teefbee

I have a 2008 SC430 with 59K miles. The dealership said I need to change the timing belt ($2000). Can I wait a year or two on this or should I really do it now?

DJWLDW

teefbee


Why not order the premium water pump/timing kit from rock auto for $266 pay an independent shop $250 bucks and be out the door for around $500-$550?

Dennis

sixonemale

The short answer is "do it now". Use the search tool in this forum for "timing belt" or "timing belt kit" and you'll have all of the information you need to know about when and why to change it, cost, components to change with it, etc., and then some.

riknchar

It's technically due, based on age, not mileage (9 years, 90K miles?), but it's probably not extremely urgent.

However, I highly recommend you DON'T use the dealership for this job whenever you decide to do it! You can buy all the parts needed on Amazon for around $160-180, and the work can be done by any good independent mechanic for around $500 in labor.

Prasha

I have 02 with 64k miles with original TB, most here will say taking very high risk!

sixonemale

It’s all about the risk/reward profile that an individual owner wants to undertake. To me, approximately $800 for a timing belt kit install is cheap insurance for peace of mind for 90,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first, knowing that the worst case for doing nothing could be a destroyed engine and possibly other collateral damage. Not an exact analogy, but I can also could drive until my tires reach the legal state minimum tread depth limit. The risk/reward is not worth it to me, especially driving with low tread depth on freeways in rainy conditions, so I choose to replace my tires well before they reach the minimum state tread depth limit. Again, to me new set of tires is small price to pay to ensure better grip and/or to minimize hydroplaning at highway speeds under inclement or wet weather conditions.