Is there a time bomb ticking away in your engine? If you’ve recently bought a second hand car, do you know if it‘s cam-belt needs changing? The cam-belt transfers motion from the engine to regulate the cam shaft which in turn operates the vital inlet and exhaust valves. If the cam-belt snaps, there’s a chance that many of these valves will be damaged, along with the cylinders and pistons. This can be very costly to repair.
Firstly you need to establish if your engine utilises a cam-belt or a timing chain. Chains should not need changing as they should not snap. Manufacturers specify the mileage at which the cam-belt should be changed in the service schedule. If your cars service history doesn’t show this having been done or you don’t have the service history and the car has done over 60,000 miles or is over 5 years old you would be well advised to get it done. While a cam-belt replacement is often a costly job due to the labour involved, it is certainly cheaper than repairing the damage caused by a failiure.