Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: Zee09
Every mechanic I know prefers belts.
I do as well.
And no they are not at the stealerships as they say here
Yes because they get to replace them and make money as regular maintenance.
I'm not opposed to timing belts, they have their advantages and disadvantages just like any engineering solution, but I'm not going to blindly praise it either.
Chains seem to be quite problematic these days. T-Belts are predictable and are less expensive to replace than chains.
I agree with you that a timing belt has the advantage in the predictability department, but only the very first, factory installed one. Once it is time to replace it, there are many factors that may affect that predictability, like using cheap tensioners/idler pulleys or not replacing them altogether. Even when using an OEM kit, it may be installed incorrectly. They also do not take kindly to any sort of contamination, like oil or water. And you may simply be out of luck and get faulty replacement hardware, even if it is OE.
To me it's not even an argument. Timing chains are not designed to fail and beside few exceptions, they do last the life of the engine. Playing the "if" scenarios can be done both ways.
To me the argument for timing belts is their quietness, less drag on the engine, less shearing of oil and hence less prone to spotty maintenance or oil choices. Reliability is a moot point.