07/10/2026
Hi everyone, just a quick and educational public service announcement, it might sound “salesy” but believe you me, I’m trying to help you..
This week alone at the garage we have had 2 vans in that have had massive bills due to failing timing belts.
The first one I’ve had to fit a new exhaust manifold gasket and new intake pipe because the timing belt snapped and the van (being under warranty) ended up at a big chain garage (orange and black logo) for a new engine.
This particulate engine can actually be repaired and it’s usually under £1000 to get back on the road, but even though it was a regular and returning customer of many years, I don’t deal with warranty, she ended up spending more on a rental van to get to work than it would have cost for the repair 🫤
The second van is also a returning and regular customer, timing belt has snapped and we don’t know the full cost yet but what I do know is that it will be more expensive now than a timing belt replacement.
As a mechanic and garage owner I do talk about timing belt intervals a lot but I feel like people just don’t know. The owner of the second example has been told that it should be done during regular servicing.
TIMING BELT INTERVALS ——
Every car and van is different, as a mechanic we don’t know whether it’s been changed previously or whether it is due based on mileage/age, it is a concealed component, it can’t be inspected during your MOT or service and is often slightly complicated to access.
As a garage I do feel like it’s our responsibility to make sure you are aware but at the end of the day it is up to the owner of the car/van/fleet to make sure this is kept on top of 👌🏼
The two vans we have had in this week are 6 and 7 years old and not necessarily high mileage, both are PSA diesel engines (Citreon, Peugoet, ford, Vauxhall etc) (photos from an older psa engine because I didn’t take any of this weeks jobs 🫨)
We have all heard so much about wet belts in the last few years, but all cars have timing belts or chains, if you’re unsure just ask! Either us or your regular mechanics, it’s a fairly big bill to change a belt or chain but never even close to the bill for a snapped belt!
