Timing Belt - Focus 2008

[karld39]

Hi,

My focus has done 54k i was just wondering what the recommended mileage for a timing belt change was? the car averaged 22k miles a year for the first 2 years before i got it. I have been looking around and from what i can see people are saying around 100k is a good time but most mechanics recommend sooner. Visually the belt looks fine, What is a good price for getting this done ?.

Thanks

[pid]

See my post pal under 'timing belt - am I being mugged'

[LiamZetec]

Read the owners manual if you have one - this will be 100% correct, you will hear different things from different garages but if you have got the manual this will tell you the correct time to change it. On the Zetec engines it is every 100,000 miles or every 10 years OR whichever one comes first.

Liam

[stef123]

Read the owners manual if you have one - this will be 100% correct, you will hear different things from different garages but if you have got the manual this will tell you the correct time to change it. On the Zetec engines it is every 100,000 miles or every 10 years OR whichever one comes first.

Liam

maybe that is 'correct' but there is nothing saying that the belt wont snap before that.

although an older car, i had mine done at 60k and 8years. no one in the right mind wants to risk their engine for the sake of a few notes surely. i have done 40k miles since having the belt changed - i will be having it done again in 20k miles if i still have the car

usually timing belts look ok until the day they snap. even if it looks ok there is no gaurantee that it is going to last.

[LiamZetec]

maybe that is 'correct' but there is nothing saying that the belt wont snap before that.

although an older car, i had mine done at 60k and 8years. no one in the right mind wants to risk their engine for the sake of a few notes surely. i have done 40k miles since having the belt changed - i will be having it done again in 20k miles if i still have the car

usually timing belts look ok until the day they snap. even if it looks ok there is no gaurantee that it is going to last.

Agreed, it is difficult to tell the condition of the belt. A lot of the time as well it has been said that the tensioners can fail before the belts snap as well. To the OP, if you do have a timing belt change carried out then make sure that you purchase a genuine Ford timing belt kit or get the garage to order it as this will include the tensioner as well as the belt.

Liam

[catch]

Fords Servicing Schedule states it's 100K or eight years which ever comes first on a Mk2 Focus.

Now whatever figure is mentioned by a manufacture, some mechanics say it's safer to do it sooner. Now they could be being totally honest in their "opinion" Or they could just be touting for trade, after all fixing stuff on cars is how they make their living.

Now whilst the "changing sooner is safer" argument is hard to dispute. One has to consider that manufactures would have built in a wide margin of safety to cover themselves. I would say that that margin would be in the order of 25%...... say another 2 years or 25K.

The service Schedule states on diesels, the Diesel Particulate Filters should be renewed every 6th year or 75K. Yet we hear of people getting 100K out of them [+33%]before they fail....that's the margin of safety principle in action.

Me, for the arguments I've put forward above, I'm quite happy to follow the manufactures servicing schedule.

If your looking to have the job do, I reckon you should be looking at paying £250 from a main dealer. Fords will have costed it out in time need to accomplish the job. So in that sense it's all down to hourly rates charged per garage....there is nothing wrong with telling them you have been quoted cheaper if they try and stuff you.........work does not grow on trees, in fact they may have mechanics with little else to do than sweep up.

[catch]

although an older car, i had mine done at 60k and 8years.

What have you got a Mk1 or Mk2 ? But lets assume the servicing schedule is the same for either car. In that case you had it change as per Fords schedule. Yet are considering ignoring the schedule next time it's changed Well I suppose it's what your comfortable with that enables you to sleep at nights.....and there is nothing wrong with that. And it is your money after all. ;)

[stef123]

What have you got a Mk1 or Mk2 ? But lets assume the servicing schedule is the same for either car. In that case you had it change as per Fords schedule. Yet are considering ignoring the schedule next time it's changed Well I suppose it's what your comfortable with that enables you to sleep at nights.....and there is nothing wrong with that. And it is your money after all. ;)

its a mk1. i have never trusted any schedule for timing belts, look at renaults for example(i had previously) most of them are 72k or 5 years and how many of them snap in a day well before its due?

i have a few mates in the trade, a few of which have been in it for a long time and none of them recommend leaving the belt until the scheduled time. each to their own but i am comfortable knowing that my belts are changed well within the specified limit.

im probably 'wasting' alot of the belt/tensioners life span but really for me, i like peace of mind :)

cheers

stef

[pid]

My mk1 had the timing belt changed Wednesday just gone 119 miles on it and no sign of it being changed on the papers, after the garage changed it there was a hole about the size of a 5p in it and many places where the groves we're missing, as with the aux belt. Worth getting it done before the "due time" if the money is there.

[karld39]

Thanks for the replies guys, I have the 3 year service due in feburary so i think i will have it checked over as it will be more like 60k then.

[LiamZetec]

I've actually just found out by the garage where my car was serviced when the previous owners had it, that the timing belt on my Focus has actually not been done at all! (I imagine that was the only garage the previous owner took the car to as it was MOT & serviced there every year for 4 years and the garage told me they are good friends with the previous owner too)

I'm actually worried about driving my Focus now as it's on 115K and the timing belt is overdue by 15K miles! :o

Liam

[catch]

I've actually just found out by the garage where my car was serviced when the previous owners had it, that the timing belt on my Focus has actually not been done at all! (I imagine that was the only garage the previous owner took the car to as it was MOT & serviced there every year for 4 years and the garage told me they are good friends with the previous owner too)

Come on Liam, if you where plaining on selling a car, I doubt you would say to yourself..........hmmm I must chuck another £250 at it before I PX it.

It's the old story, if your looking to buy a motor with circa 100k on the clock. Unless there is documented evidence to support the fact the cam /auxiliary belts have been replaced. Make an offer on the asking price that reflects that fact.

I'm actually worried about driving my Focus now as it's on 115K and the timing belt is overdue by 15K miles! :o

Lucky for you that Ford built in that margin of real world life expectancy. :)

[LiamZetec]

Come on Liam, if you where plaining on selling a car, I doubt you would say to yourself..........hmmm I must chuck another £250 at it before I PX it.

It's the old story, if your looking to buy a motor with circa 100k on the clock. Unless there is documented evidence to support the fact the cam /auxiliary belts have been replaced. Make an offer on the asking price that reflects that fact.

Lucky for you that Ford built in that margin of real world life expectancy. :)

No - when I first went enquired about the car, the guy I got it off gave me the phone number to the garage where the car had been serviced at for 4 years to enquire what servicing & other things had been carried out on the car (and yes, it is a genuine garage as I did google it) and the bloke at the garage informed me that according to their records, besides a hell of a lot of other maintenance work carried out the car had the timing belt & tensioner done in 2009 when the car was on 92K (the last service stamp in the book before I got the car). When speaking to a mechanic friend last week about the engine vibration I have got with the car he suggested that the timing may be slighty out and to get it checked out. I decided to give the garage a ring again this morning and I spoke to the same guy again - where he confirmed that the car actually had the aux belt & tensioner belt changed back in 2009 all along, and not the timing belt and he got the 2 belt names mixed up before.

But you are right - I have already got a few receipts of work carried out on the car previously and most garages these days do keep records but the next time I will make sure that when looking for a car, it has got documented work of having the timing belt and anything else important done. I suppose this is my lesson learned!

Liam

[catch]

So before you buy it, the garage owner consults his records and says the cam belt has been done in 2009 @92K

After you buy it, same guy tells you it has not been done, he changed the Auxiliary belt at 92k and ignored the cam belt....he got his belts mixed up...........No what actually happened was he intentionally lied to you from the off......what a prat.

Makes me sick it does, that's for all intent and purpose, like lifting £250 from your wallet Liam.

This tale should be a salutatory lesson to all who read it. When a cam belt renewal is done it is actually written up in the service log book, under the section Repairs and Renewals, and supported with a receipt to prove it. If not then consider it's not been done, I mean why would somebody have such an important job done on their car, and not record the fact and keep proof of same.

We've all been there ....living and learning trust me.

[LiamZetec]

So before you buy it, the garage owner consults his records and says the cam belt has been done in 2009 @92K

After you buy it, same guy tells you it has not been done, he changed the Auxiliary belt at 92k and ignored the cam belt....he got his belts mixed up...........No what actually happened was he intentionally lied to you from the off......what a prat.

Makes me sick it does, that's for all intent and purpose, like lifting £250 from your wallet Liam.

This tale should be a salutatory lesson to all who read it. When a cam belt renewal is done it is actually written up in the service log book, under the section Repairs and Renewals, and supported with a receipt to prove it. If not then consider it's not been done, I mean why would somebody have such an important job done on their car, and not record the fact and keep proof of same.

We've all been there ....living and learning trust me.

It's made me angry as well, now I'm going to have to Shell out £200 somehow.

But what I don't understand is, why would the guy at the garage intentionally lie for at the very beginning?? I mean I didn't buy the car from them, I got the car from a trader who got the car directly from Ford (turns out the previous owner PX'd it at this Ford, and the trader got it from them) and the trader doesn't know this garage at all and he just gave me the garage's number from the service history stamps to enquire what had been done. When I first rang the garage enquiring about the work carried out on the car, I didn't even mention the timing belt I only asked what had been carried out on the car in the last 4 years and besides the other maintenance work, he mentioned the timing belt & tensioner just like everything else.

Liam

[gary29428]

Just wondered, I have a 08 mk2 focus 1.8tdci. If the service manual says 100k for a timing belt change, what happens if it goes at 60k. Is the manufacturer liable.