Hi all. I’m so shocked about the fiesta wet belt needing to be changed. It’s literally half of the cars value. My question is if I did have the wet belt changed realistically how long will a new belt last? If it should be 7-8 years then I think it might be worth it, but if it’s 60,000 miles then I don’t think it is.

If you change the oil, using the correct oil, every 12,000 miles or less, then it should last as long as the original one has

Confusingly, your profile still shows 2015 but I think you now have a 2018 (68 plate)? So still time to consider what to do.

Realistically a belt change will cost from around £1,000 at a good independent, up to £1,800 or more at a Ford main dealer though prices vary.

With the difference between trade-in and retail prices the "cost to change" to a different car even if only the same age could easily equal or exceed that.

I think we went through various options in your earlier thread:

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/166948-does-my-feista-have-a-wet-belt/#comment-1153030

Hi. Thank you both for replying, I haven’t used this forum for years so I didn’t know my 2015 car showed. I now have a 68 plate fiesta

My question in this thread was really how long the new wet belt would/should last (in mileage or years) if I did keep the car. I understand from the other thread that it now needs replacing but I’m still unsure if it is actually worth it and if it might just fail with no notice causing the car to be written off (even if I do have it serviced and MOT every year)

I’m shocked Ford were allowed to get away with this. And it’s only because when I took it for a service they warned me. Car has 55,000 miles

The official replacement interval is 10 years, but particularly if you're aiming to keep the car longer term a year or two early is good idea. A friend of mine had his replaced at 9 years and 2 years later the car is running fine. As Dave has already said, correctly replaced belts should have the same life as original particularly if the car is serviced annually as yours apparently is.

The belt replacement is a normal service action, and your servicing garage has advised you of it in good time. Many other cars have "dry" belts which need replacement every 4/5 years at costs of up to £500 or more, so overall cost over a 10-12 year period could be similar.

All cam drives whether wet belt, dry belt or chain have a finite life like any other component and require replacement at some point, so I wouldn't say Ford are getting away with something in that respect.

Where there has been an issue is with belts that have failed prematurely (and in relation to numbers of these engines sold, it is a small percentage) and Ford's response to those (or rather lack of it until recently).

Provided your car meets the criteria in respect of servicing, it should fall under Ford's extended goodwill scheme (below) up to 10 years old.