Cam Belt Renewal - Why Didn't They Make A Mark..

[Sandy - West Cornwall]

Having got my 4.1 with 150k on the odometer and no service record or markings of a replacement cam belt being fitted since 63k, my local garage has stripped down the engine to replace the cam belt and found the belt is probably only done 5 - 10k miles old, based on the cleanliness of the belt and clarity of the markings.

So my moan is why didn't the previous owner's garage make a mark, leave a sticker or even put it in the service record book. It would have saved me a £100 for the cam belt + the labour........ and probably looked even better on the sales particulars.

I bought the car through a garage (trade-in bargins!!!!), I have yet to get the V5C with previous owners name etc...

Sandy in West Cornwall

[bothwell_buyer]

Having got my 4.1 with 150k on the odometer and no service record or markings of a replacement cam belt being fitted since 63k, my local garage has stripped down the engine to replace the cam belt and found the belt is probably only done 5 - 10k miles old, based on the cleanliness of the belt and clarity of the markings.

So my moan is why didn't the previous owner's garage make a mark, leave a sticker or even put it in the service record book. It would have saved me a £100 for the cam belt + the labour........ and probably looked even better on the sales particulars.

I bought the car through a garage (trade-in bargins!!!!), I have yet to get the V5C with previous owners name etc...

Sandy in West Cornwall

always better safe than sorry. a broken belt may have cost a few hundred.... for info a used 3SFE engine will cost you only about £300 + fitting

[anchorman]

An understandable moan but it is a very brave mechanic who tries to age a belt by how clean it is. I did one recently on a Suzuki Swift and I know for a fact it hadn't been done because the owner had it from new. It was absolutely mint inside that cove - everything, the alumininium parts of the engine were shiney bright and plastic and rubber shone like a new pin. I defy anyone who looked in there and not at the rest of the car not to think they were looking at something less than 12 months old when in fact it was R registered!

As bothy says, better safe than sorry and as this engine is classed as "interference", i.e. it would wreck if the belt broke it would be very brave to guestimate the age.

I'd rather pay £100 and know than nothing and wonder. Don't feel so bad.

[Sandy - West Cornwall]

I have paid, because once the engine has been stripped down to replace the cam belt, there's hardly any difference in labour costs to put on the new belt. I agree, unless one has 100% certainty of the age/mileage, replace. An engine may well be £300 +, but the cost of having a garage to change it all over will be more than I paid for the Rav4.1. West Cornwall has a lot of older cars running around, they tend to cascade down this way.

I can't comment on the garage's ability to tell how old the belt is from appearance, but for the last 10 years we have had satisfactory service from the garage.

It would have been money I could have spent elsewhere though in the short term.... and here we go '..being a pensioner...'.

My mechanics are pre-WW2 classics, side valves, so lifting the bonnet of a modern is not in my comfort zone.

But so far the Rav4.1 looks a very good vehicle and once the tow bar is fitted - there is a problem with the 2 nearside bolts, they have twisted/sheared or whatever the captive threads (the bolts rotate but go nowhere) - then I can start to tow Austin 7's around.

Sandy