When to replace my CAM belt?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 25,366
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My car is having an MOT and service today. When I dropped the car off, the sales rep said that with a Renault Scenic, it's recommended that the cam belt is replaced either every 5 years or 72,000 miles.

My Scenic is 5 years old at the end of March and has done 38,000 miles.

I've said no to the cam belt and (touch wood it doesn't break!!) will consider changing it once the car nears 50,000 miles.

I know that when a cam belt breaks, the damage can be quite extensive....however, I just spent nearly £20,000 on renovating our house and nearly another £500 (!!!) to change the cam belt is just too much at the moment.

Any advice or suggestions?
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Comments

  • jellybabie68jellybabie68 Posts: 1,170
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    I would advise on getting it done, I have had the unfortunate experience of it going on me, I was 20 years old stranded in thick snow in the middle of nowhere when mine went, at first I thought id just stalled the car so tried to start it again - worse thing I could have done as it meant all the pistons (or something like that) shot through the engine, cost me an absolute fortune. Ever since its something I have made sure I get replaced as soon as I buy a new car.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,791
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    it's recommended by age or mileage which ever is soonest for a reason. While it may not have done many miles it has been on the car for 5yrs and cambelts are near enough rubber.

    Upto you really, maybe get quotes from elsewhere, I don't have a scenic but mine was £350 inc service.
  • Galaxy266Galaxy266 Posts: 7,049
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    I would strongly urge you to get the cambelt changed now. You certainly don't want it to break. Not only is this likely to leave you stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but you'll be facing a bill of about £2,500 for a new engine! By comparison, £500 for a new cambelt seems quite cheap.

    The recommended time/mileage for the belt to be changed is 5 years or 72,000 miles, whichever is reached first. It's not an option to keep it running until the maximum.

    In fact, if the car had done fewer miles in the 5 years, then the cambelt is more likely to fail due to the many more stops and starts of the engine, rather than a car which has done a higher mileage on long runs. This is what causes cambelts to fail.

    Is the £500 from a Renault Main Dealer? If it is, ask around locally and try to find a good independent Renault garage, who I would bet, if you ask them for a quotation first, would do the job for a couple of hundred cheaper.

    Whoever does the job, though, do make quite sure that a genuine Renault cambelt is used, or an acceptable alternative like "Gates". Also, make sure that a complete cambelt kit is fitted, not just the cambelt, including a tensioner and any pulleys that are used in the run of the belt.

    I'm not a Renault expert, I'm afraid, but it may well be advisable on Renault engines to change the water pump at the same time if it's also driven by the cambelt.

    Cambelt changes cannot be left to chance; you are playing with fire by not having it changed, I'm sorry to say.

    Whereabouts do you live, by the way?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,940
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    I agree with all the above.

    Get it done when it's supposed to be done. As someone mentioned, they're rubber so it'll still perish with age, regardless of milage.

    If it breaks, you'll be looking at an awful lot more than £500 to get it fixed.

    I've had one go on me and it cost a lot more to sort out the damage than it would have done to change the belt ....
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 180
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    I had my Scenics belt changed at just under 5 years, 45,000 miles. got a local garage to do it £350.

    Just get it done, if it breaks you'll be looking at the thick end of £1,000 to get it fixed.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 25,366
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    Thanks for the responses. I'll get the cam belt changed in in a few months time (once I have more money available). I'll also shop around as £500 is way too expensive!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 775
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    Gilbertoo wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses. I'll get the cam belt changed in in a few months time (once I have more money available). I'll also shop around as £500 is way too expensive!

    Mine is due to be replaced soon and got a quote for £95 including fitting!! That was from a local independent specialist in cam belts. £500 does seem a fair bit though :eek:
  • mintbromintbro Posts: 6,733
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    Ive had my car since October 2006 and in that time ive done between 10-50 miles per week which isnt a lot.However i do not know when the cambelt was last changed.

    Is there anyway you can tell if it needs doing?
  • ErrodielErrodiel Posts: 4,479
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    mintbro wrote: »
    Ive had my car since October 2006 and in that time ive done between 10-50 miles per week which isnt a lot.However i do not know when the cambelt was last changed.

    Is there anyway you can tell if it needs doing?

    I believe the rule of thumb is that if you don't know when the belt was last changed, then change it. It's really not something you want to fail unexpectedly!
  • jellybabie68jellybabie68 Posts: 1,170
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    thats why I always have mine changed when I buy a new car, although luckily my last two cars have had timing chains so not needed to be replaced.

    Look in your local free papers as we have a "cambelt man" who is a local mobile mechanic who specialises in cambelts (obviously lol) and he charges no where near £300-500 as mentioned, think my dp paid £225 including his minor service recently.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 582
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    OK you've spent out on the House and another £500 will just eat away at your budget, but if it goes it will cost mega bucks which you don't have.

    If it were me I would have it done, far better to pay out £500 then end up with a bill which equates to thousands and probably more than the car is worth.

    It's a bit like doing your house up so it is the house of your dreams, but then you can't afford a front door to secure it;)
  • HypnodiscHypnodisc Posts: 22,728
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    I had mine changed at 81,000 miles..

    £115 :) - 1996 Renault Clio, done in a (good) back-street garage on the industrial estate i used to work

    The bloke who took it out was suprised the belt hadn't gone before then.. it was very old and worn.
  • ff999ff999 Posts: 4,549
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    Shop around your local garages for different quotes, and start playing them off against each other to try to get the price down.

    The best time to get the cam belt changed is when it doesn't need doing.

    So speaks the person who has had to have it done AFTER it was knackered. the car was ne ver the same afterwards.
  • jagger2kjagger2k Posts: 3,527
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    Mine went on my vectra, cost £450 to repair the engine
  • hometown38hometown38 Posts: 364
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    Just had the cam belt on my Ford Focus changed.

    The official Ford replacement interval on Focus cam belts is 100,000 miles or every 10 years ... which is a long time !
    Mine has done 78,000 but i get a bit jittery about things like cam belts , so i got mine replaced cost £230.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,864
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    hometown38 wrote: »
    Just had the cam belt on my Ford Focus changed.

    The official Ford replacement interval on Focus cam belts is 100,000 miles or every 10 years ... which is a long time !
    Mine has done 78,000 but i get a bit jittery about things like cam belts , so i got mine replaced cost £230.

    Very sensible!

    I find it astonishing that manufacturers put such a long sevice life on many items these days, including oil; we've serviced many cars that seem to be suddenly endowed with long life items like oil, spark plugs and cambelts, when the reality was that these parts were long past their worth.

    In the case of cambelts, always err on the side of caution, the financial consequences of trying to push the life of a simple rubber belt can be dire; all it takes is for it to jump one tooth, and it's goodnight Vienna to a month or more's wages!!!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 25,366
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    Rebel MC wrote: »
    Very sensible!

    I find it astonishing that manufacturers put such a long sevice life on many items these days, including oil; we've serviced many cars that seem to be suddenly endowed with long life items like oil, spark plugs and cambelts, when the reality was that these parts were long past their worth.

    In the case of cambelts, always err on the side of caution, the financial consequences of trying to push the life of a simple rubber belt can be dire; all it takes is for it to jump one tooth, and it's goodnight Vienna to a month or more's wages!!!

    trick is, are you rough like ninga, stinging like a bee?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2
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    My 54 reg Scenic is coming up to it's 72K service (inc. cambelt) and I believe to get the dealer to do this will cost around £800.

    After reading this thread I'm in no doubt that I want it done but I'm now wondering if I should just take it to a local garage and forget trying to keep a full dealer service history?

    We only paid £6K for the car a year ago and it has a few dings on it so I'd estimate it's worth £4.5 > £5K now.

    We'll probably hang on to the car for another year or two and do very little mileage (about 7K a year).

    Is it worth getting the full dealer service? :confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,979
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    My 54 reg Scenic is coming up to it's 72K service (inc. cambelt) and I believe to get the dealer to do this will cost around £800.

    After reading this thread I'm in no doubt that I want it done but I'm now wondering if I should just take it to a local garage and forget trying to keep a full dealer service history?

    We only paid £6K for the car a year ago and it has a few dings on it so I'd estimate it's worth £4.5 > £5K now.

    We'll probably hang on to the car for another year or two and do very little mileage (about 7K a year).

    Is it worth getting the full dealer service? :confused:


    Small independant garage.

    My Mitsubishi Shogun has just had new main drive pulley, all belts, new pads front and rear, service and MOT for £700.
    9 Hours labour only £280

    I hate to think what Mitsubishi would have charged. Labour charges are £80 per/hr.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 35
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    I would advise getting it changed. Last January just before my MOT when I was going to ask about getting the belt changed (38000 miles but 10 year old car) my cam belt went whilst doing 40mph down a busy duel carriageway. Not only did my car die and scare me and probably the other drivers near me to death it also completely knackered my engine costing over £1000 to fix. Being a numpty with cars I hadn't realised it was an either/or and was told although the mileage was low the cam belt could still wear out. It really isn't worth the risk!!!
  • twinchassis88twinchassis88 Posts: 1,480
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    As a mechanic, I never let any of my cars do more than 25,000 miles/3 years without a new belt. They can get brittle and crack fairly quickly.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,864
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    Hulahoops wrote: »
    I would advise getting it changed. Last January just before my MOT when I was going to ask about getting the belt changed (38000 miles but 10 year old car) my cam belt went whilst doing 40mph down a busy duel carriageway. Not only did my car die and scare me and probably the other drivers near me to death it also completely knackered my engine costing over £1000 to fix. Being a numpty with cars I hadn't realised it was an either/or and was told although the mileage was low the cam belt could still wear out. It really isn't worth the risk!!!

    Which is small potatoes; getting away with a bill as low as £1000 after a cambelt failure is very lucky!
  • davidsevendavidseven Posts: 3,336
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    I have always had it changed as a matter of course on buying a second hand car unless I had evidence it had been done in the past. Check to make sure things like tensioners and water pump are changed if need be. Just google your cars name and cambelt and check for problems.
  • butterworthbutterworth Posts: 17,872
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    I have an '04 Peugeot 807, and they seem to keep the Cambelt interval fairly secret for some reason. I don't have main dealer servicing, but use a local independent sole-trader who is excellent.

    My car is just past 62,000 miles, and I'm having mine done next week. He reckons it will be just over 100 pounds, which isn't bad, as it is a French Car (where they usually do something odd like have to remove all the upholstery before you can change a belt).

    I read on another forum about someone's belt going on a similar model, and costing 12,000 quid !! I had one go on my Capri once, but fortunately it failed 'safe' rather than 'disastrous' like most seem to do.
  • thecharmingmanthecharmingman Posts: 1,080
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    is there a way of knowing if the cam belt has been changed? I have a ford puma, which i love.

    Cam belt is a known issue, car has only done like 40,000 miles (i just bought it.) Can i ask the garage to look at the cam belt and let me know if it needs changing, or can it not be seen "by eye"?
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