Timing belt or timing chain — and when does it need changing?
How to tell which your engine has, why the years matter as much as the miles, and what "chain for life" really means.
A timing belt is a toothed rubber belt behind a plastic cover; it has a replacement interval set by the manufacturer, typically between 60,000 and 120,000 miles or four to ten years, whichever comes first. The years matter: rubber ages whether the car is driven or not.
A timing chain runs in oil inside the engine and has no fixed interval, but chains and their tensioners do wear — the 1.2 PureTech, 1.0 EcoBoost (wet belt), 1.4 TSI, N47 BMW diesel and others are well known for it. A rattle on cold start or a timing-related fault code is the usual warning.
If the belt or chain fails, the valves meet the pistons and the engine is usually scrap. The cost of changing one in time is a fraction of that.
Give us your registration and we will tell you which your engine has, what the interval is and whether it is due — no charge for asking.
Need it looking at? Book online or ring 01664 793055. Written by the team at Oswins Garage, Melton Mowbray.
Questions people ask
What is a wet belt?
A timing belt that runs inside the engine in oil, used on some Ford EcoBoost and Stellantis PureTech engines. They need changing on time and with the right oil in between.
Should the water pump be changed with the belt?
Where the belt drives the pump, yes — the labour is the same and a pump failure later would take the new belt with it.