Is there a wear indicator on the timing belt or a rule of thumb that I should follow when knowing when to change it? I just purchased the car and do not know when it was changed last.

 

not really the belt should be relplaced after a certain number of kilometers. If your not sure when it was last done you can either do it or wait untill it snaps and then do it but you will be stranded wherever it snaps. Its a pricy job to get done and you should do the water pump when you do the belt to avoid paying labour twice and its the labour that cost 80% the other 20 is the cost of the belt and water pump. To answer your question there is unfortunatly no wear indicator or rule of thumb you just change it after 80 thou. kms or whatever the service intrerval might be from the manufacturer.

 

Look in your book and see when it says to change it. But if your hard on your car, you should change it earlyer.

 

Im not too hard on my car , I was just wondering because I saw the other thread about the belt snapping. Approx how much does it cost for Water Pump and Belt? Thanks

 

around 170

 

plus labor.

 

How many KM does your car have?
There is no indicator, but you can also physically check the condition of the belt. Look for signs of wear and tear. Stretch marks. And most commonly cracks. If you see these, then most definately you should get it replaced.

 

i heard its recommended to change the belt around every 100 000 km but im not sure i gotta do a timming belt as well...

 

Checked it out it looks in generally good shape, car engine has 120k on it. I dunno when the timing belt was last changed though.