Protege5 - How many miles have you gone before changing the timing belt?

[THE Phen]

It may sound like a smart ass answer, and I don't mean it that way, but pretty much as long as it wants to last. I've seen some last 30k miles and some last 300k miles.

 

[slavrenz]

Does anyone know how long the water pump is suppose to last?

How would i know if the pump needs to be replaced , what signs should i look for when its going bad ?

Im at 148k km and still on the original pump. I dont want to replace it and pay $$$ if its still in good working condition.

You will usually notice fluid leaking from the bottom of the pump before it fails. Also, the pulley bearing may start making a lot of noise, or the pulley may develop play. Finally, if your car overheats and you're not losing a lot of coolant, there's a good chance that either the thermostat or the water pump is shot.

 

[hotcracker69]

how so? I paid the same for mine as well. Thats all OEM parts, plus the piece of mind that if anything happens during a 12/12,000 period of time the dealership will pay for it..

I had the tbelt, wpump, drive belts, tensioner spring, valve cover gasket, 60k service, m/t fluid replace with synthetic amsoil, front & rear brakes, and a detail.

12k miles you really think that is a lot or miles, i can replace my parts 5 time over at 1200 dollars. warranty that is given on parts are pathetic.

i have 175K on my mazda. the car is only worth 4000 bucks. you are going to spend 1200 because they decided to give 12K warranty? even if i did my brakes that will only cost about $140 more.

learn not to go to the dealership!!

 

[P5flyer]

Did mine at 120k, belt still looked great. '03 P5.

 

[Hank3]

Previous owner had the timing belt, water pump, and etc. changed out at 60K. I purchased it at 70K. Glad I got a ways to go before I need to worry about it

 

[P5SPDKILLZ]

For those who have had their local garage change their belt etc. ....how much $ have they been hitting you for?

 

[truemana]

Local place here in Canada quoted me at $430 CAD to change the belt and cam seals while they're in there. 70k miles right now.

By the looks of it, I might delay this maintenance until after winter. It looks like I have plenty of breathing room.

 

[alexelie]

i am at 186 000 KM and paying 400+ for timing belt is killing me! i think i will keep it like that till next summer.

 

[Lboogs]

^^^^
I understand what you are saying. It is unfortunate that dealerships are refered to as stealerships when there are honest ones around. The same goes for independent shops. But we can't be ignorant to the fact that there are crooks on both sides of the fence. That is why we as the consumer should do our homework before letting ANYONE perform work on our cars. We should also use this forum to inform each other of our experiences good or bad with dealers and independents.

By the way how did you manage to keep your going for 191k miles? Have you encountered any major issues?

 

[Lboogs]

For those who have had their local garage change their belt etc. ....how much $ have they been hitting you for?

A well trusted shop in my area quoted me $750 parts and labor. Most random shops that I asked gave a range from $650-$800.
I chopped it up with a mechanic at a local Shell station {really cool dude}. He quoted $250 for labor, and whatever parts would be so roughly $450-$500.

 

[THE Phen]

My car is worth about 2 grand at this point now. It may sound really bad, but I'm not really considering doing the timing belt any time soon. I have 157k on the car.

Everyone should have a spare FS laying around. You never know when a rod may be emancipated.

 

[rallykid]

Our shop would be about 210 on labor. And obviously whatever the customer wants to do for parts.

 

[alexelie]

i thought there would be more people who could do this job....anyways, i might ask a mechanic friend if labors are too high.

 

[JDMJNKY]

Did mine about a month ago .All new belt's and water pump

 

[THE Phen]

It's not impossible work. It can be quite time consuming though. Most important part is patience while doing it. You have to make sure that the cams are lined up properly with the crank, and so on. I've done it on my Honda twice now.

 

[mikwhitesheep]

I had my 2003 Protege5's timing belt changed last year (03/25/2009) because the belt was still original; six years old. I was told that all belts should be replaced after five years even if it is a low mileage vehicle. I waited six years to replace the timing belt 42,000 miles. My 2003 Protege5 is just now getting to 50,000 miles.

 

[jlanger]

well my shop's quoting my $900 for total replacement of timing belt, water pump, v/c gasket, and a few other assorted things like coolant flush etc. (Amazing that even with a w/p replacement some mechanics won't do a flush!) I'm guessing that's on the higher end of things. I'm at 106k miles now and live in MN, I'm probably due, especially with everything else that I've had to do with it lately lol.

 

[02Protege'5]

149k miles. havent changed it yet, belt still looks good. ill drive it till she snaps. non interference engines FTW!

 

[JDMJNKY]

ill drive it till she snaps.

lmao now thats just being lazy or cheap one or the other.

 

[CheeseHelmet]

149k miles. havent changed it yet, belt still looks good. ill drive it till she snaps. non interference engines FTW!

I don't want to bring up the whole interference/non-interference debate again, but some people have reported that they ended up with a bent valve or two after the belt snapped. Change it, at least you'll save yourself the headache of having to get your car towed.