The car's timing belt has a limited service life; you just have to change it when it comes to an end. Unfortunately, this belt comes when it breaks due to wear and tear and, in addition to being a very unpredictable breakdown, it can trigger more severe problems and be more expensive to solve.
The change of the timing belt must be done when appropriate because, although it is one of the most expensive breakdowns that our car can suffer, if it is not changed in time, it can break and cause additional breakdowns. So now, when do you change the timing belt? It is something that depends, because it can be done depending on certain kilometres, or the change can be carried out depending on the age of this part of the mechanics of our vehicle.
How many kilometres before replacing a timing belt?
In the maintenance book of our car, we will find the exact recommendation of our manufacturer on how many kilometres to change the timing belt in the specific case of our brand and model is. However, it is usually at 65,000 to 130,000 kilometres when we have to replace our belt with a new one before it breaks.
The belt's wear is usually higher in urban use because, although the car is not moving - and therefore making kilometres - the truth is that the belt continues to work and wear out. Consequently, we should also consider what type of use we make of our car to, based on this, anticipate in kilometres the recommendation of the manufacturer of our vehicle.
How often do you have to change the timing belt?
The criterion of kilometres is possible, but we must also consider how often to change the timing belt. Some manufacturers make the recommendation based on time: the usual thing is that the maintenance book tells us to change the timing belt every five years or, at least, use this time reference to carry out a correct and proper maintenance review of this car part.
In this sense, it is normal for the wear of the car's timing belt in areas with hot climates to be somewhat faster. But, on the other hand, if we live in an area with high temperatures, it is possible that the maintenance of the belt we have to carry out less time. And of course, in any case, if we notice strange noises or abnormal behaviour in our car, we should go to the workshop as soon as possible.
