Workshop
Cambelt replacementNew parts, any make
A cambelt is the one job on the list that gives no warning before it fails. There is rarely a noise, no light on the dash and nothing to feel through the pedals — and when it goes, the damage is inside the engine. It is done on time, or it is done expensively.
Book a cambelt on WhatsAppNew parts only on this job
We sell used parts and we are glad to, but not for this. A cambelt, its tensioner and its idlers go in new every time, and so does the water pump when it is driven by the belt. Used timing components are a false economy: the labour to reach them is the same whether the parts are new or second hand, and the consequence of one of them failing early is a scrapped engine.
If your vehicle takes a chain rather than a belt, we will tell you plainly which it is and what the manufacturer's interval is.
When it should be done
Go by whichever comes first, the mileage or the years — belts age even on a van that has sat still, and heat cycles harden the rubber. If you have bought the vehicle with no history for the job, treat it as due; that is cheaper than assuming.
Worth doing at the same time: the auxiliary belt, the coolant, and any pulley with play in it, since everything is already stripped back.
How long the vehicle stays with us
Most belts are a same-day job. Book it in for the morning and the vehicle is normally ready by the evening, and we are here until 8pm on weekdays so collection after work is straightforward. Engines where the belt sits behind the gearbox or a subframe take longer, and we will say so before the vehicle is booked in rather than after.