2008 Accord Timing Belt
- Thread starter willbur
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I bet their mechanics probably can do it under two hours clocked from pulling in the vehicle to parking it back in the customer lot. I would not be surprised if their guy could do two at a time on adjacent bays. I read somewhere that if you hand them the car in the morning, you get it back before lunch time. They also take you to local mall if you want to spend few hours there.
I got a coupon from my local Honda dealer for $390 special too. It is possible that some of the dealers have started replicating Hamilton's method.
Back to the original topic; I waited lot longer that 7 years / 105K miles and the timing belt which came out was pristine. So the odds of OP's belt or tensioner giving up any time soon is miniscule. Although for $500, it is no brainer to get it done right. You should plan on changing the belt twice and keeping the vehicle for 15+ years.
I got a coupon from my local Honda dealer for $390 special too. It is possible that some of the dealers have started replicating Hamilton's method.
Back to the original topic; I waited lot longer that 7 years / 105K miles and the timing belt which came out was pristine. So the odds of OP's belt or tensioner giving up any time soon is miniscule. Although for $500, it is no brainer to get it done right. You should plan on changing the belt twice and keeping the vehicle for 15+ years.
Doesn't your Accord have a maintenance minder? Newer Accords don't go by mileage except for severe service. I would wait until you get a "4" indicating time to change the plugs and timing belt. I would also change the water pump, tensioners and other belts at the same time.
Thank you. The owners manual states time and mileage. I think I will go with your suggestion; and several owners told me the belt etc looked like new well past both time and miles. Next car I buy will not have a T-belt. Hear that Honda?
Can a timing belt be inspected and called "good"? I mean, you can look at one and realize it's bad due to nicks/cracks/whatever. But good? We're supposed to replace tires on the basis of age due to internal damage. I know a timing belt is made differently, but are there similar constraints?
Well, for one thing, the timing belt is covered and is not exposed to sun or road debris. If it get contaminated (e.g. leaking oil) then it won't last its rated life though. You want to look for the cracks between the teeth but those are not going to be easy to spot while the belt is still on. People who are commenting on the integrity of the removed belt have looked at it more closely and then made the comment that it still looked great.
A good mechanic can look at the belt and determine if it still in servicable condition. The problem usually is the other parts of the system containing bearings like the rollers and tensioner. Unless there is foreign debris in the system, the belt is typically not the root cause of the system failure. It's far more likely that a bearing in one of the rollers or the water pump will lose its lubricant and sieze up and shred the belt or the tensioner will lose it fluid and the belt will become loose and flop around and become damaged.
I've found the best way to test the system is to remove the accessory belt and start the engine and listed for any signs of bearing failure, or the sound of a belt that is not fully tensioned. This will tell you far more than a visual inspection ever could. BTDT with the Audi.
I've found the best way to test the system is to remove the accessory belt and start the engine and listed for any signs of bearing failure, or the sound of a belt that is not fully tensioned. This will tell you far more than a visual inspection ever could. BTDT with the Audi.
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