Timing Belt Maintenance at Fisher Auto Can Save You Thousands of Dollars

How Do I Maintain My Car’s Timing Belt?

At Fisher Auto, we get a lot of questions concerning service and maintenance for your car. One issue that people ask us about frequently is timing belt maintenance and repair.

Your car’s internal combustion engine is a very complicated machine with a lot of small moving parts. The timing belt controls the core timing of the engine’s valves. If the valves and pistons are not moving is sync, there’s going to be a major disconnect between the amount of fuel allowing into the combustion chamber and the amount of exhaust let out, among other problems. And when one part of the system is out of whack, then the whole engine can get very messed up, very quickly.

Your timing belt needs to be replaced about every 60,000 miles (although some newer cars can go as long as 100,000 miles), or every four years. The timing belt is subject to heat, dirt, and wear and tear, so it’s important to get it checked regularly. If you bring your vehicle in to Fisher Auto, they can check your timing belt during a routine maintenance check. During the inspection, Fisher Auto’s experienced mechanics will look for signs of wear, such as cracks, shredding or excessive slack, along with signs of oil leaks from the adjacent seals, which can also damage the belt and considerably shorten its life and lead it to break.

What Happens If The Timing Belt Breaks?

Bad things happen when the timing belt breaks; the engine of your vehicle cannot function without it. There are practically no warning signs that the timing belt on your vehicle needs to be replaced, which is why it is so important to get regular maintenance done so it can be checked out. At best, if you hear a slapping sound in the engine, it could be a sign that the belt is loose, but that’s about it. Having your timing belt break is so catastrophic because it can wreak havoc on so many of the moving parts of your engine. Basically, the timing belt connects the crankshaft with the two camshafts. If the belt breaks, then the crankshaft, the piston and the rod assembly will move with the valves still. This will then cause the piston to collide with the valves, damaging the pistons, bending the valves, and destroying the entire head in some cases. Essentially, your engine will no longer run and will need to be replaced entirely.

How Much Does it Cost to Replace the Timing Belt?

It can cost around $200-$400 to replace the timing belt depending on what kind of vehicle you have. However, that’s not as expensive as the hundreds of dollars you’d have to spend if the belt broke and damaged the engine, or the $2000-$5000 you’d spend on replacing the entire engine if the belt broke and damaged the engine’s parts to the point that it no longer ran. Budgeting for maintaining your timing belt is crucial to longevity of your engine.

Fisher Auto Can Maintain Your Timing Belt

Just like keeping air in your tires, gas in your tank, and getting your oil changed, it is crucial to the life of your engine, and vehicle in general to have routine maintenance done on your vehicle. That is why Fisher Auto is dedicated to serving the greater Denver, Colorado area with a wide range of car repairs and service updates including general repairs and maintenance, Honda, Kia factory recalls and warranty service on all makes and models. Whether you need an oil change, transmission service, brakes, or even engine repair, Fisher Auto has you covered. Bringing your car in sooner rather than later will keep your car running longer, and could potentially save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

Call or stop by Fisher Auto today to schedule your next auto service, or to check out our inventory of new and used vehicles!