SuperMan2012

My 2003 Honda Civic has 75,000 miles and is about 9 years old. Should I change the timing belt now, or should I wait until it reaches close to 100,000 miles?

ezone

7 years/110,000 miles. Whichever comes first.

Are you a gambler?

SuperMan2012

I am a little bit of a gambler, but not too much. It all depends on the risk and the chance of the bad things happening.

ezone

It is not a question of IF, but a question of WHEN.

When the timing belt lets go, it WILL be expensive.
Easily 3-5X the cost of a timing belt job alone--- depending on just how much damage is done, and there will be a lot of damage.

Are you willing to gamble on the WHEN part of the equation?

SuperMan2012

When was the last time you experienced or heard a Civic's timing belt go before 100,000 miles though while the vehicle is less than 12 yeas old.

2002ExCivic

iTrader: (1)

you came for advice hes giving you advice no one can say how long your timing belt is going to go off, the average is what he stated earlier.

my advice to you is if you are worried that much then go get it done. I was told the oil had just been changed when i bought my car. what did i do? I changed the oil and made sure it was the correct kind. Better safe than sorry.

SuperMan2012

Yeah, but I don't want to be the guy who does an oil change every 1,000 miles. This mechanic that I called thing I was nuts for wanting to change the timing belt at 75,000 miles.

scooty

I replace my 03 Lx's timing belt at 85,000 miles when it was 7 years old. It looked almost new with VERY little wear. I also replaced the tensioner and that looked absolutely new. Same story with the water pump, couldn't tell the difference between new and old apart from some coolant stains.

I drive in severe weather, (East coast) with extended periods of idling when the remote start warms the car up in the morning. I also regularly rev at least once a week beyond 4K.

lowlife9

guess there's only one way to find out.

Rodrigo

I bought a 2005 LX Sedan in December. It had 162,000 miles and was on the original timing belt as well.

Timing belt & tensioner displayed almost no wear. I say "almost" because common sense dictates the TB had to have some wear... but I sure had a hard time seeing it. The belt was dirty, but that's about it. The tensioner and water pump were similarly clean.

Don't get me wrong... I'm still glad I changed it all out. I figure there's a reason my owner's manual says to do it at 110K. I see no advantage to changing it out any earlier than your owner manual indicates.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Better safe then sorry. These are interference engines. If that belt breaks you can take a $300-500 timing belt job and make it a $1000-$1500 job its up to you.

scooty

Whatever you end up doing, spend the extra money and get an OEM belt and tentioner from a Honda dealership. I wouldn't trust aftermarket belts to be as durable.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

This. Especially the tensioner.

Rodrigo

I was very pleased with the quality of an 'OEM' TB kit I bought at NAPA. The new parts appeared identical to the original ones in all respects; right down to the finish of the steel parts and the texturing on the belt.

I think most non-dealership shops in town get their repair parts from NAPA. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

I would not buy critical engine parts such as these at any other auto parts chain.

ezone

Our shop has been accused of that. Not true here 95% of the time, although there are times we do offer aftermarket stuff (price factory axles some time). Not for something critical like a timing belt job or water pump, it's strictly OEM here.


I have always wondered if someone uses "OEM" as their brand name. Could be a good marketing ploy.

lowlife9

its because the same company that makes honda belts also supplies NAPA it starts with a w i can't think of the name rite know. also the timing belt stretches over time so just because it looks brand new doesn't mean jack. whe i worked for the largest toyota dealer in my state we got most of there parts from NAPA because they got a very nice discount and the owner was a cheap basterd.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

I think he meant "OE" not "OEM"

In any case weather they are the same or not, I dont take chances on my motor. If I pay an extra $30 bucks over NAPA stuff and even if it is the same as OEM. It takes the guess work out of everything. I get my "Honda OEM" parts cheap enough. So the extra couple bucks spent is just piece of mind for me.

Rodrigo

Well now that I've totally hijacked this poor guy's thread, may as well run with it.
I want to clarify: the NAPA stores in my town (we have two) each have a little fleet of trucks they use to run parts to repair shops all over town, all day long. And they're closed on Sunday (which is a pain when I fail to plan ahead). From this I've concluded that the bulk of their revenue surely doesn't come from shade-tree guys like me. So if pros are using NAPA parts to such a great extent, there must be some minimum level of quality there. I also note with interest that Advance, O'Reilly and Auto Zone have no such fleet of trucks in my town.

Duly noted. I stand corrected. I'd be glad to take my car to your place, ezone.

I wonder if it's like that LP record my brother ordered back in the 70's from a TV Commercial, "Today's hits by the Original Artists", which turned out to be cover versions of all the songs by a band named "The Original Artists".

Actually, there was a brand name on the box and internal packaging... but I surely can't recall what it was. There was a big sticker applied to the internal package that said, "Genuine OEM replacement part". Maybe it was strictly a marketing thing, which was my belief until I opened it up, but like I said, the new parts were identical to the old ones in every respect.

I'd be glad to by "Genuine Honda" parts for my cars if I could pay anything less than full retail. I'm envious if you're fortunate enough to get discounted parts from a dealership. I can't even get 10% out of these guys here, and I know (perhaps wrongly?) they're discounting to independent shops waaaay deeper than that. If I ask for a price break at NAPA, I get it more often than not.

I'm sure I'll be corected if I'm wrong, but I believe Honda does not actually make timing belts. Nor do they make tensioners, bearings, or most of the other engine parts that go into their cars. They hire a company to make all those parts for them, to Honda specifications.

Now if you're the company that makes "part X" for Honda, are you going to sell them ONLY to Honda? Almost certainly not. That doesn't make good business sense, and you're leaving piles of money on the table. If Honda is paying you $5 for each belt and you're able to get $10 from a parts wholesaler, you're probably going to make twice as many as Honda wants, sell half to them, and sell the other half to wholesalers under your own name. That's the way a global economy works. That's why I can go to NAPA and buy a part that's virtually identical to the one I'm taking off the car.

ezone

Well now that I've totally hijacked this poor guy's thread, may as well run with it.
Ok, fine. LOL

I want to clarify: the NAPA stores in my town (we have two) each have a little fleet of trucks they use to run parts to repair shops all over town, all day long. And they're closed on Sunday (which is a pain when I fail to plan ahead). From this I've concluded that the bulk of their revenue surely doesn't come from shade-tree guys like me. So if pros are using NAPA parts to such a great extent, there must be some minimum level of quality there. I also note with interest that Advance, O'Reilly and Auto Zone have no such fleet of trucks in my town.

Generalizations:
All the parts stores deliver, and they supply all shops, dealer and independent. Some are far more obvious than others. You just can't miss a NAPA truck with the little funky hat on top. The others are lower key, most are small plain white trucks that blend in.
Only the big box stores cater to the DIY. Better stores cater to better shops, hopefully with higher quality parts, but all have Chinese white box available. The bottom of the barrel shops tend to use bottom of the barrel parts.
And really, Autozone even carries AC-Delco parts if you want them.....but most of their clientele only want the absolute cheapest parts possible, so that's mostly what they keep in stock. (I can get AC Delco stuff cheaper from another parts store that isn't open on Sunday.)

Duly noted. I stand corrected. I'd be glad to take my car to your place, ezone.
Thanks. Warn me in advance so I can call in sick. LOL

I wonder if it's like that LP record my brother ordered back in the 70's from a TV Commercial, "Today's hits by the Original Artists", which turned out to be cover versions of all the songs by a band named "The Original Artists".

That was EXACTLY what I was getting at.


Actually, there was a brand name on the box and internal packaging... but I surely can't recall what it was. There was a big sticker applied to the internal package that said, "Genuine OEM replacement part". Maybe it was strictly a marketing thing, which was my belief until I opened it up, but like I said, the new parts were identical to the old ones in every respect.

You can also get OE parts that have been reboxed, I have seen it many times. You just can't know that ahead of time, and the parts counterperson isn't going to have any clue if it is or not.

I had a relative get rear struts for an old Mazda 929, they are very unique and low volume, so aftermarket doesn't really make them. He got reboxed original parts from Autozone for far less than I could get them for, and I worked at the dealer.

I see the same things with unique sensors, reboxed OEM on occasion.

I'd be glad to by "Genuine Honda" parts for my cars if I could pay anything less than full retail.

Internet. Majestic sells for real close to 10% over cost. But is the added cost of shipping worth it?

I'm envious if you're fortunate enough to get discounted parts from a dealership. I can't even get 10% out of these guys here, and I know (perhaps wrongly?) they're discounting to independent shops waaaay deeper than that. If I ask for a price break at NAPA, I get it more often than not.

All dealers are free to set their own price structures.

They don't have to adhere to MSRP, but if you already know what MSRP is they may come down to that to make the sale.

Some won't, they would rather not sell at all than make too little profit.

I think they must have figured out how to retire off of percentages instead of real money.

(I sell lemonade for $1,000,000 per glass. I only need to sell one of them and I'm set!)

You probably won't get more discount unless you can prove you work in a shop or a car lot, anything automotive related.

I'm sure I'll be corected if I'm wrong, but I believe Honda does not actually make timing belts. Nor do they make tensioners, bearings, or most of the other engine parts that go into their cars. They hire a company to make all those parts for them, to Honda specifications.

True.
I was going to look at what was on the shelves before I left work today, but I forgot.
Gates, Bando, MitsubOshi are some names I have seen on belts here, and I know Goodyear and Dayco make OE for some other brands of cars. There are more brands and more parts in the same category. There are plenty that don't, too. Many are not labeled at all, but you know someone has to make it.

Now if you're the company that makes "part X" for Honda, are you going to sell them ONLY to Honda? Almost certainly not. That doesn't make good business sense, and you're leaving piles of money on the table. If Honda is paying you $5 for each belt and you're able to get $10 from a parts wholesaler, you're probably going to make twice as many as Honda wants, sell half to them, and sell the other half to wholesalers under your own name. That's the way a global economy works. That's why I can go to NAPA and buy a part that's virtually identical to the one I'm taking off the car.

Yup. Hopefully you can find an actual brand name on both to prove it.

I wonder if NAPA lists the VIN number break for the different tensioners on an 04, or differentiate Japan/US/Canada builds when there are differences.

SuperMan2012

Fine? NO, it's not fine!

ezone

LOL
I seem to do this.
Sorry.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

lol damn ezone. Well at least hes informative

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

Price some OEM Toyota parts sometime, it will make you appreciate Honda parts prices.

I stick with OEM, have for years.

Rodrigo

LOL. You're right. Sorry!

So get that *&^%$# timing belt changed, already!

ezone

Looked on the shelf,
timing belts say Gates and Unitta,
serp belts say Bando and Mitsuboshi.