How long will a 180 cam belt last

[Fred68]

Hi all
I'm after a general idea about the durability of cam drive system on my 180 and how long I can put off doing it? The car in question is on a 53 plate so the belt should be done due to age but has covered just 62 K miles so is well short on the mileage!! I will be doing the job myself but at the moment i'v nether the time or money to sort it :( I am on the landrover forum and the general consensus on the freelander V6 is the belts should be good for 125,000 miles or 10 years !! So any thoughts ?
Thanks in advance.

[KevG]

There is a few members of here that havent done the belts, which IMHO is just tempting fate, the guidelines that MGRover put on the service is just that a guide line, I've had my 180 for 8 years and at 6 years old and with 45k on the clock I got the belts changed, now I have piece of mind that I know that the belts are okay for at least another 6 years.
But saying that timing belts can snap way before the prescribed mileage/age.

[stamford]

Mine were changed after the recommended period and I have to say it needed doing sooner as the belts had shown fatigue and could have gone at anytime. Pushing beyond 6 years is always a risk, mileage doesn't come into it unless you cover 90k within the first 6 years as age will catch up and determine what is best.

In theory they should last longer but in reality they will not, probably more to do with our changing weather not helping and perhaps aging them prematurely? As for the Landy forum saying 125k or 10 years, where do they get this information from? I've known KV6 engined Freelanders not getting very far before HGF.

[Ritchy]

depends on so many factors, in certain enviroments they will snap a lot quicker,

[Fred68]

I hear what you are saying and I guess it's a lottery?? Having looked at the belts they don't appear to bad!! There is no fraying the teeth look good and there are only faint marks on the smooth side!! The problem is I only have a small amount of history from the previous owner who had it for less than a year before me :( so the belts were due before documented history started. I was told by the previous owner that he was told the car was always serviced on time at mgr but that is really only hearsay. Looks like I'll have to do it sooner rather than later :(

[Dan1971]

Here's the thing and I'll speak from the head not the heart.

A 53 plate Mk1 180 is worth about £800 - £900.

The belts will cost you about £400 if you get them done - and that's from a decent fella who'll do them properly more than likely pointed out by this or another forum - and is a very good price. Other garages will charge you £600+.

If you don't spend out that £400 / £600 - but "pretend" you've just got it in the bank - when you car goes because you didn't do the belts - you can break it for more than the difference and then just buy another.

I personally don't think it's worth it getting the belts done on an older car - UNLESS - you have found/own a mint car that you really want to keep for a good few years.

[stamford]

This is why ZS180s are becoming less frequent on our roads, not only are they written off too easily, but being broken as the belt change is too costly. There is sense in what Dan says and as far as economics go, the sensible route, still a shame and one day we will see less and less of them. I didn't bat an eye when I got mine done, had it 7 years and don't intend to sell it.

[dazzasmgzs]

if your zs is a mathamatical sum then wait untill the belt goes. if like me it is more than a car then dont hesitate to get it done. i did and wouldnt have done anything any different.

[Fred68]

I'll be doing the belts myself so should cost around the £200 mark for all the parts I need!! I'v done a freelander Kv6 so know what's involved. It's a relatively easy job to do although it's very long winded!! But as you say the car is probably worth £900 as she is in good nick inside and out. Even if I do the job myself I'll be spending almost a quarter of it's value on a belt change so it does make you wonder if it's worth doing at all and just drive it until they fail then brake it for spares?

[big_wasa]

I am going to have a go at mine over the summer. Still going to be a couple of hundred in parts. Should be a challenge.

[Fred68]

if your zs is a mathamatical sum then wait untill the belt goes. if like me it is more than a car then dont hesitate to get it done. i did and wouldnt have done anything any different.

That's the problem I love the car and so it kind of feels cruel to drive her into the ground as it were :(

[Dan1971]

This is why ZS180s are becoming less frequent on our roads, not only are they written off too easily, but being broken as the belt change is too costly....

The circle of life relates to cars too - the broken ones are the ones that keep many others on the road too ... Plenty of engines out there .... Not so many good body panels.

As I said - if the car means something to you - get them done when you can.

[petet16]

Mine were due last January, but as the car only did 28 miles in its first 14 months I've got a small breathing space, I've got all the stuff to do the job, just need the weather to pick up a bit and then it's game on.

On a side note it was recommended to me that a water pump with a metal impeller is better than the ones with a plastic one

[Fred68]

If the job is going to be a fit and forget type of job then MG Rover parts are the only way to go ;)