Services / Cambelt and timing
Cambelt and timing chain replacement in Cardiff
The single cheapest expensive job on your car. Done on schedule it is a service item. Left too long it is a new engine.
What is included
- Cambelt, tensioner and idler pulleys replaced as a kit
- Water pump replaced at the same time where it is belt driven
- Auxiliary belt and tensioner inspected and replaced if needed
- Timing chain, guides and tensioners on chain-driven engines
- Camshaft and crankshaft timing set with the correct locking tools
- Coolant drained, replaced and bled properly
- Road test and a follow-up check
What it costs
The price is set by the engine, not the badge, because reaching the belt on a transverse four cylinder and reaching a chain at the back of a V6 are different days of work. We quote per engine and we always price the kit with the water pump, because doing the pump separately later means paying the same labour twice.
How long it takes
A cambelt and water pump is usually a full day. Timing chain work is longer, often two days, because the engine has to come apart much further.
Which makes
All makes. We hold the timing tools for the common German engines, which matters: timing an engine by eye rather than with the correct locking kit is how a job like this goes wrong.
Ring the workshop with your registration and we will give you a price for your exact vehicle, not a range that turns into something else when you arrive.
Cambelt and timing, questions answered
When does my cambelt need changing?
It is set by the manufacturer, usually somewhere between four and ten years or 60,000 and 120,000 miles depending on the engine. Give us the registration and we will look up the exact interval for your engine rather than quoting a rule of thumb.
What happens if it snaps?
On most modern engines the pistons and valves collide and the engine is destroyed. That is why this job is worth doing early rather than late, and it is why we will not tell you it can wait if it cannot.
My car has a timing chain. Do I still need to worry?
Chains are designed to last the life of the engine but they do stretch, and the guides and tensioners wear. A rattle on cold start is the classic early warning. Some engines are known for it, and if yours is one we will tell you.
Should the water pump be done at the same time?
Almost always, when it is driven by the belt. The pump is a modest part and the labour to reach it is the expensive bit, which you have already paid for once the belt is off.
Related services
Ring us about cambelt and timing
Tell us the registration and what it is doing. We will tell you what it needs, what it costs and when we can take it.
Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Drop the car at Cardiff Marine Village, Penarth Road.