How Much £££ For A Cambelt Change At A Garage

[pugbliss 0]

Hi all

 

Cambelt is in need of being changed as its got 65 thou miles on since last time ...oups!!!!

 

Am i looking at a small fortune to change it or is it relativly cheap to get it done at a garage??????? I ask cos last time is got done with an mot.

 

cheers

[Doof 11]

Gotta wonder if its worth it with an 8v. i wouldnt bother, if i snaps then buy a new engine for 100 quid or so!

[Baz 421]

Cambelt, tensionner and water pump, £75 - £150 +Parts depending on who you get to do it really.

[pugbliss 0]

Doof why the hell would i just wait for the belt to snap and replace the motor???

 

BAZ...do i have to replace the waterpump and tesionner?????

[Baz 421]

Doof why the hell would i just wait for the belt to snap and replace the motor???

 

BAZ...do i have to replace the waterpump and tesionner?????

 

I think Doof means because 8v engine's are so easy to get hold of and replace that you may aswell just do it that way! Depends on how much you value your car being original or low milage etc etc.

 

You don't have to replace the tensioner & water pump, but it makes alot of sense while you're there, uneconomical not to really, tensioner's can fail, and the water pump too, and as it's driven by the belt then may aswell do it.

[jeremy 68]

Changing the cambelt can be awkward, and chaging the water pump and tension is not essential. The belt from Eurocarparts cost me less tha £10 six months ago. Personally I think anyone with an attidude of oh just wait for it to snap is rather stupid (sorry Doof) as it may go when you least expect it, and all for the cost of £10 in parts and a few fiddly hours for the complete novice.

[sherly 0]

I recently bought a belt/tensioner kit and a waterpump from unipart and it came to £80 (for a CAT engine though). I had the luxury of the engine being out of the car when I came to fit it

 

I have fitted a new belt with the engine in situ and it's not that bad a job - honest.

 

On a side note - it might be worth dropping westy a PM. He sent me all the above bits as we thought they may be correct for my car. They weren't correct so I've posted them back to him. I'm sure he still wants to sell them though.......

 

Mart

Edited June 13, 2007 by sherly

[Alastairh 47]

Got to agree in some ways, but thats only because im handy with a spanner.

 

I think what Doof was trying to say, its only an 8 valve, I got a 1.6 the other day for lass than a big mac meal But having one snap on me when picking the mrs after a night out with the girls at 2am isn't what id call funny And doing a cambelt is alot less agro then swapping engines

 

But yeah, £30 for the pump and roughly the same for the tensioner and belt.

 

As to only just doing the belt, well the game sods law always happens. I've cost cutted before and just done the belt and tensioner, got 1500 miles down the road and the water pump gasket has given up So do it properly first time

 

I think its down in the book for 3 hours to do the work, but people with practice, like Miles etc can probalby do it in half that

[pug_ham 242 3 Cars]

Autodata states 3.2 hours for a cambelt & tensioner so if you price the fact that the cooling system will need draining/ refilling & bleeding etc to do the water pump then the time will be at least five hours imo so it depends on the hourly rate for the garage you choose.

 

I've done just a belt in just over an hour but that was with the top cover already removed after spraying a new belt with brake fluid when the cap for the pressure bleeder popped off the reservoir.

 

I could possibly squeeze a belt change in during the next week if you choose just to do the belt. PM me if your interested.

 

Graham.

[DaveK 0]

for a local garage your prob gonna pay about £100

 

preventative maintenace is aye better

[DirtyFlare 0]

i just done mine on the weekend, wasnt too hard and you get a great sense of achievement when the car starts, moves and doesnt blow up with the new belt on

[ashlee205gti 1]

Euro Car Parts quoted me £19 for the water pump and £12 for the cam belt. Not *too* difficult to do either, just need a bit of patience and thin wrists.

[steve@cornwall 100]

How do you guys get the right tension on the belt? I was always told that a badly tensioned belt is as likely to break than a worn one, or is this B@11@cks?

[brianthemagical 1]

on the spring tension ones you release the spring then tighten the bolts, i hope.

Edited June 13, 2007 by brianthemagical

[Mikey S 29 1 Cars]

How do you guys get the right tension on the belt? I was always told that a badly tensioned belt is as likely to break than a worn one, or is this B@11@cks?

 

early gti tensioners are on a spring so they auto tension so to speak. i usually go for 90 degrees of deflection down the longest run of the belt as an indication that the tension is ok, but i have done loads over the years so you get used to what is too tight or too loose.

 

an over tensioned belt will whine and eventually rip the teeth from the belt. an under tensioned belt will flap around a probably jump a tooth.

[Bonzai 2]

£100+VAT at peugeot dealer 3 years ago for my old 8v. but they are seriously tough old engines, i wouldnt sweat about it too much.

[Guest kuipers23]

I just had mine changed on saturday.

 

Best to get the belt and full kit.

 

It cost me £140 without the VAT.

 

Even though it took my mechanic ages he didn't charge me for the extra work.

 

I feel much better now its done.

[inferno 1]

£100 Plus the belt, water pump* and tensioner* if you brought it to the garage i work at.

 

*would check if these need replacing, personally i would replace them every time on my gti, around £60 including the belt.