The cambelt synchronises the crankshaft and the camshaft so that the engine's valves open and close at exactly the right moment. It's a wear item, and if it isn't changed when it's due it can snap — and depending on the engine, that means valves meeting pistons and very expensive, serious damage.
A good rule of thumb is a cambelt change every 40,000 to 60,000 miles, or roughly every five years, though intervals vary a lot between manufacturers. If you're not sure when yours was last done, we can check your service history and the manufacturer's schedule for you.
What we replace with the belt
A cambelt is never changed on its own. The tensioner and idler pulleys wear at the same rate as the belt, and on most engines the water pump is driven by it too — so we fit a complete kit and replace the water pump where it's belt-driven, rather than take the engine apart twice.
- Cambelt, tensioner and idler pulleys as a kit
- Water pump where it's driven by the belt
- Auxiliary drive belt if it's due
- Wet-belt systems (e.g. Ford 1.0 EcoBoost) — a known weak point we deal with regularly