When should I change the cambelt on a 1999 2.0 petrol Focus?
Ford Service Guide says 100K miles /10 years.
Ford main dealer said 100K. "had no problems with them".
Friend in the trade referred to his fat "Cam belt Bible" which said 1998- every 100K.
but....
HJ Focus review says "some fleets reckon on just 60K....
Haynes manual (Spring 2001) "strongly recommended 40K".
I have also read elsewhere 40K.
Have belts/pulleys been improved and fitted since 1998?
Is some of this 40K-60K advice based on the older belts?
Main dealers charge £200 ( if you want to retain FFSH stamps)
Just had 30K service so a minimum 10K of worry free motoring!!!
I am aware of the potential engine damage. I had a belt snap on a 1600 Cortina (the 1600 escape damage usually)
Your thoughts please.
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Assuming you\'ve had the car from new, you do about 7,500 miles per year. In that case, I\'d be changing the belt at the first service after the car\'s fifth birthday, because age, as well as mileage, can have a negative impact on belts. Doing such a low mileage, you should also service the car at least annually, not every 10,000 miles, and ideally get an oil change (£14.95 in Rapid Fit I believe) every six months.
I appreciate that you don\'t want to be told this, but if your cambelt failed at 5 years and 50k, your car would be worth very little more than the cost of a new Ford engine, if anything at all. The good news is that the consensus seems to be that these cars don\'t have much of a problem with prematurely snapped belts (unlike Vauxhalls). While you\'re obviously concerned about resale value, when the car is more than 3 or so years old, there\'s little financial upside to going for the full main dealer service; possibly Rapid Fit would offer a good compromise between lower cost and peace of mind.
In any case, full main dealer service history doesn\'t mean that the car has only ever had a main dealer work on it for everything down to the tyres and the pine tree air freshener; it just means that the scheduled maintenance has been complied with and carried out at a main dealer. As long as you use a genuine Ford part, there\'s no harm in going to a trusted independent for something that\'s not on the service schedule.
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My son recently bought said Focus Ghia from a small dealer. It is ex blue chip company lease car with FFSH but sold prior to 3years service. Just had 3 year service done for £150 at main dealer (£220 locally). I have RTFM and Haynes so now bits work. Needed to get a new indicator stalk to get the trip computer working which was a DIY no tools job. Plan is to go for annual service and I will do 6 month oil changes and keep an eye on things. I have always run older simpler cars and done the easier items- water pumps, wiper motors but left the complex (or jobs needing special tools) to a friends garage.
Your 5 year suggestion seems good to me. As it is sons first car future mileage is not known.
I have already been on a steep learning curve (helped by HJ tips) with my first experience of alloy wheels. After eventually getting them off the hubs and then applying Copperslip I feel happier The generic checksheet says - with wheels /drums off check brakepads, discs etc. Hmmm
Just a little wary of the complexity of the Focus compared with my old 88 Sierra
My response to sons frequent friendly observation - When are you going to get rid of that old heap - is - What! Every time I fill it up I double its value - cannot say hat of the Focus.
Thanks for your your replies. Most reassuring and helpful
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