Timing belt query

Q With your experience in working on many makes of vehicle I would value your advice and guidance regarding my car – a 2001 Honda Civic 1.6 Sport petrol with an SOHC engine (code D16Y7). I bought it in 2011 at 40,000 miles and had the timing belt replaced. It has now covered 67,000 miles.

I believe the belt should be changed every five years irrespective of mileage. I have been told that it would be prudent to have the water pump changed at the same time. I have been quoted £210 at the main dealer, but it is not clear if this is for a belt only or a full kit. Is the price quoted reasonable?

Kevin Sweeney

A The recommendation for vehicles built before 1998 was for a cambelt replacement at

60,000 miles or five years, whichever came first. For vehicles built after 1998, the recommendation is eight years or 72,000 miles. The job time for replacing the belt is 2.1 hours for vehicles without air-conditioning, adding 0.2 hours for vehicles with aircon. My advice on replacing timing belts is always to be better safe than sorry, so I would rather replace a belt too soon than suffer the consequences of it failing.

The water pump is driven by the cambelt and, given the age of the vehicle, it would be prudent to replace this at the same time. There is only one tensioner used in the route of the timing belt and this should be included in the replacement kit.

The Blue Print part number for the timing belt kit with tensioner and water pump is ADH273753 and this retails at around £100. Given the main dealer price, I would expect this to be just the belt, so it may be worth asking them for a quote that includes the tensioner and water pump. I would also compare this with a reputable independent garage, who should be able to offer a competitive quote, remembering that if the water pump is replaced you will also require fresh coolant for the system.