2nd cambelt change

[Mr Webb]

How fastidious are people with the second belt change?

I have owned my 2003 V6 255 since 2006 and had the first belt change and water pump etc in 2007 with 23,500 miles on the clock. Five years later I have only done 8,000 more miles and the car on years alone is in need of its second (5 years).

Do you have to be really strict on the five year rule or is the mileage the crucial decider? I'm sure on mileage it would have tens of thousands more to go?

It seams really excessive and expensive to change the belt again after only 8,000 miles.

Cheers.

 

[Adrian]

Just change it in my opinion. It's not only the miles that wear it out but the belt material is also getting dry (running or not) resulting in cracks. Eventually resulting in a belt failure. The costs of an engine rebuild is way more expensive than the belt change. :approve: :race:

 

[taipan]

Check condition of cambelt and ancilliaries and then decide. There is a thread somewhere on here of someone having one changed that had only done a few miles since the previous change and it turned out that there was an issue that could ultimately have caused trouble. £800 or so vs £000's for a new engine. If it was me I'd follow the manufacturer's recommendation.

 

[Duncan]

Im not aware of one v6 belt thats been changed due to mileage, they are all done on age for the above reasons.

One thing to consider is that the date the car is registrered is not the date the belt was put on. So in theory, the first change at 5 years, could actually be a 6+ year old belt. Therefore assuming the first was done on time, there should be a greater margin of safety on the 2nd change.

Personally i wouldnt feel comfotable taking the risk. Would never leave the back of my mind that im playing a game of risk with a crippling cost if i lucked out & it snapped.

 

[Mr Webb]

Thats what I was thinking unfortunately!!

Paying £1,300 to get it changed is better than 3 or 4 times that for serious engine work!

Is it recommended to change the water pump again too?

I've got another issue with my clutch so if its not the fluid I will get the cylinder checked/ changed at the same time.

Anyone else had a dodgy clutch slave or master cylinder? What are the symptoms?

 

[Jamesv6]

A few mentions of "cylinder" if you put it into the search above.

 

[Woody]

Mr Webb,

We've just had our 2nd change @ 61k. SG Motorsport (Scott) showed me the old pulleys and water pump and they spun far too freely which he suggested is evidence that they may not have been changed first time around!

Mileage aside, you must remember that the belt has been under constant tension since it was last changed and belts do degrade with age.

I would defo get it changed inline with Reno's recommendation.

 

[V6 2HOT]

£1300? I am sure u can get it done cheaper than that now surely????

 

[Spike]

MMM, all good comments and i agree with some and not with others, personally, i would look at what manufacturers are spec'ing now, that is around the 10 year 80k mark, belt tech has come along way in the last 15 years, yes 15, thats when the motor would have been designed. having considered the milage and also WHO fitted the last belt i would then make my descision. i think 8000 miles and five years is well within its life window but again its not my car or choice. had you done 75000 miles in three years would you feel happy because you have only done 3 of 5 years, i think not, so obviously it can be stretched the other way.
on a similar note, my car stands mostly idle apart from occaisonal use, after 2 years i retensioned the belt and was supriesd to see how much slack there was in the system.
note that when stationary there is very little tension in the belt so provided the motor is turned regularly i cannot see a problem, another thought is how old is that belt you just bought from your reno dealer?? it could be 10 years on the shelf, whats the difference to it being fitted to a car?
And my last comment is about oil contamination, do you consider this with the age of the belt, will it make a difference? until a few weeks ago i would have said change the belt if it gets contaminated, but, i recently stripped and rebuilt some Honda generators, these had a rubber belt running in the oil inside the motor, how does that compare, and wow , how technology has moved on.
its your car give it some thought.

 

[Mr Webb]

Thanks for all the replies.

I am going to get in done to avoid any disasters! Now to find the best place to get it done at the best price!

 

[Duncan]

Can definately recommend Scott @ SG motorsport.

Competively priced and probably done the most clio v6 beltchanges out of any mechanic in the country.

Hes also very helpfull with the logistics side of things.

LINK

Im sure he would be able to have a look at that clutch for you too. :approve:

 

[Kett]

MMM, all good comments and i agree with some and not with others, personally, i would look at what manufacturers are spec'ing now, that is around the 10 year 80k mark, belt tech has come along way in the last 15 years, yes 15, thats when the motor would have been designed. having considered the milage and also WHO fitted the last belt i would then make my descision. i think 8000 miles and five years is well within its life window but again its not my car or choice. had you done 75000 miles in three years would you feel happy because you have only done 3 of 5 years, i think not, so obviously it can be stretched the other way.
on a similar note, my car stands mostly idle apart from occaisonal use, after 2 years i retensioned the belt and was supriesd to see how much slack there was in the system.
note that when stationary there is very little tension in the belt so provided the motor is turned regularly i cannot see a problem, another thought is how old is that belt you just bought from your reno dealer?? it could be 10 years on the shelf, whats the difference to it being fitted to a car?
And my last comment is about oil contamination, do you consider this with the age of the belt, will it make a difference? until a few weeks ago i would have said change the belt if it gets contaminated, but, i recently stripped and rebuilt some Honda generators, these had a rubber belt running in the oil inside the motor, how does that compare, and wow , how technology has moved on.
its your car give it some thought.

Personally, I wouldn't change after 8k miles. Mostly for the reasons that Spike cites above, but also that the surgery is very invasive. I went to 7.5 years last time (on 12k miles) and that's when my Vee had a history of Motorsport participation. Next time it'll be 10 years...

 

[ColinG]

Im anal with my service stamps,

My Vee always has been and always will be serviced to the book! It keeps my OCD happy!

I'm even planning to have my second belt done next August on the exact date 10 years after the car was registered :rofl:

Because sad bastard! :s

 

[Matt]

Im anal with my service stamps,

My Vee always has been and always will be serviced to the book! It keeps my OCD happy!

I'm even planning to have my second belt done next August on the exact date 10 years after the car was registered :rofl:

Because sad b*stard! :s

Ditto. I get great pleasure from my file of polypockets filled with Renault receipts and stamps in the book. Had my last Cambelt done to day of first reg date

 

[dickiegtt]

My phase 1 had its 2nd cambelt change exactly on its tenth birthday. It's part and parcel of owning the car (or any car for me). Many people drive older cars around for years without doing a cambelt service when they should and nothing ever happens, a lot of car owners don't even think to do it, or don't know what it is! (excluding vee owners!)

All I can say is that it is your car, and if you were buying a v6 in the future, would you rather buy one that had been maintained by the book or not? There is no question in ensuring better value for your car in the future, keep the servicing by the book and the car mint..... and don't have an accident obviously!

The choice.....is yours!.....

 

[Samwilde681]

My phase 1 had its 2nd cambelt change exactly on its tenth birthday. It's part and parcel of owning the car (or any car for me). Many people drive older cars around for years without doing a cambelt service when they should and nothing ever happens, a lot of car owners don't even think to do it, or don't know what it is! (excluding vee owners!)

All I can say is that it is your car, and if you were buying a v6 in the future, would you rather buy one that had been maintained by the book or not? There is no question in ensuring better value for your car in the future, keep the servicing by the book and the car mint..... and don't have an accident obviously!

The choice.....is yours!.....

Agreed we are all different, just weigh up the options, 1/2 years more from the belt compared to one going and living with yourself after? I've just bought mine (mk1) and it's been fastidiously looked after which when spending over 10k on a 10 year old Renault was without doubt a seller for me, and I should imagine a lot of other buyers, plus these cars are special, I think they should be treated so........ I'm pretty anal too though

 

[Spike]

Im anal with my service stamps,

My Vee always has been and always will be serviced to the book! It keeps my OCD happy!

I'm even planning to have my second belt done next August on the exact date 10 years after the car was registered :rofl:

Because sad b*stard! :s

Ditto. I get great pleasure from my file of polypockets filled with Renault receipts and stamps in the book. Had my last Cambelt done to day of first reg date

FOR SALE: various reno service stamps, open to BIG offers.

 

[Woody]

FOR SALE: various reno service stamps, open to BIG offers.

:rofl:

You get your g/box Spike?