Timing Belt Interval

[InKontrol]

I was looking at Etis earlier and it says the timing belt and pulleys should be changed every 125,000 or 10 years. That's a joke right? Do Ford really expect belts to last that long...? My car is about 5000 miles off the 50,000 mile mark at just over 2.6 years old, so do you reckon I should get it changed at the 50,000 mile service?

[Storm16]

mine were done at 120,000 wont leave it that long next time, I do allot of miles... unsure if different on yours james

[artscot79]

all hire companies etc recommend 6 years or 60k miles the tensioners are known to fail taking out the belt given some on here have went at far less than what ford state i would do it at 60k miles with a full kit at ford which is belt tensioners and all associated bolts that need replaced independants can do it but i know that some bolts that should be replaced arent mine was done at 68k and the tensioner was already showing heavy wear

[InKontrol]

all hire companies etc recommend 6 years or 60k miles the tensioners are known to fail taking out the belt given some on here have went at far less than what ford state i would do it at 60k miles with a full kit at ford which is belt tensioners and all associated bolts that need replaced independants can do it but i know that some bolts that should be replaced arent mine was done at 68k and the tensioner was already showing heavy wear

Thanks, I'll go for the magic figure of 60,000 so basically half of what Ford recommends. How much did it cost to get yours done at a Ford dealer? I'll take it to a Ford dealer because it's a critical engine part, and I don't like people cutting corners on jobs! :)

[Vendee]

Thanks, I'll go for the magic figure of 60,000 so basically half of what Ford recommends. How much did it cost to get yours done at a Ford dealer? I'll take it to a Ford dealer because it's a critical engine part, and I don't like people cutting corners on jobs! :)

Well that's obviously your call but I think its too cautious. Mine was also due at 125k miles but I had it changed at 110k miles. Your comment about cutting corners is rather unfair on thousands of independent garages who do an equally good job as Ford (sometimes better) and at a fraction of the cost. Don't think because its a Ford dealer, you are guaranteed a superior service. They are just franchised garages and you are just as likely to find a cowboy there as at a trusted independent.

The only proviso about using an independent is that you specify the brand of belt kit you want fitted. I always specify genuine Ford or Gates (Gates makes timing belts for Ford).

[artscot79]

my statement is based on the many posts on this forum of belts snapping before 80k 90k and 100k well below what ford state also only the belt is gauranteed for the mileage not the tensioner which is what often fails there are many good indy garages out there there also are some bad ones some on here who used indys had issues with ford regardless they gaurantee the belt indys do not its a nightmare should something go wrong to prove the indy was at fault so its safer with a critical part like that to have a dealer do it for you but thats an individuals choice the full kit and labour was £250-280 including aux belt but thats here in scotland from what ive read its dearer down south based on prices others have put up. over cautios i wouldnt say so ide do it at 60k its way cheaper than a new engine and its happened quite a few times as posts on here have proven

[Vendee]

Yes, now and again belts do fail early but that happened more often some 10 years ago, particularly on Zetec E engines where the tensioner would fail. I'm assuming that the OP has a TDCi (given the stated 125k interval) and I haven't heard too many tales of failures at 80k. I always change my belts 10% early and I've not had a failure in almost 40 years.

Your consumer rights are exactly the same with a belt change at an independent as it is at a Ford franchise. I suspect you have never experienced a Ford dealer trying to wriggle out of making good on a bodged job. I know I have. To say that it is safer to have a Ford dealer carry out work is just not true.

You mentioned that hire companies recommend 60k/6 year belt interval. I've never, ever, driven a 6 year old hire car. Most hire companies will sell the car before the first or second service and they certainly won't undertake a £300 maintenance task some 60k miles early.

[artscot79]

having been in the trade i can assure yoiu there are hire companies who change the belts at 60k not 6 years a hire company can achieve that quickly an indy can simply argue they did they job ask an indy if they gaurantee the belt for 100k they say no ford however do so if the belt fails they fix and were not talking about 10 years ago over the last few years there have been a few posts on here for belts failing early on the mk1 and mk2 models of focus thats a few here look at the other ford forums youll find more and more thge last person who stated that had there belt fail by all means do what you wish if you want honest advice from forum members who over a long period have seen the other posts i say a few hundred pound early is better than 2000 later on it may or may not happen early but is it worth the risk no the tensioner is not gauranteed by ford ask them the belt is tensioner is not and since its almost always a failed tensioner that takes out the belt its not worth the risk in my opinion its safer to have ford do it as another recent post shows some indys just dont have the tool hence the forum member had a faulty timed car he didnt have the proper locking tool indys dont they use the old tipex marking trick which doesnt work on modern cars and indys will not invest in every locking tool for every make of car

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/30805-timing-belt-broke-repair-scrap/

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18281202

http://www.talkford.com/topic/90584-broken-cambelt/

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/5681-timing-belt-intervals/

ford say The reconmended change for a timing belt for a Focus Petrol is 100,000 miles or 10 years whichever is the earliest conti tech say

FOCUS
1.4 16V, 1.6 16V, 1.8 16V, 1.8 D 10/98 - 11/04
FXD, FYD, EYD, EDD, C9D, F9D 100000 mi / 10 yrs

FOCUSII 1.6, 1.6 Ti 11/0 HWDA, HWDB, HXDA, SHDA 100000 mi / 8 yrs

the ti vct is a petrol and is not recommended to be 10 years

[Rtsbasic]

My MK1 I had the belt/tensioner changed at 101k, and that felt like I was probably pushing my luck. Even if you change every 60k - 80k, that's a maximum of 2-3 changes in the full life of the vehicle. Worth the peace of mind I think.

[Vendee]

having been in the trade i can assure yoiu there are hire companies who change the belts at 60k not 6 years a hire company can achieve that quickly an indy can simply argue they did they job ask an indy if they gaurantee the belt for 100k they say no ford however do so if the belt fails they fix and were not talking about 10 years ago over the last few years there have been a few posts on here for belts failing early on the mk1 and mk2 models of focus thats a few here look at the other ford forums youll find more and more thge last person who stated that had there belt fail by all means do what you wish if you want honest advice from forum members who over a long period have seen the other posts i say a few hundred pound early is better than 2000 later on it may or may not happen early but is it worth the risk no the tensioner is not gauranteed by ford ask them the belt is tensioner is not and since its almost always a failed tensioner that takes out the belt its not worth the risk in my opinion its safer to have ford do it as another recent post shows some indys just dont have the tool hence the forum member had a faulty timed car he didnt have the proper locking tool indys dont they use the old tipex marking trick which doesnt work on modern cars and indys will not invest in every locking tool for every make of car

It was you, not me that suggested hire companies change belts at 6 years.

If Ford guarantee the belt, why change the original (Ford fitted) belt at half the recommended interval?

The Mk1 Focus was launched in late 1998 (I had one of the first ones). I make that 15 years. The 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec E engines did sometimes have tensioner failure problems but as I said, I think the OP has a more recent TDCi and they do not suffer cambelt failures to the same extent as the petrol Zetec engines of 10-15 years ago so its wrong to base your argument on the weaknesses of an older generation engine.

As for indy garages not having the correct tools? I'm sure there will be a few that will try and bodge it but most decent indys will have the correct tooling for Fords, Vauxhalls etc.

Arthur, any chance of throwing a few full stops or comma's into your posts as I find them hard to read. I'm not trying to be funny and no offense is intended B)

[Vendee]

My MK1 I had the belt/tensioner changed at 101k, and that felt like I was probably pushing my luck. Even if you change every 60k - 80k, that's a maximum of 2-3 changes in the full life of the vehicle. Worth the peace of mind I think.

That certainly was pushing your luck.

Mine current Focus was due at 125k and I had it done at 110k. I'm currently at 127k and I don't anticipate changing it again. It will be due at 235k and as much as I love my car, I don't think it was make it that far.

[artscot79]

sorry im bad for not putting full stops etc in usually limited time on the forum these days so its as fast as i can type lol

you never know you may have the first ford to hit that mark lol 235k theres a volvo p40 i saw thats done over 1 million miles on the same engine

[Vendee]

sorry im bad for not putting full stops etc in usually limited time on the forum these days so its as fast as i can type lol

you never know you may have the first ford to hit that mark lol 235k theres a volvo p40 i saw thats done over 1 million miles on the same engine

No problem Arthur. I was just worried about misquoting you.

I'm dreading getting rid of my current Focus because I've had it 8 years and love it but I'm doing around 20k a year and although its been totally reliable, there will come a time when things will start going wrong and I'll have to get rid of it. I hope to get another 3 years out of it though. I'm still on the original clutch so I'm worried about that when it goes.

[Storm16]

well my 2008 tdci is on 175k and going strong... I do a lot of miles each year trying to get to 200k before I change..lol

[Rtsbasic]

That certainly was pushing your luck.

Mine current Focus was due at 125k and I had it done at 110k. I'm currently at 127k and I don't anticipate changing it again. It will be due at 235k and as much as I love my car, I don't think it was make it that far.

Tell me about it :) I brought the car for a whistle and a song at 100k because it hadn't been done. That was about 6 years ago. Got 5 good years of use out of her before trading in at 152k.

A taxi driver friend had a mk1 estate tddi (I think, the early diesel version). When he traded it in, it was over 230k on the clock

[artscot79]

the engines are good enough to do the miles its just the rust that gets you then fords rear suspension set up with 40 bushes can get expensive ,my old mk1 never had a new clutch my mk2 had one at 68k as the slave cylider failed otherwise the guy said there was plenty of meat left on it .

cars always costing something its like having two wives except one shuts up when you tell it goes where you want rarely grumbles and is a stress free ride lol

[InKontrol]

I ended up at the Arnold Clark dealer today due to my engine going in to limp mode. While I was there I asked my neighbour who deals with warranties there about the belt and, he mentioned that it wouldn't harm changing it early, however over the years the Focus timing belt failure is minimal. He also said that if Ford have put such an interval on the belt and if it were to break before it's due to be changed, then I could technically have a valid claim because the part would not have lasted as long as stated in the handbook. Either way I'll probably err on the side of caution anyway and get it changed at around the 90-100,000 mile mark.

[Mr Singh]

volvo p40 i saw thats done over 1 million miles on the same engine

Volvo P1800 with 3 MILLION miles on the clock

http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/21/man-74-drives-volvo-three-million-miles-into-record-books-4061538/

[artscot79]

there in lies the issue its not the belt that fails but the tensioner which in turn takes out the belt hence no claim can be made

[Focusfan88]

Recommended interval for for the mk1 1.6 zetec se engines (badged on rocker cover as "zetec s") is 100,000, but mine is coming up to 14 years old, has just over 130,000 miles on it, still on original belt and it's still holding on! And it's the heavier estate auto! Just bought the belt kit and coolant pump today tho, so will be fitting them as soon as I have a few hours spare :)