Right, my 06 plate 1.9 diesel family has done 40k miles and was registered in March 2006.

I have asked 3 dealers whether I need to replace the cambelt etc now as its 5 years old but only 40k on the clock and I'm getting conflicting answers.

The service book states on the Doblo page that the toothed timing belt is to be changed at 72k. However, it is asterisked. The asterisk does not appear in the "key" on the Doblo page but it does on the next page for the Ulysse people carrier.

There it reads:

"Or Every 54k miles for the petrol version for heavy usage (cold climates, town driving with long idling stops, dusty areas), or every 5 years irrespective of mileage."

Even though it appears to refer to the petrol version, do I take it that mine needs replacing at 5 years regardless of mileage? It's not very clear.

I have Emailed Fiat to clarify but does anyone on here actually know for certain? I don't want to spend £300 if I don't need to but similarly don't want to kill it if it needs replacing. The dealers don't seem to know for certain either....

Does anybody know?

Many thanks!

Ewan

Best advice?

Change it, its either the mileage quoted or every 4 years... not worth the risk... water pump & tensioner should be done too...

Officially its 5 years or 72,000 miles, but anything from 4 years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first) is wise.

This is particularly because the waterpumps can start to get jittery after 4 years/50k miles & if these go, theyre likely to throw the cambelt off or snap it (the cambelt drives the waterpump on this engine).

In your particular case id say youre probably safe for a few months, but look to get it done as close to 5 years as possible, as the pump could be tired even if the belt isn't.

OK, that's great. Many thanks. I will make the arrangements for next month when I've been paid!

Cheers.

Ewan

I've just been quoted £300 plus VAT to do the work and that's with non genuine parts?

Does anyone know offhand the cost of the genuine parts?

Thanks,
Ewan

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fiat-Doblo-1-9-JTD-Genuine-Timing-Cambelt-Kit-FITTED-/170594820284?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item27b83e60bc


£245 fitted - OK, so it's within a 25 mile radius of worcester & they come to you - so if your workplace falls within the 25 mile & there is enough room that could be a real bonus.

based on £245, I would say £300 inc vat might be a more acceptable price?

Have to say, I helped a mate do the cambelt on his discovery a couple of years back & it was a real pig to do. Took the better part of a day just to remove all the trimmings so we could see the belt.
When it came to fitting the new belt, it was a fraction shorter than the old one so proved extremely tight to fit. Went back to the auto suppliers with engine number, chassis number etc & they insisted it was the right part but agred to refund. Went to the main stealer & their new one was double the price but just a shade shorter than the old one and so slipped on far more easilly - very important when you have a load of marks to line up & you have to have two people fitting it all together! Once it was on, I checked that all the marks lined up, put essential bits on & checked the timing then left him to fit the rest of the carp (another day!). So I can easilly see where they get their prices from.

Interesting. Would be handy if I lived closer to them.

This is going to sound like a really stupid question but if i get the work done and the cambelt subsequently failed and destroyed the engine, would it be warranteed (??) by the garage or the cambelt manufacturer?

Never had to have one replaced before except on company cars so never really looked into it.

Cheers.

Yeah, right. And the cambelt manufacturer will say it wasn't fitted properly, the garage will say their work was top class and you'll be stood there, piggy in the middle with no car.
I think, at the end of the day though, it would be down to the garage as you contracted them to carry out the work. The garage would compensate you and then cvlaim back from the cambelt manufacturer?

Actually... there is a cambelt maker / supplier who warrants their materials AND the workmanship of the fitting garage for an extra £10.... for 12 months until the next belt change interval... I think it was Gates... I'll check & edit...

Edit.. WRONG! It was Dayco...

"we’re so confident in the quality of our products and the credibility of our application engineering that we back this claim with our exclusive Dayco Mileage Warranty Program. This program ensures that, if during the same repair service, the timing belt along with worn timing belt tensioners and/or idler pulleys are replaced with a Dayco Timing Belt and Dayco Timing Belt Component Kit Tensioners and/or Idler Pulleys…Dayco will warrant both the belt and tensioner and/or idler pulleys for the life of the automotive manufacturer’s original recommended replacement interval. If no OEM timing belt replacement interval is recommended, then the typical trade practice of replacing the timing belt and components at 60,000 miles will apply. The warranty will become effective if the timing belt or any of components fail prior to the designated replacement interval. An invoice carrying the date of replacement, odometer reading at time of replacement and odometer reading at the time of failure will be required along with the failed timing belt and components. "