If you encounter this unfortunate situation, you may be asking yourself the same question on the way home from the local factory after paying a huge local cost to replace the timing belt.
Considering that the timing belt itself is relatively cheap, you can question why it is so expensive to replace the belt.
Replacing the timing belt is a labor-intensive task, and this is the source of the cost.
On most engines, replacing the timing belt first requires the removal of many other parts.
For example, from the beginning, it is necessary to remove belts, pulleys or hoses that obstruct access or may obstruct the track.
Some engines may even need to remove the hot fan and radiator.
On some cars, either the entire front end of the car needs to be removed, or the engine must be removed from the car to use the timing belt.
Once they have access, the mechanic will need to check multiple parts to make sure they are working properly.
Items such as hydraulic tension, seals and pulleys will all be checked and replaced when needed.
Then the timing belt will be replaced and the camshaft/valve timing will be set.
After all this is done, the mechanic will need to reassemble all the parts and conduct all the tests to make sure your car runs smoothly.
But wait, there is more!
If you want to replace the timing belt, it is strongly recommended to replace the water pump at the same time, because once the timing belt reaches its replacement interval, the possibility of failure of the water pump is greater.
Replacing the water pump itself is not an easy task. Therefore, a reasonable decision is to pull the engine apart to replace the timing belt at the same time.
Many timing belts are sold as kits, including a new water pump.
In addition, you should make every effort to replace the timing belt according to the manufacturer's recommendations, especially if your car is equipped with an interfering engine.
For interferometric engines, your timing belt is there to prevent your valves and pistons from hitting each other when they complete their strokes.
If you do not pay attention to replacing the timing belt, but the belt becomes too worn and broken, then the two components cannot be synchronized or prevent them from hitting each other, which may cause the valve to bend or the cylinder head or camshaft to damage .
When I say, please believe me, these are not cheap fixes, and can lead to the cost of directly replacing the space-time flywheel!
Relatively speaking, compared with the thousands of dollars that may cost to repair or replace the engine after a timing belt is broken, the cost of a routine (every 80,000 to 100,000 kilometers) timing belt replacement is 800-1400 U.S. dollars, which seems reasonable.
