belt. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 18:41   Cam Belt change - Skip

If you compared the timing belt off of a pinto with one off of a current motor that has a 100.000 mile change interval you can see why they tended to fail at low mileages, they were about half the width and a third of the thickness. I have covered thousands of miles in about 20 different cars that were fitted with belts and have never had one fail, i never let them go over the recommended change interval though. Timing chains can and do fail and are far more costly if they do need replacing. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 18:20   Cam Belt change - Dog

>>They don't make engines like that any more. :-)<< Thank gawd! I came across far too many cars in my tuning days that suffered valve/piston damage due to those damn rubber bands breaking, including BX GTi's and the like that cost over £1000 to repair :( I wonder why a lot of belts seemed to snap at idle or quite low RPM? Last edited by: Dog on Wed 25 Jan 12 at 18:23 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 19:46   Cam Belt change - Kevin

>including BX GTi's.. I followed an immaculate K-reg BX down Shinfield Road in Reading this morning. I'd never noticed before how much negative camber they had on the rear wheels. >I wonder why a lot of belts seemed to snap at idle or quite low RPM? Good question. The only belt I've had snap was on a Cavalier CDi Auto that died as I came to a halt on my driveway. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 20:09   Cam Belt change - Dog

Must be under more tension at low RPM - no other reason for it really, apart from luck! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 26 Jan 12 08:20   Cam Belt change - MJM

>>I followed an immaculate K-reg BX down Shinfield Road in Reading this morning. I'd never noticed before how much negative camber they had on the rear wheels.<< They shouldn't have any really noticeable negative camber. You probably followed a near immaculate BX with failed rear trailing arm bearings. :) Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 21:06   Cam Belt change - Bromptonaut

>> I wonder why a lot of belts seemed to snap at idle or quite low >> RPM? I believe the max stress on the belt is picking up from idle. Certainly what happened when mine 'jumped'. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 11:22   Cam Belt change - ....

That £108 an hour was 10 years ago blackbird. As you can see, not a lot of room to access the belt end: tinyurl.com/6lh3raw Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 11:25   Cam Belt change - Dave_

>> As you can see, not a lot of room to access the belt end: My boss in the early 90s had a Mk2 Cavalier fitted with a red-top 16v engine, that was an equally tight fit! You couldn't slide a hand down the gap at the end. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 12:41   Cam Belt change - Dog

>>that was an equally tight fit! You couldn't slide a hand down the gap at the end<< I aint saying nuffink! :-D Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 14:28   Cam Belt change - Dutchie

Naughty Boy.>:) Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 14:49   Cam Belt change - Dog

What'd I say?? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 24 Jan 12 22:42   Cam Belt change - -

>> The old LS430 had to go £1200, four years ago. Surely not cambelt only, was that a major service too? I paid £225 or £250 in 95/6 for the cambelt replacement alone on my Rover 827 (Honda engine), i thought that was bad enough. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 00:08   Cam Belt change - Rudedog

Most VW dealers will price match with local garages within a certain distance (5 miles) as long as they use comparable parts, also I received a money-off voucher when mine was due so I guess my dealers must keep a tab on when they think you my need it doing and offer an enticement to go to them. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 08:18   Cam Belt change - Crankcase

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear GB; it was the 100K service too. But it still had to go. If I were a rich man I'd have kept it more or less forever - gorgeous it were and I still miss it, although not at filling up time. Or tax time. Or insurance time. Or service time. Or new tyre time. Or... Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 25 Jan 12 at 08:19 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 09:45   Cam Belt change - WillDeBeest

I imagine the cambelt of a 32v V8 has a rather larger assortment of pulleys and tensioners - as well as just being longer - than the equivalent item of yer average four-pot VAG engine. I think the Volvo's belt service (five cylinders, one bank) cost about £600 all in at 2009 dealer prices. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 09:56   Cam Belt change - madf

I looked at buying a 430, And DIY of the cambelt is possible.(There are internet guides) I would imagine any sensible soul doing it would change the lots of tensioners and the water pump and all the other drive belts at the same time as there is such a lot of dismantling to be done.. Parts alone I would say £200+ Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 25 Jan 12 22:39   Cam Belt change - Lygonos

I wonder how much the Ford 1.0 Ecoboost will cost for a belt change.... Considering it runs inside the engine bathed in oil. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 26 Jan 12 10:25   Cam Belt change - Number_Cruncher

With some clever design, it needn't be an expensive job. Reply to this message | Report message