Cambelts and engine work
The cambelt is the one job where doing it early costs a few hundred pounds and doing it late costs the engine. Everything else on this page is diagnosis first: a misfire is a symptom, not a part number.
A cambelt has a time limit as well as a mileage. Rubber ages whether you drive or not — commonly four to six years. A 30,000-mile car that’s eight years old is overdue, and plenty of owners have no idea.
Check yoursWhy it’s done on a schedule, not on inspection
On an interference engine — which is most modern engines — a snapped belt lets the pistons hit the valves. The result is bent valves, often damaged pistons, sometimes a scrap engine. On a ten-year-old hatchback that’s the end of the car.
You can’t tell how much life is left by looking at it, which is exactly why manufacturers set a fixed interval. There’s no meaningful judgement call to make: it’s due or it isn’t.
- We look your interval up by registration — mileage and years
- Water pump replaced at the same time on most engines
- Tensioners and idlers in the kit, not reused
- Auxiliary belt while it’s apart if it’s perished
- Date and mileage recorded on the invoice and a sticker under the bonnet
Why the water pump goes with it. On most engines the pump is driven by the cambelt. Reaching it later means paying the same strip-down labour twice. The extra part cost now is small; the repeat job isn’t.
Chains aren’t maintenance-free either. “Lifetime chain’’ means the design life, not yours. Rattle on cold start, or a timing correlation code, means the guides have worn — and that’s a job worth catching before it jumps a tooth.
What else we take on
- Misfires, rough running and hesitation — diagnosed before parts are bought
- Oil leaks: rocker cover, sump, cam and crank seals
- Coolant leaks, water pumps, thermostats, radiators and hoses
- Overheating, including head gasket testing when the symptoms fit
- Engine rebuilds and machining
- Engine swaps
- Remapping and performance work
- Diesel injector and pump rebuilds
What it costs
| Job | Price inc. VAT |
|---|---|
| Cambelt kit fitted, 4-cylinder petrol | from £349 |
| Cambelt kit with water pump | from £449 |
| Cambelt on a transverse V6 or awkward diesel | quoted |
| Auxiliary belt | from £89 |
| Water pump on its own | from £295 |
| Thermostat | from £185 |
| Rocker cover gasket | from £165 |
| Coolant pressure test and dye | £49 |
| Compression and leak-down test | £95 |
On an older car we’ll also give you our honest view of whether a big engine repair is worth it against what the car’s actually worth. Talking someone out of a £1,200 job on a car with a rotten sill isn’t good salesmanship, but it’s the right answer.
What happens if the belt goes?
On an interference engine, pistons meet valves and the damage is usually terminal. That’s the whole reason for the fixed interval.
Water pump too?
On most engines, yes — it’s belt-driven, so doing it later means paying the labour twice.
My car’s low mileage. Am I fine?
Not necessarily. There’s a time limit as well, commonly four to six years. Give us the reg and we’ll tell you where you stand.
Engine management light on — start here or diagnostics?
Diagnostics, £59, credited against the repair. A light is a starting point, not a diagnosis.