I am hacked OFF ....Cam belt change - HOW important is this? - Page 3

daytona365 · 08-02-13, 06:22 AM

If you really love your 180, you will get the belts done. I had mine done, as I knew the car had been well looked after, so it was worth the expense. Now I have a car that will stay with me for ever, and will get a new set of belts when they due again.
If you put a new engine in, how do you know the belts it that are ok???????

Its down to personally feeling. IS IT A CAR OR A ZS??????????????????/

petet16 · 08-02-13, 08:32 AM

If the worst happened, and you changed the engine you'd do the belts before fitting it, it would be pointless not doing so, as someone mentioned earlier in the thread the condition of the plastic idlers would concern me more than the belts themselves.

R8NMG · 08-02-13, 09:16 AM

I changed my belts right on 6 years as I didn't want to chance my luck being stuck at the side of the road then the hassle of being without a car for a while and sourcing a replacement engine etc.

I have also changed to Sheddist clutch kit even though my clutch was perfectly fine. Again I don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a failed clutch.

Changing all these parts give me more confidence in the car rather than driving around in a ticking time bomb.

peterzs · 08-02-13, 09:27 AM

Think it all depends if you are thinking of keeping the car for some time or going to move it on.

Even if you do sell it, its a good selling point, might not add the complete cost of the belt change to the selling price, but should get a fair % back, or make it sell that much quicker.

DuckFeet · 08-02-13, 09:42 AM

Watch the water pump too.... Mine was about to pop at 36K / 7years.

Squeaks · 08-02-13, 09:50 AM

I have made sure both my 180's had the belts done before I got them, I am currently looking for another ZS Mk2 and if it ends up being a 180 I think I'd only get one if the belts had been done as I have already had the misfortune of buying one total dog off a Mk2 I do not wish to do that again!

MickUK · 08-02-13, 10:22 AM

I don't know the history of my 180 at all. The belts were "meant to have been changed" but I have no record of this. So my soloution is to rebuild a T16 to replace the KV6. I toiled over rebuilding the KV6 as I love it but went for the project aspect.

At the end of the day, I would rather be in the know, than not at all & risk engine damage/failure. Each to their own though.