CAM Belt Life

[Norman.King]

My 2003 Sedona SE Auto has just reached 60K Miles and five years old. I know the CAM belt is scheduled to be changed at this point and I've been quoted £420 by the delaer to do the job. BUT, I'm thinking of selling the car in the new year and wonder if it's safe to run the original CAM belt up to 70K miles?

[ron1004]

Typically the dealers quote would include belt, idler and tensioner rollers, water pump and new coolant, which makes the job quite pricy.

The belt would most likely survive 10K miles over the schedule, but that of course will be a call you'll need to make, and the street smart buyer may pick up on this, and then it's your conscience you'll need to live with.

[John Kelly]

Originally Posted by Norman.King

My 2003 Sedona SE Auto has just reached 60K Miles and five years old. I know the CAM belt is scheduled to be changed at this point and I've been quoted £420 by the delaer to do the job. BUT, I'm thinking of selling the car in the new year and wonder if it's safe to run the original CAM belt up to 70K miles?

Hi Norman

Well the book says 60k or 6yrs. Personally I think age is more important than miles so you might get away with it. £420 seems very reasonable for this job at a dealer. I've been quoted anything from £600-1000 for this job because Kia say engine OUT! Car Mechanics Magazine have done it engine in wth the help of a big bar and some improvised spacers. The problem is the water pump pulley won't clear the chassis by 1/2 inch. So with the top engine mount removed and the big bar and spacer the engine can be shoved over on its mounts and the pulley drops clear. Then the top cam cover can be removed. The big bar and suitable spacer and a shove are used from below to get the bottom cover off,and after that things are conventional although space is tight. You can bet your life the Kia dealers Iv'e asked (Poole & Yeovil) don't take the engine out but charge you for it.

Regards John.

P.S. The price of a cam belt kit from my local motor factors is over £200 + VAT. One of the tensioners is quite dear. So if your dealer can do it for £420 go for it. I'd like to know who they are and if they are anywhere near Dorset because mines due in 2yrs and I'd better start saving now.

[sedona no 1]

The description on Autodata for changing the timing belt mentions nothing about removing the engine, i think this is a tactic Kia use to justify the big bill.

[PSW]

My 2003 sedona is at 165K miles so have had two belt changes. At 120K miles I had a tapping noise so had car towed to garage, the belt was splitting, so be very careful if you decide to go over the 60K life

[nsj1202]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm,

the prices for a cambelt change do seem to be all over the place, anyway phoned two dealers today, one in Poole and the other in Bmth. Both quoted around the £450 mark.
Remember these are Kia Dealer prices.

Regards

Nick

[Norman.King]

Thanks for all the input. I spoke to my main dealer (Whitstable, Kent) again and he said they can do a straight CAM belt only change for about £320. He said most tensioners don't need replacing at 60K unless certain wear signs are observed on the old belt.
He also said that it is a difficult job but because they do it so often they know the procedure inside out. (He said he had seen many cocked-up jobs from people who had attempted it).
Given the crazzy deals available on new cars at the moment and the fact the chancellor only suspended the massive VED rise of this car for two years I'm going to move mine on.
Only been offered £3000 as a PX which is hard to swallow (lost £16K in five years) but no one (even KIA dealers) want to take it - no one's buying this type of car anymore.