My question is - Does the life depend on useage ie miles driven or time? The timing belt was changed 3 years ago has only been used fo 5000 miles. Any advice would be welcome

Thanks

Life depends on both. The mileage of your van is very low, so you probably have to change an "as new" belt after 5 years.

To quote Contitech "Long periods of non-use place just as much strain on a belt as regular operation does. Aging damages the material – no matter how much you drive," explains Helmut Engel, Head of Automotive Aftermarket at the ContiTech Power Transmission Group."

Retail full belt is about €80-€120, takes about 1.5 hours to DIY, could save €XXXX in bills.

When you have experienced a timing belt break, and have counted the cost, you will not ask such questions. But the above suggestions are quite right, it's time and mileage together that bring a belt to the end of it's life, and 5 years or about 100,000 miles whichever comes first, is a reasonable yardstick. However some engines [Ford 1753cc diesel] have 2 belts, only the camshaft drive belt is critical. The injector pump drive belt can be neglected because when it breaks the engine just stops, doing no mechanical damage, and only the camshaft drive belt breaking will do mechanical damage..

rolandbrindley said:

However some engines [Ford 1753cc diesel] have 2 belts, only the camshaft drive belt is critical. The injector pump drive belt can be neglected because when it breaks the engine just stops, doing no mechanical damage, and only the camshaft drive belt breaking will do mechanical damage..

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Conversely the 2.8JTD has a Bosch CP1 high pressure pump driven by the timing belt that take 3.5kw from the belt so you can imagine the extra strain that places on it. No point in taking chances.