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Timing belt question

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Sherlock

Sherlock

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Alright... About a month after buying my 2009 Hyundai Accent I stopped by a local dealer (also as I still have tons of warranty left on the car)... The car is very low mileage at 56,000 kilometres over about five years, and the whole service history he looked up is very clean...

However... He told me that I should change the timing belt since the car is older then four years old (they recommend replacement at 90K kilometres)... I was led to assume - from several sources - that the timing belt replacement is measured by vehicle mileage and not how old the car is... He went on to explain that because it's a belt (ie. rubber) even when sitting idle and not driving, thus a vehicle age recommendation...

Any of you crack mechanics... What do you think of his advice? Bearing in mind that he is the dealer... Is he trying to make extra money off me? Yes, I do know how important the timing belt is, and it would also be a $700 bill that I really can't afford right now, bearing vehicle safety in mind...
 
I'm not a crack mechanic - never touched the stuff. :angel2:

Seriously, though, tough question. On the one hand, you're far short of the mileage, and it's only four years old.

On the other hand, it's four years old. And if that thing breaks, you'll be looking at a lot more than $700.

Have you double-checked Hyundai's recommendations? Manufacturer's, not dealer's?
 
I'm sure no mechanic ... but unless there was some factory recall saying the belt needs replacing now, I'd ask dealer why.

I took my Nissan in for 30,000 mile service per service booklet: lube, oil, filter, air filter, flush and refill brake lines. Service manager said "that'll probably run about $700."

gasp

I asked why LOF and brake flush would cost so much. He said "we recommend changing transmission fluid also".

I said Nissan doesn't recommend changing transmission fluid until 120,000 miles. So don't do it. How much w/o changing transmission fluid?

He said "about $150".

He also told me I was the only customer he's ever met who actually read the Nissan service recommendations that come with the car.

Your mileage may vary.

Tom
 
I remember looking at the manual when I purchased the car, and not once does the owners manual mention anything about vehicle age as it relates to servicing schedules, just the mileage... Perhaps they assume average yearly mileage, of which my car is well below average, why I purchased it for the price I did...
 
Sherlock said:
I remember looking at the manual when I purchased the car, and not once does the owners manual mention anything about vehicle age as it relates to servicing schedules, just the mileage...
Click to expand...

I think even if it did mention age, you've got a long way to go before needing a new timing belt.

I think you know what to do :smile:

Tom
PS - when I asked my own service manager why they decided to replace automatic trans. fluid at 30,000 miles, he said " sometimes it gets dark".
 
From what I've read, all Hyundai L4 and V6 engines are interference. That would mean that if the belt breaks, the valves will kiss the pistons. Not good. Bent valves and maybe holes in the pistons.

Having said that, most belts recommendations are for 5 years/60,000 miles (90,000kms). Since the average car is driven about 12,000 miles/year, five years makes sense. Telling you that after four years it needs to be replaced is just meant to scare you. If your car is five years old, then the choice is how long do you want to gamble.

I have a '92 Miata that I changed timing belt on at 60k miles, but it was ten years old. The car now has about 95k miles on is and the belts in there is now about 11 years old. I won't change it until it reaches 120k miles...but then again, the Miata engine is non-interferece, so the worst that will happen is that I'll be stuck on the side of the road. If the belt breaks in your Hyundai, it becomes major engine work.

As others have suggested, double check Hyundai's recommendation.
 
Looking around on the web, the recommendation seems to be 48 months or 96000km. On my old Toyota, I let it go about 6 years with very low kMs., but the belt looked REALLY dry and the teeth were rather crumbly when it came out. I didn't to that again!

I would check around at an independent mechanic to see how expensive the job is outside of the dealer.
 
Thanks for all the input, it looks like there may be an age limitation along with the mileage, why I floated out the question here...
 
Any rubber based product has a limited life.
Tyres, now enforced by tyre stores....past the date stamp, they won't fix a flat or even balance them (here, anyway).
Hoses. Good Lord, the new ones are really bad life-span-wise.
You need to check the production date of the hose before you buy it anymore.
Think Limey Limos....how often do you need to change belts, hoses, door seals, suspension bushing?
Age makes a BIG difference......especially in smog areas. I recall wiper blades crumbling at one year in SoCal before CARB.
If it gives age and mileage, with an interference engine, I'd do it.
Dave
 
I follow that the manufacturer recommends..most of the time. I finally got around to replacing the timing belt on my 1996 Nissan 300ZX...I bought the car new...it now has 70k miles on it. I had the belt replaced as insurance.....the old belt, when removed, looked like new with no cracks, etc...and was not brittle at all...but...you never know. I feel it was money well spent.
 
I've done my math... The car was sold new in April 2009... Five years in (despite the low mileage) is April 2014, so therefore I'm going to work with the math... Besides I now have to buy new tires over the weekend for the car as well, which is far more urgent with some incoming snowfall next week... :wink-new:
 
So ... the owner's manual says to replace the timing belt at five years, regardless of mileage?
 
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