General Timing Belt vs Chain & Mazda Question

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General Question: Are synthetic timing belts and gears still commonly used in new passenger vehicle engines these days? I recall in the late 80's and 90's they were very common and there were lots of cases of catastrophic failure from not servicing them as needed.


Specific Question: Does a 2018 Mazda3, 2.5L engine use synthetic timing components or are they all metal? I looked in the owner's manual and there was no specific mention of timing system maintenance. I tried calling the dealer and did not get a straight answer. BTW: The answer I got was, bring it in for regular $ervice here and we'll make $ure everything stays in tip-top $hape.


Thanks...
Ray
 
Originally Posted by RayCJ

General Question: Are synthetic timing belts and gears still commonly used in new passenger vehicle engines these days? I recall in the late 80's and 90's they were very common and there were lots of cases of catastrophic failure from not servicing them as needed.


Specific Question: Does a 2018 Mazda3, 2.5L engine use synthetic timing components or are they all metal? I looked in the owner's manual and there was no specific mention of timing system maintenance. I tried calling the dealer and did not get a straight answer. BTW: The answer I got was, bring it in for regular $ervice here and we'll make $ure everything stays in tip-top $hape.


Thanks...
Ray



Good to see your dealer's all primed for charging you for a belt change. Like the guy back in the sixties that tried to charge my mother for a carburetor nild rotation.
 
Originally Posted by csandste
Originally Posted by RayCJ

General Question: Are synthetic timing belts and gears still commonly used in new passenger vehicle engines these days? I recall in the late 80's and 90's they were very common and there were lots of cases of catastrophic failure from not servicing them as needed.

Specific Question: Does a 2018 Mazda3, 2.5L engine use synthetic timing components or are they all metal? I looked in the owner's manual and there was no specific mention of timing system maintenance. I tried calling the dealer and did not get a straight answer. BTW: The answer I got was, bring it in for regular $ervice here and we'll make $ure everything stays in tip-top $hape.

Thanks...
Ray


Good to see your dealer's all primed for charging you for a belt change. Like the guy back in the sixties that tried to charge my mother for a carburetor nild rotation.


It was the service manager I spoke with. He was edging in the direction of having me do regular check-ups and doing all my OCs at the dealer. This way, their ace mechanics would recommend work if any needed to be done.
 
Thats standard response from a service manager. Of course they will do everything needed to keep your car in tip top shape. I dont see that a timing chain was mentioned. Who knows who answered that phone? Could have been the guy mopping the floor who happened to be by the phone.
 
Originally Posted by dbias
Thats standard response from a service manager. Of course they will do everything needed to keep your car in tip top shape. I dont see that a timing chain was mentioned. Who knows who answered that phone? Could have been the guy mopping the floor who happened to be by the phone.


Yeah... It was a pretty normal and predictable response. I have nothing against some good salesmanship but all I wanted to know is if the chain and gears were metal or synthetic. After his sales pitch, he should have answered my question but the net result is they failed at answering my question. Sleazy tactics like that don't go-over too well with me. Oh well, their loss -not mine.

Ray
 
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