Cambelt cost…
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The previous owner(s) of my car are total jerks… :( doesn't look like they maintained it very well :?
So how much do you guys think a cambelt change is gonna cost? My car makes a squealing noise when I start it up, like as if something is rubbing at high speed. It stops after a few seconds. So I'm guessing either a worn cambelt or cambelt tensioner seizing up...
Gonna go take it to the mechanics and have them look at it but wanna be prepared for the worst...
So how much for a cambelt kit change do you think?
PS I've got the door and bonnet on its way so will finally put up my first car pics in the coming week! :)
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If your car is squealing on start-up its probably loose alternator belt, either adjust with tension bolt or replace if worn, if you have no history then best to replace cambelt, DJ was offering cambelt changes for a reasonable price, have a look on probestore for full cambelt kit and best to ask around local garages to fit I guess
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Thanks mx3gulf! I hope its just a loose alternator belt, they're a lot cheaper (or weren't very expensive on my 100NX anyway lol)
You dont suppose a cam belt could survive nearly 120k miles without replacing do you?
I'll get it checked anyway. Halfords Autocentres do a free cambelt check but I dont trust them… Back on my 100NX, they told me I needed to replace the timing belt cos it was about to snap. I asked them, "Are you sure? You're telling me I need to replace a timing belt on a car that's driven by a timing chain??"
You can guess at the awkwardness of the rest of the conversation lol
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@f5f11a6431=nikeah:
You dont suppose a cam belt could survive nearly 120k miles without replacing do you?
**Honestly? Yes. 60k is a distance (and 6 years an age) that Mazda know the car's belt will survive.
120k is pushing it - a lot - so get it changed. I have a How To guide on doing the cambelt and I think all in it'll cost you £150 in bits from FordProbeStore (including the £90 hydraulic tensioner, which is an optional replacement but which is almost guaranteed to fail).
It's a non-interference engine (either of them), so if it does burst it'll cost you no more save the towing home fee…**
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Heya, If you can get the car to southampton for a day on a weekend a cambelt change with me is £130 labour plus parts unless you bring your own.
When you do get the cambelt also get the cambelt tensioner and a new waterpump at the same time, then its all done in one job and it wont cost the same as another cambelt to do it all again if one of the others fails its the same job to them so do it all in one go and you will not have to worry about it again and it also gives you a better resale value when it comes to sell it.
Most garages will charge you from £300-450 for that job but I get massive discount for any MX-3 owners now :wink:
If you do want it done, just PM me and we can sort out a day to do it, once its booked you need to be here in southampton for 8am SHARP !!!
Its about 4-6hour job to get it all done properly.If you get squealing on start up that is usually the drive belts ( fan belt), they are very easy to do yourself you just need to jack the car up and remove the front drivers side wheel and they are there in front of you.
If you want to have a go yourself, just ask we will point you in the right direction :wink:
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yeah i would be supprised if ANY car could make it to 120k without a cambelt change. chances are it was changed at about 60k and is due for replacaement about now so i would get it done asap mate.
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why are all the good stuff so far down south :(
Sorry DJ, its a 300mile round trip for me… I'll check with a local mechanic. But thanks for the offer!
I'll definitely have the whole thing changed though. I wanna take care of my MX3 (unlike the jerk previous owners :P )
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Or North - I used to live in Ely and now I'm 4 hours North of you :D
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It takes me around 90 minutes to get to milton keynes which isnt far away from you, up to you the offer is there :wink:
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Good news! Mechanic says my cam belt is new! That's a major relief lol
DJ, you were right about the fan belt though, its on its way out. Oh well, better a fan belt than a cam belt :P
I had to hold the key in the ignition position for quite a while today (6-8 seconds…) I hadn't driven the car since Saturday. Is that normal? Will the fan belt change fix that or do I need a new battery you think??
Thanks anyway for all the info :)
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Right to start, the mechanic you took your car to, never go back he is a waster, no mechanic in their right mind would open the cam case and say it looks like new because they all look like new until they suddenly snap, you can tell with a fan belt because they crack but cam belts will just go.
He obviously doesnt want the job so he has fobbed you off, I would get out there and shop around again. The fan belt slipping, depending on which one it could be that its not charging the battery properly. usually to tell, if you leave the car ticking over and turn the steering hard over to full lock and it squeals its the rear belt, if you put everything electrical on fully and it squeals its the alternator but its worth just doing both anyway.
If the car hasnt been run for a while or it takes a while to start, get some new plugs in it, they will make it start first time and try and get some new leads for it, it all helps :wink:
If you can turn it over and it takes ages to start, its not the battery because its turning it over :P
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like dj said, blokes no good, as my mechanic said when I asked him if my cambelt looked ok, "what does a cambelt look like before it snaps?"
Theyre in a cover, and protected by a bonnet on top, they wont ever see UV rays, salt or rain, so theyll always look like new, but would a dirty one be sign of failure?.
If in doubt, swap it out. Do it now and you can rest at ease for the next 6-7 years / 60k miles, youll have probably sold the car before that due to uneconomical MOT repairs
Fix stuff when it becomes a concern and it wont ever become a problem, my car started knocking going round roundabouts, went to garage, outer CV joint on its way out, booked in the same day, if the cv goes, the driveshaft will drop out while driving, not before smacking the hell out of the engine bay or ripping off my brake line on that side. £65 inc parts and labour, cheaper than totaling my car or dying cos I cant brake.
If your belt snaps, you engine stops, if your engine stops, your brakes fail to work as theyre driven from the vacuum inlet manifold.
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:O
Thanks a lot guys, I'm glad I'm getting info from a lot more knowledgeable folks :)
Pretty lousy that the guy didn't wanna do the job, its not like I was gonna ask him to do it for free :-/ some people are just not into it I guess lol
DJ! I think I'm gonna take you up on your offer after all :P let me just find a good time and I'll message you to check when's convenient :)
Thanks again folks, I really appreciate all the info :)
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tbh Im not surprised he doesnt want to do the job, theres not a whole lot of space in there, and itll be a lot harder than a simple sohc or even dohc i4 engine. But like you said, your going to pay him, itd have made more sense if he just gave you an over the top quote for doing it
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@911bffa906=nikeah:
Pretty lousy that the guy didn't wanna do the job
its not that rare unfortunatley, loads of garagrs ive been to say similar things so i end up learning how to do it myself and saving a pretty penny, just buy a halfords advance toolkit for 100 quid and your sorted :D
oh and a chiltons of couse!
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@a0f5839305=barrywhite21:
@a0f5839305=nikeah:
Pretty lousy that the guy didn't wanna do the job
its not that rare unfortunatley, loads of garagrs ive been to say similar things so i end up learning how to do it myself and saving a pretty penny, just buy a halfords advance toolkit for 100 quid and your sorted :D
oh and a chiltons of couse!
WHATEVER EVER YOU DO… ONLY BUY THE TOOLS FROM HALFORDS - NEVER GET THE MUPPETS TO WORK ON YOUR CAR.
You wouldnt ask an employee of macdonalds to cook you dinner :wink:
Thnk about that statement :!:
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I done my KLZE swap with a halfords toolbox! My mechanic mate took the piss but it did the job!
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@ebe5867ede=djmarcopolo:
@ebe5867ede=barrywhite21:
@ebe5867ede=nikeah:
Pretty lousy that the guy didn't wanna do the job
its not that rare unfortunatley, loads of garagrs ive been to say similar things so i end up learning how to do it myself and saving a pretty penny, just buy a halfords advance toolkit for 100 quid and your sorted :D
oh and a chiltons of couse!
WHATEVER EVER YOU DO… ONLY BUY THE TOOLS FROM HALFORDS - NEVER GET THE MUPPETS TO WORK ON YOUR CAR.
You wouldnt ask an employee of macdonalds to cook you dinner :wink:
Thnk about that statement :!:100% agreed
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@9cfe66d0a6=djmarcopolo:
WHATEVER EVER YOU DO… ONLY BUY THE TOOLS FROM HALFORDS - NEVER GET THE MUPPETS TO WORK ON YOUR CAR.
You wouldnt ask an employee of macdonalds to cook you dinner :wink:Philosophy of the month!
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Here is further evidence that you should not take your car to halfrauds.
This is a post from the alfa forum, thread is called "Am i being ripped off" well….. what do you think
my 147 started misfiring so i took it to halfords auto center as i've got a warranty with them. i had AA tow the car there and before they done i used my alfa diag to check the probem which said cylider 2 misfire. i asked them to check if my coil pack needed replacement and to check if there was any oil at places it wasn't meant to be. i left my car there with the assurance that it will be taken care of and i wouldnt av to pay for it as i've got a warranty. i recieved a phone call today from the garage, i was told my car was done and it will cost me 1400 to get it back as the warranty company wont pay for it. when i asked then what happened with the warranty and simply changing my coil pack, they went on to explain to me that they change all sixteen valves, replaced cylinder, drained sixteen lifter, ressembled cylinder, head bolt change, timming belt kit and other stuff i cant recall.
i asked them why they didnt ask me before all of this was done if the warranty is not paying for it and he went on to tell it had to be done as i would've changed it anyway.
what i wanna know is, can misfiring lead to all of this being changed? i keep a very close eye to my car and make sure nothing goes wrong so i was quite suprised with them telling me all these was not working in my car.
I told them i wasnt paying 1400 and they've asked me to get a cheaper quote and they'll match it.I REALLY NEED SOME HELP FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS A LOT ABOUT ALFAS
I would say they are taking the piss a bit lol