I have been told by my local garage that to do a full belt and water pump change on a  fiesta ,1 ltr ecoboost, the front body work has to be removed. Is this correct  if so I can now see why it's a long job .

I wouldn't have thought it would, it's the front of the engine that has to be completely disassembled to change the blet, them taking off the front end won't give them better access

To get at the wet belts a lot of covers, under trays etc. have to be removed. It takes even a well experienced mechanic with all the specialist Ford tools about 10 hours to do the job properly. Many independent garages  will refuse to do the work given the many problems that can occur during and after the change.

I would get a quote from a couple of Ford main dealers and see if there is much of a saving to be made using an independent garage. Also remember when, sorry should have said 'if' your 1.0 ecoboost engine self destructs you have a better chance of getting Ford to make a contribution towards a new engine.

Have many people had this done to their 1.0 Ecoboost or has everyone traded in before?  My 2014 hasn't done the mileage (70 miles off 40k) but probably will keep it for another couple of years, so may have to get it done in 10 years age recommendation, so wondering if anyone had any problems after or was it good to go?

aot871 what have you been quoted for this from the local garage?

4 minutes ago, KCRobs said:

Have many people had this done to their 1.0 Ecoboost or has everyone traded in before?

Not quite sure I follow that question, all owners of 10 year old or 130,000 mile 1.0 ecoboost should have the wet belts changed.

As the car approaches "Belt Day" the value will drop rapidly. Currently Ford dealers are charging between £1200 and £1500 to replace the belts.

9 minutes ago, KCRobs said:

so wondering if anyone had any problems after or was it good to go?

If you just do a search of these forums for 1.0 ecoboost engines I think you will see that many people have issues during or after the wet belts are change especially if not done by a Ford dealer.

My own thoughts are the mileage and age are not very well considered. Are people expecting their car to reach 20 years or 260,000 miles ? If we say that most vehicles will end their lives at around 16 years and/or 150,000 miles then surely the sensible thing to do would be to change the wet belts at "Half Time" So a more realistic age would be 8 years or 75,000 miles. If the car does go on to live a bit more than 16 years then it should still be ok, and if it does fail at 17 plus years the owner could hardly complain.

I think he's not talking about the chain inside the engine, the timing belt is on the side made of rubber, that's a regular service done at 80k or more and isn't super hard to do. 

17 minutes ago, Lokaz said:

I think he's not talking about the chain inside the engine, the timing belt is on the side made of rubber, that's a regular service done at 80k or more and isn't super hard to do.

The 1.0 ecoboost engine does not have a timing chain, or a rubber belt on the outside of the engine. They use a rubber/synthetic belt inside the engine that runs in oil known as a Wet Belt. The 1.0 ecoboost has two wet belts, one to drive the oil pump and one is the timing belt.

And to add, it is right inside the engine,  it’s not as easy to change as the wet belt on a 1.8tdci. I’m not saying it’s easy to do on a 1.8tdci but the ecoboost is much much harder. 

originally these were designed to outlast the engine. the 10 year /150,000 miles change came later. i can see why some people will take the risk on the belt especially if its low mileage.

what is the cost of a complete 10 year service vs the value of the car? for most people that's the calculation there going to do at belt change time. 

22 hours ago, KCRobs said:

Have many people had this done to their 1.0 Ecoboost or has everyone traded in before?  My 2014 hasn't done the mileage (70 miles off 40k) but probably will keep it for another couple of years, so may have to get it done in 10 years age recommendation, so wondering if anyone had any problems after or was it good to go?

aot871 what have you been quoted for this from the local garage?

 

My local main dealer said  £1540approx  , I spoke to another one about 50 miles and the price was  the same

22 hours ago, unofix said:

Not quite sure I follow that question, all owners of 10 year old or 130,000 mile 1.0 ecoboost should have the wet belts changed.

As the car approaches "Belt Day" the value will drop rapidly. Currently Ford dealers are charging between £1200 and £1500 to replace the belts.

If you just do a search of these forums for 1.0 ecoboost engines I think you will see that many people have issues during or after the wet belts are change especially if not done by a Ford dealer.

My own thoughts are the mileage and age are not very well considered. Are people expecting their car to reach 20 years or 260,000 miles ? If we say that most vehicles will end their lives at around 16 years and/or 150,000 miles then surely the sensible thing to do would be to change the wet belts at "Half Time" So a more realistic age would be 8 years or 75,000 miles. If the car does go on to live a bit more than 16 years then it should still be ok, and if it does fail at 17 plus years the owner could hardly complain.

£1200-£1500? Are you kidding?That is nearly double what we pay here in Australia.Here it is around $1,500(£850).You lot are being seriously ripped off!

Dealership prices have shot up recently over here.  It would have been £800-£1000 about 3 years ago.

 

19 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Dealership prices have shot up recently over here.  It would have been £800-£1000 about 3 years ago.

 

That is one reason they are called ‘stealerships’!You would be better off finding an independent workshop that has changed these.If mine ever prematurely goes,it won’t be getting fixed.I doubt also I will ever change it.Only paid $10,000 for it.

It's probably cheaper in Australia because it's easier to work on the car upside down 🤣

12 hours ago, Hackney said:

That is one reason they are called ‘stealerships’!You would be better off finding an independent workshop that has changed these.If mine ever prematurely goes,it won’t be getting fixed.I doubt also I will ever change it.Only paid $10,000 for it.

Most indy's over here won't touch them due to their reputation.  As with yours, I doubt the majority will ever be changed.  By 10 years old it's just not worth the cost.

Can't see me changing mine. As it was originally a lifetime part the risk of failure is probably low if given correct oil on time and never exposed to engine flushes or similar  add to that the cost of the full 10 year service is probably beyond economic value I dought few will bother. What value will a new belt add to a 10+ year old fiesta?

42 minutes ago, cjay1 said:

What value will a new belt add to a 10+ year old fiesta?

None.  But it's not about value.  It's about the peace of mind that it won't leave you stranded.  Personally I can't afford to take that risk and wouldn't drive a car with an overdue belt nowadays.  But for most people it'd just be a minor inconvenience if the belt did fail on a low value old car...they'd eventually get towed home and either drop a used engine in or just buy another old car.

What's the cost of a 10 Yr service compared to the belt snapping .A major service in a main dealer is approx £300, my 8 Yr old  fiesta  is just coming  up to 40k but with the amount of miles I do nowadays won't get to 50k by the 10 Yr mark, so for me it's worth replacing.

6 minutes ago, aot871 said:

What's the cost of a 10 Yr service compared to the belt snapping? .A major service in a main dealer is approx £300, my 8 Yr old  fiesta  is just coming  up to 40k but with the amount of miles I do nowadays won't get to 50k by the 10 Yr mark, so for me it's worth replacing.

 

43 minutes ago, aot871 said:

What's the cost of a 10 Yr service compared to the belt snapping .A major service in a main dealer is approx £300, my 8 Yr old  fiesta  is just coming  up to 40k but with the amount of miles I do nowadays won't get to 50k by the 10 Yr mark, so for me it's worth replacing.

10 year service isn't a major on the older (yearly interval) 1.0EB.  Spark plugs & air filter are every 3 years. 

However, once you add £50 for MOT, £50 for brake fluid, and £150 for a pair of tyres, the costs can quickly add up to more than half the value of the car spent on consumables in a 12 month period.  And that's assuming nothing like clutch or gearbox fails around the 10-15 year mark.  Obviously depends on everyone's individual circumstances, but I really do think it needs some careful consideration for most people.

54 minutes ago, aot871 said:

What's the cost of a 10 Yr service compared to the belt snapping .A major service in a main dealer is approx £300, my 8 Yr old  fiesta  is just coming  up to 40k but with the amount of miles I do nowadays won't get to 50k by the 10 Yr mark, so for me it's worth replacing.

It's not just the mileage, the belt has a lifespan of 10 years or 150k, so regardless of if the vehicle doesn't get to that mileage by 10 years, the belt will still need replacing, this is due to the rubber just dry rotting by 10 years, same as tyres

Although looking at 2013 prices it could be economically viable to replace.

A quick search returned 9 year old fiesta at 6k-10k although slicker price isn't price paid in many cases 

Used prices look higher than I remember them. Temporary due to chip shortage or part of a new trend? 

I've got till 2025 to think about it at that point it will be at 30k miles on current driving. Amazing how many miles are saved with my now very minimal commuting. 

Would a oil bathed wet belt rot? It was originally designed to last life of engine Hense why it's was designed not to be changed and why it's so difficult to do so. Any body know when shorter interval was introduced?

3 minutes ago, cjay1 said:

Although looking at 2013 prices it could be economically viable to replace.

A quick search returned 9 year old fiesta at 6k-10k although slicker price isn't price paid in many cases 

Used prices look higher than I remember them. Temporary due to chip shortage or part of a new trend? 

I've got till 2025 to think about it at that point it will be at 30k miles on current driving. Amazing how many miles are saved with my now very minimal commuting. 

Would a oil bathed wet belt rot? It was originally designed to last life of engine Hense why it's was designed not to be changed and why it's so difficult to do so. Any body know when shorter interval was introduced?

A wet belt will still rot, just coz rubber is bathed in oil, doesn't stop the plastisizer from falling out of the belt making it go brittle, the reason ford introduced the shorter service intervals were because they were seeing them snap. It's the same way 10 year old rubber gaskets can suddenly start weeping

2 minutes ago, cjay1 said:

Would a oil bathed wet belt rot? 

Yes.  This is what kills most of them...short journeys stopping moisture getting driven out of the oil.  Add an engine flush to speed up that process if you wish!  

As for used prices, they've been high for the last couple of years due to parts & materials shortages as well as Covid forcing factory closures and limited new car builds.  I suspect the Ukraine conflict will keep prices high for another year or more now, but it won't last forever!