Cambelt change...essential?

DickieP · Post by **DickieP** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:06 pm

Ive finally found me bongo, and am very happy so far (although Im not picking it up till Wednesday this week). However one of my questions to the dealer was regarding the cambelt, which he said hadnt been changed as he didnt see the need. He came recommended, and he was quite happy to deal with any other problems I had, and also offered a warrenty, so I dont think hes trying to pull a fast one.

Is a change of cambelt always essential on a newly inported vehicle? Im not the must mechanical person in the world - so in Bongo Chat I trust!

ps. Is it ok to name dealers if Im not being derogatory?

clogger · Post by **clogger** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:41 pm

the price of a cambelt change
to me was a small price to pay for
peace of mind

Post by **Bongoplod** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:12 am

Greetings

What mileage has your Bongo done,if its low AND GUARANTEED,then the seller may be correct.

If its not guaranteeed ,for the price it costs,id get it replaced.

I bought my Bongo last year with 50.000 miles on the clock.(not guaranteed). Mike at Wheelquick,Wigan ,who i bought it off said it didnt need replacing,and i accepted his advice at the time.

Ive now clocked up 60.000 and for piece of mind had it replaced last month. Mike gave be the old one and it looked fine.But,i feel more confident driving it,knowing its been done.

Brian

DickieP · Post by **DickieP** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:23 am

Its done 90000Km so far, which tallies up with the auction sticker on the inside of the door post. Im gonna get the bongo checked over by a local garage once Ive got it so hopefully they might be able to advise me a bit. Whats the worse case senario if it has been changed, and should have been?

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:51 am

Previous posts on BF (have a search) show a bit of disagreement on this with respect to the Bongo, but worst case scenario is a stuffed engine - v expensive, dont go there, get it done, just make sure you dont pay too much cos its said not to be a difficult job

DickieP · Post by **DickieP** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:58 am

Popular opinion seems to be get it sorted, and seeing as how I've saved money to start with, I reckon it'll be worth doing for the peace of mind.

flippa · Post by **flippa** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:10 pm

was in a similar position with mine .....r.e. no service history had to get it done for peace of mind the old one that came out was like new

but i see it as money well spent as you just cannot take a chance get it done

....good luck

trevd01 · Post by **trevd01** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:17 pm

Some 'premium price' Bongo converters change the cambelt irrespective of kms or service history. But then you are paying for it in the price, anyway.

tatey39 · Post by **tatey39** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:41 pm

Just think of the equations:

Bongo (£5,000) + Engine (£2,000+) = £7,000

Bongo (£5,000) + Cambelt (£100) = £5,100

Saved £1,900 straight off.......I did it as a guarantee.

PAULESTELLE · Post by **PAULESTELLE** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:13 pm

I used to work for a hire company all of our vehicles were second hand first thing we did after purchase was change the cambelt regardless of the mileage. I told my Bongo dealer no new cambelt no sale.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:14 pm

Get it changed anyway - may be low mileage, but still could be 10 years old

alan · Post by **alan** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:53 pm

when i buy any vehicle the 1st thing i do is get a new cam belt on it.
it a small price compared with the price of get the engine replaced

izzizm · Post by **izzizm** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:55 pm

glad you got your bongo - good luck with it
who is the dealer ? .. i've been to a few around here and i might (or might not) have a comment

moonshine · Post by **moonshine** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:00 pm

Getting the cambelt changed is like an insurance policy for your engine. Better to get it done unneccessarily than to risk a blown engine.

My works Escort Van recently had a cambelt go, quite unexpectedly. It had 80,000 on the clock, and had probably never been changed (I suspect). The belt went when I tried to start the van one morning. I just turned the key and the engine made a horrible noise and failed to start. Tried it again, yet another horrible noise and no start. As I was used to the van making horrible noises when I tried to start it, I tried a third time and the engine just spun over freely. No compression! Apparently the belt hadn't snapped, but the teeth had gone. A garage replaced the valves and fitted a re-conditioned head. Six weeks or so later, on the M25 it blew up completely. The valves had obviously damaged the pistons, and now they were holed. Glad I wasn't picking up the bill! Didn't think much of the garage that just replaced the valves and head. What did they think the bent valves had hit?

Don't take a chance mate, it's not worth it. Get that belt replaced.

paul9 · Post by **paul9** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:46 am

considering the profit margin dealers make ,for the sake of around £50 for a cambelt change,they should all have them replaced as a precaution,cambelts have a lifespan that not only covers milage but also the age of the belt,so even though an import only has 50,000miles on it,it may still be quite a few years old.Also genuine belts may have a 100,000klm interval change ,but not sure i would risk this milage with a none genuine belt.