Looking around for a used car for our kids to drive to school, and for some reason, I'm paranoid about buying a car with a timing belt. I feel like most cars turned in with 100k on the clock have not had the timing belt replaced, and being the pessimist that I am, I can just see it breaking on the way home from the dealership. So, I've pretty much narrowed my search to just a few models with timing chains, like Toyota Corollas and Mazda 3's. Am I being overly paranoid? When you're shopping for a used car, is this even something you consider?

Not a consideration.

If it's a part that's made to be replaced, then inspect and replace on a schedule.

If it's a part that's not made to be replaced, then inspect and replace on a longer schedule.

Over time, everything wears out. Even timing chains.

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Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Not a consideration.

If it's a part that's made to be replaced, then inspect and replace on a schedule.

If it's a part that's not made to be replaced, then inspect and replace on a longer schedule.

Over time, everything wears out. Even timing chains.

The two times I've had a timing belt replaced, it cost about $1000 (timing belt and water pump). Granted, that was at a dealership, and it would probably be cheaper elsewhere, but that's still a significant amount of money to put into a 'new' used car.

I know what you mean. I lean toward cars that have chains, rather than belts. Maybe belts make the engine quieter, but I can live with a little extra noise for something much less likely to break in operation.

It's not a deal-breaker necessarily. But if I am interested in a belted engine, at least I try to make sure it's a non-interference design.

For me to choose a belted car with an interference configuration, I would really need to like the car for other reasons. And I would make damn sure I replace rubber belts at the scheduled intervals. Snapping a timing belt on an interference engine means new engine, or at least expensive engine repairs. Not a thousand dollars, but thousands of dollars.

I have a buddy who used to buy Hondas a few years old and around that mileage with original timing and other belts and have them and the water pump replaced straight off. He said they were the most common things to go starting around then so replacing them both at once before they did cut the labor cost in half and significantly lowered the odds of a breakdown, and he had a very long commute back then. He never did break down and his per mile commuting cost was really low doing it that way.

I avoid belts like the Plague!!
But then roo I mostly V-8s

If I were considering a car with a timing belt with a hundred thousand miles on it, I would get some kind of assurance that the timing belt has been serviced. The benefit of a timing belt car is more than just a quieter engine. It is that timing belts typically get regular maintenance because if they don't it's catastrophic. When the timing belt is changed it is usually done with a new water pump. Also that is the opportunity to do other maintenance that sometimes gets ignored with timing chain vehicles. When I do the belt on my truck I change the water pump, the thermostat, I check belts and hoses and other things that sometimes get neglected. The benefit of that is that the overall maintenance and reliability of the engine is enhanced because every 60 to 90 Thousand Miles someone is in there doing moderate work. So there is a benefit to having a timing chain. But there is also a benefit to having a timing belt if you keep up with those things

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Originally posted by 4x5:

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Not a consideration.

If it's a part that's made to be replaced, then inspect and replace on a schedule.

If it's a part that's not made to be replaced, then inspect and replace on a longer schedule.

Over time, everything wears out. Even timing chains.

The two times I've had a timing belt replaced, it cost about $1000 (timing belt and water pump). Granted, that was at a dealership, and it would probably be cheaper elsewhere, but that's still a significant amount of money to put into a 'new' used car.

Even with a car that has a timing chain, you'll still need to replace the serpentine belt, water pump, t-stat, pulleys and tensioner on an interval. The timing belt is just an incremental cost when done together with that other stuff.

You should also consider replacement intervals for other wear items like brake pads, rotors, tires, batteries, wipers, and air filters. The price of the vehicle should reflect recent maintenance already sunk into the vehicle, or the the cost of future maintenance. For instance, if I looked at a car with 60k miles and the tires were bald, I'd expect a discount off of the best negotiated price to account for the fact that the previous owner deferred the cost of maintenance to me. Same thing with the timing belt. If the vehicle is at 120k and hasn't had the belt and pump replaced, I'd expect a discount off of the the best negotiated price.

My 2010 RX350 (with Toyota v6) has a chain so you can consider the Toyota v6’s. The chain May stretch but it will last longer than a belt and I’ll notice the vehicle running bad. I’ve owned a car that the owner (a mechanic) said replaced the timing belt. He lied and it broke a bunch of teeth off while running and left me stranded.

Timing belts are a wear item, with only a finite service life, and are meant to be replaced. Chains can still go bad, but usually this is the result of neglect, especially of oil changes.

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When you're shopping for a used car, is this even something you consider?

Sure it is. Even a four-cylinder engine (only one bank of cylinders and one or two cams), especially one that also drives the water pump, could be half a grand if done by a shop. If I couldn't determine if the belt has been done, I'd ask for a discount.

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Am I being overly paranoid?

Well, let's say an overabundance of caution.

I would either make the timing belt replacement a necessary dealer expense prior to selling you the car or buying a chain car. The dealer cost is likely tolerable for them if you pay the asking price and you get peace of mind.

If you do a timing belt, replace all the rotating parts (water pump if equipped and pulleys) and (if equipped) the hydraulic tensioner. Some so-called "timing belt kits" don't come with this tensioner. I had a Honda Ridgeline where this part wasn't replaced, and guess what went bad. The lower span of the belt that should have been kept taut by the tensioner was flopping, beating against the cover and making awful noise, and when I got the covers off, the belt was half shredded. The thing was lucky it still even ran. This engine (3.5 V6) is used in several Acura models, Accord, Pilot and Odyssey among others, and is interference.

Get proof that it was done, and when, or factor that into the price you pay and tell the seller why.
Hondas are great cars and that's just normal maintenance.

Will timing belt service show up on a Carfax report?

Just FYI...there are SOME vehicles that have a "non-destruct" motor that won't be damaged if the timing belt breaks; my '97 Toyota Corolla DX is like that. The recommended replacement interval for the timing belt is every 70,000 miles and I DO replace anything behind that cover when that happens, i.e., water pump.

I've had two replacements on schedule at approx. 70k and 140k miles; currently have 188k miles, so it's not due for a while, but I might do it "early" because I don't drive the car every day. And I can attest to the fact that it IS non-destruct...broke the first time one day right at the 70k mark when I was driving down the road and all that happened is the car quit running; no damage to rods, lifters, rockers, pistons, etc. I replaced it the second time at the 140k point before it broke.

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:
Will timing belt service show up on a Carfax report?

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I doubt timing belt replacement would show.
You would need to see some sort of receipt, but you can use the lack of for a bargaining point.
Just google and find out if the engine is an interference engine or not. Had a Toyota break timing belt and no harm to engine, 150,000 miles on original belt. I changed a Honda motor because when timing belt broke the engine got trashed, bent valves and dents in the pistons.

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:
Will timing belt service show up on a Carfax report?

Carfax only records what was reported to it. Some dealerships report a vehicle's service history. Some do not. I would bet that even fewer independent shops report anything at all to Carfax.

I keep a log with every gas fill up, tire rotation, and service, down to air filters and wiper blades. I keep scanned copies of my receipts. One day when I sell my car, I'll hopefully get a better price for it because I can show that I've diligently taken care of the vehicle. I can look someone in the eye and say, "Sir/Ma'am, with no disrespect intended, I've taken better care of this car than you would have."

It would be a factor in price, but that's all. I replaced the one in my wife's 99 4Runner with a DOHC 3.4 L V6 at 120k miles. Not a big deal. She has 205k on it now, so probably next spring I'll do it again.

Ask for proof it was done or consider the cost of having it done into the price you will pay.

I've replaced the timing belt once on a front-wheel-drive car I had. PIA for sure. I think I did it in a day but it was definitely one of the more time consuming and PIA things I've done myself.

Most newer Honda 4cyl have a chain.

If they don't have recipts for the belt replacement, assume it didn't happen. Also remember that belts e a time interval usually as well like 7yrs or 100k miles so even if it's a 2012 with 50k miles, it needs to be done.

I would say factor it into the cost but it's a poor negotiating tool. No one wants to hear that you'll pay $1000-$1500 less for a car because it needs maintenance. Dealers will wait until a less informed buyer comes along and private sellers will probably have no idea what a timing belt is.

When I am shopping for a higher mileage car I try to avoid belts. There are resources out there that will give you a list of vehicles with belts vs chains.