how often do i need to change a timing belt and water pump on my car? also, how much should it cost? should i have it done at the dealers or at a small mechanic shop if i chose to? which would be best? what are steps when having timing belt change?
Not knowing the car and the market you live in... $3-500 is a good guess... Call the dealer and price them,sometimes they are so experienced doing a job they will quote less then an independent repair shop... Usually not though. As your friends for a referral. Bob
every 60000 miles do not go to the dealer they will charge u up the a s s and i dont know what kind of car u have most car i do i get $ 175 $ 275 make sure u change the watwe pump at the same time
If it's Japanese, every 90,000 miles. If American, every 60,000 miles. Just recently changed belt and water pump on my Honda for $400 at an independent. Dealer is more expensive.
check the ads in a free paper like the LA weekly or SF guardian. they always seem to say when you should do it and what they charge. the water pump shouldnt be much extra (100?)since they are already doing the timing belt. call a mechanic you trust and ask them. If you do not have one then ask your friends who is good. the dealer will rip you off on price, it can easily cost double there would you rater pay someone inexperienced at the dealer $100 per hour or someone who has done it for 40 years $60 per hour and he does it faster anyways (so it costs less)(and they take pride in their work)(and they will replace other parts that need it for cheap and leave pieces that are still good because they know) The dealer might charge you for 6 hours because the book says that even if they only spend 4 doing it! a VERY rough guess would be 600+100 for water pump you do not need to replace timing belt very often. I am thinking 60,000 miles. look up in owners manual or shop manual for your car for replacement interval. good luck
The timing belt needs to be change according to the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. Lacking that knowledge, 60,000 miles is a safe interval. The water pump does not need to be changed unless if fails. It's not possible to quote a cost on changing either. Some are fairly quick and easy -- SOHC I-4s without the silent shafts can be as little as $150.00 for the timing belt, and about the same for the water pump. A bit less if both are changed at the same time, possibly. A more complex engine such as a DOHC 4 with silent shafts or a DOHC V-6 or V-8mcan be much more expensive -- several hundred $$$ or more because there may be multiple belts and getting the timing right is a chore. A few are downright nasty as the engine needs to be pulled to get enough room to work on them -- early Hyundai Sonatas were that way. Any competent mechanic can do the job, you don't normally need to go a dealer. That said, the dealer is likely to have factory trained staff and may be familiar with shortcuts and have any special tools needed. The exact procedure is specific to the individual engine. You need a service manual to get it right. Cam timing is hyper-critical. Mess that up and at best the engine won't run. At worst, you can destroy the engine if valves hit the pistons.
