Previously posted in New Member Forum

This is my first post so please be kind...I am the original owner of a 2004 Honda Accord V6 who is clueless about cars.

Purchase date: 05/2004
Miles: 55,000
Mostly city driving (3 miles to and from work—approximately 75% of my mileage is stop and go traffic in lovely Overland Park, KS)

I just returned from the Honda dealer with a new power steering pump, new front brake pads and resurfaced rotors, brake fluid flush and coolant service. The timing belt should be changed after the first 105k miles or 7 years and Honda recommended replacing it for $1200! When I questioned them about the cost, they said it included the timing belt, water pump and external drive belts.

What is more important, the number of miles 105k miles or 7 years? I don’t want to spend money unnecessarily but I want my car to last.

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank-you,

 

What's most important is that it's an interference engine. That means if the timing belt breaks, the pistons can hit the valves. Then you get to buy a new engine.

Miles seems more important, but I can't recommend you ignore the age completely. Starting and stopping the engine is stressful for the belt, and you're doing that every 3 miles. Honda doesn't expect you to keep count of how many times you start the engine, so they write the maintenance schedule in terms of years.

People have gone over the miles and over the years, but occasionally they break their timing belts. There's no promise that it'll break after 7.5 years, or 8 years, but it just gets more & more on borrowed time. I imagine if you got out to 10 years you'd pretty likely have the belt break.

Have you ever had an oil leak at the belt-end of the engine? If that belt got soaked in oil, I'd absolutely change it right now. Some of the things that are hard on that belt, are not things that you can put simply in terms of miles or years.

 

Thanks for your detailed response. Are there any signs that would indicate that the timing belt is on its last legs?

 

Even if you pull the upper cover(s) and look at the belt it is still hard to know if it is going to last a day or another four years?

You might call around to independent repair shops that specialize in Honda/Acura cars and get a quote from them on doing the timing belt.

 

Thank you!

 

Our pleasure.....hope something helped you figure out what/where to go.....keep us posted as to how it turns out