Am I being ripped off? Timing belt mileage...

Hi All,

Our local garage has just told me that my timing belt needs replacing, they replaces it themselves not two years ago, and the car can't have done more than 15 thousand miles since then.

Any ideas roughly how many miles/years a timing belt should last on average? It's a peugeot 306 XRTD (1.9 td), and having it replaced costs a packet in labour, and almost nothing in parts, I think the garage is trying to boost business.

They even had the cheek to send me a shock letter saying it needed replacement in the next 14 days, with a minor horror story about the potential damage etc etc.

Sorry for feeble questions I should probably look up myself, but I can't find the haynes manual.

Cheers - Andrew.

I cant say specifically about a 306, but 15k/2 years id say there looking for unnecessary business, tell them where they can go.

3 years or 36,000 miles, unless its really high milage and then they may deem it needs doing every 2 years as a precaution.

if they go its new engine time !

I had my Golf GTI's done before christmas, that was (or should have been) £450. VW recomend it replaced after 4 years regardless of milage or sooner on high milage vehicles.

Mine has been 4 years and 30k miles, so pretty low milage.

OK, I've just done my homework, According to the manual Peugeot say you should change the timing belt every 72,000 miles, but Haynes recommend that is halved in "intensively driven" (ie, short journeys) to 36,000 miles.

The Current belt was changed almost exactly 2 years ago (just under), and has done an incredible 10,000 miles in the two years since then (we commute by tube, and rarely use it during the week, when we do use it it tends to be for long-ish runs too).

By My calculations, even if we go with Haynes' recommended interval, it should last another 5 years, by which time I seriously doubt the car will still be running (It's already 14 years old, but ageing gracefully). The garage definitely know the mileage because I got the numbers from their own invoices!

Right, I'll email them and see how well they explain, but tbh I'm going to worry that they're not being honest with me every time they give me a quote from now on. <sigh>, gonna have to start harassing some mates for second opinions before I pay for anything expensive.

It's a shame because they seem nice guys, and they're a local independent business. :(

I drive a Renault Clio and its recommended the belt is changed every 5 years or 75000 miles. My car was 5 years last October and they insisted on changing it even though there was only 25000 miles on the clock. I think it was the guts of &#163;150 too :(

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Originally Posted by aidso

I drive a Renault Clio and its recommended the belt is changed every 5 years or 75000 miles. My car was 5 years last October and they insisted on changing it even though there was only 25000 miles on the clock. I think it was the guts of £150 too :(

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Hang on . . it sounds like your complaning, but you clearly said the intervals are 75k OR 5 years, and you had reached the 5 years, belts dont snap due to just mileage, age wears them out as well.

£150 for a cambelt change
£LOL for a new engine/new car if it snaps.

less use and the belt will break down faster than regular use, same as a car tyre that just "sits" the walls crack, it perishes and will blow without warning, 2 years is taking the piss though.

stytagm, PLEASE LISTEN!

Uncanny reading your post as my in-laws have the same car, 1.9td and their cam belt split last week damaging their engine and costing them £1200 to repair, which is just under what the car is worth tbh.

The car is "W" reg, has just over 60k miles total, but here is the bad news. They changed their cam belt last year and 3 years before that! According to their mechanic the 306 1.9td has an issue with cam belts.

So with just over 60k miles they have had 3 cam belts.

Just listen to your mechanic, or try another.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stytagm

OK, I've just done my homework, According to the manual Peugeot say you should change the timing belt every 72,000 miles,(

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that is correct, and can be relied upon. Pugs are NOT renowned for snapping belts.

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

stytagm, PLEASE LISTEN!

Uncanny reading your post as my in-laws have the same car, 1.9td and their cam belt split last week damaging their engine and costing them &#163;1200 to repair, which is just under what the car is worth tbh.

The car is "W" reg, has just over 60k miles total, but here is the bad news. They changed their cam belt last year and 3 years before that! According to their mechanic the 306 1.9td has an issue with cam belts.

So with just over 60k miles they have had 3 cam belts.

Just listen to your mechanic

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Caution there guys

It is only a problem when CHEAP NON-PUG cambelts are used.

Listen to me guys, that engine is one of the finest, hardest working engines of all time. If I had that car,w ith a pug cambelt, I'd not have a problem with it after 2 years.

Zak, I don't know if my in-laws cam belt was replaced with an original, I could find out later if you wish.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeludedGuy

Zak, I don't know if my in-laws cam belt was replaced with an original, I could find out later if you wish.

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yes please :)