Why Should I Replace My Timing Belt?

Do I really need to have the timing belt replaced on my car because it's running good? A broken timing belt will stop the engine from running and may cause severe internal engine damage and costly repairs (even engine replacement), so it's important to have your timing belt serviced at the recommended intervals. 

Do you like walking, getting rides, or being stranded at an inconvenient time? Timing belts usually don't give you a warning they are about to break. Your car can seem to be running good with no problem, then your car just quits running. That's why Mastermind Enterprises Auto Repair Shop in Denver recommends replacing your timing belt at or before the manufacturer's recommended schedule. If you wait, you could be facing a much higher repair bill than if you had replaced your timing belt on time.

Are you looking for a well-respected, honest, Master ASE Certified auto repair shop in Denver to replace your car's timing belt at a good price? This is what we do at Mastermind Enterprises!

We can't stand to see people destroy their engines because of a timing belt replacement, so we're offering 20% off Parts AND Labor on all timing belt replacements in our shop through July 2015!  We will be happy to discuss all of your auto repair service needs with you, including helping you find a convenient time to have your car’s timing belt replaced (most services are completed in just 1 day!). We want to help you keep your car running dependably for years to come.

Call us today at 303-297-2886

Save yourself costly engine repairs or even engine replacement!

Don't take a chance on costly engine damage! If you are over your vehicle's recommended timing belt change intervals, do not even start your car! It is very common for timing belts to skip a tooth or break when you turn off your engine. Then, when you go to start your car again, you can actually cause more damage. You can avoid major engine damage like this by replacing your timing belt at or BEFORE your manufacturer's recommended mileage. If there is any doubt about the condition of your timing belt, we recommend you have your vehicle towed down immediately. Watch this video and learn more about timing belt replacement.

We specialize in timing belts at Mastermind Enterprises. Our lead ASE Master Certified Technician has been replacing them for over 25 years! We replace timing belts on most asian and domestic vehicles from Acura to Toyota AND we guarantee all of our work with a warranty!

What can happen if your timing belt 
is serviced improperly by an unqualified mechanic
(or not serviced at all)

Unsure of when your timing belt is due?

Don't take a chance, call us today!

Trust the PROS!

If you are in Denver, 

try us and see how easy auto repair can be!

Month of Myths - #8

Myth 8: The service schedule is just a way for service people to make money.

Your vehicle's service schedule was designed by automotive engineers not service technicians and is the minimum required service interval. Maintaining your car helps keep your driving trouble-free while it preserves your investment. 

Crestview Auto Service is a proud partner of Trusted Saskatoon and the only NAPA AutoPro in Saskatoon. Click here to find out about the Trusted Business Guarantee. 

Timing Belts and Timing Chains

Some vehicles use timing belts and others use timing chains to keep the engine synchronized. The timing belt is a reinforced rubber belt with evenly spaced notches, which rotate on matching pulleys. This makes the connection that keeps the upper rotating components synchronized with the lower rotating components. Over time the rubber and reinforcing fibers break down and the belt needs to be replaced.

Each vehicle's specific maintenance schedule will specify when the timing ...belt needs replacing. This interval is the maximum distance or time the belt should be used. The reason we replace it before it breaks is so that the internal engine components that need to move “in time” to each other do not make contact. Once the belt breaks or jumps a tooth, a lot of internal damaged can happen due to the destructive forces of parts hitting each other. When this happens the costs will skyrocket and may lead to complete engine replacement.

The cost to replace the timing belt varies greatly between vehicle manufactures and even the same manufactures different models of vehicles. When it is time for servicing, not only does the belt need replacement but any of the other components driven by the timing belt should be inspected to be sure they will be good until the next service interval.

At Crestview Auto Service our goal is for you to have a safe reliable vehicle, to save you time and money for as long as you own it. Proper maintenance does cost money but it costs a lot less than neglecting the maintenance and having to pay for preventable repairs. Maintenance can be planned for weeks or months in advance, unlike a break down, which usually tends to ruin the day. We look forward to helping you with your vehicle maintenance.

At Crestview Auto Service “We’ll Keep Your Car Young a Long Time”

The purpose of a Timing Belt and Water pump

November 28, 2012

The timing belt which is also known as a timing chain, plays a vital role in the function and operation of your vehicle, also needs to be maintain to the specification of your manufactures specs. The function of the timing belt it turns the engine's camshaft at a speed set by the crankshaft. This allows the crankshaft to operate the camshaft in opening and closing within specific timing with the pistons, which pushes your engine to work properly and efficient. 

The timing belt does exactly what it is named after to keep the engine "in time." if for some reason the belt has slipped or it is not properly aligned, the engine will not perform to it's capabilities and may cause your engine to break down. When you have your timing belt replaced you should always have your water pump replaced at the same time as they go hand in hand.

This is a very expensive process having a timing belt and water pump replaced, for the simple reason it is very tight inside the engine compartment. The vast major of the cost factor is due to the labour of getting at the timing belt and water pump, since there is not much room, several parts must be taking off in order for you to actually get to these parts of your engine. This is a job that is not highly recommended for an average garage to perform on your vehicle.

Configuration of Timing Belt and Water Pump

Timing Belt and Water Pump
how it performance

As you can see it makes sense to replace the water pump when ever your are replacing the timing belt as they go hand in hand with the over all performance of your vehicle's engine. Servicing your timing belt is a very costly process but presents an opportunity to extend the life of your vehicle by as much as up too 10 years. Since the timing belt runs on the water pump pulley in most late model vehicles, so it is just a matter of a few bolts to be removed in order to replace your water pump. Since the water pump seals can fail due to extra belt tension and general deterioration caused by age. Replacing your water pump will prevent an unforeseen disaster that could become very costly. 

Actual configuration of 2002 Volvo
timing belt and water pump

SHORT VIDEO ON HOW TO CHANGE YOUR TIMING
BELT AND WATER PUMP

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Audi Timing Belts

If you have a later model Audi, and you’re closing in on 100,000 miles you might be wondering why that timing belt change you’re looking at is so expensive, and what it involves.

The maintenance schedule simply says “replace timing belt at 105,000 miles” for most models.  They don’t really list any other parts, or talk about what’s involved.  There are two ways you can approach that work.

The first method is to slide the front bumper forward for access, take the covers off the front of the motor, and slip a new timing belt into place.  You might change a roller or two, and swap the serpentine belts, but the rest of the car remains untouched.

That’s the easiest job to do.  A skilled tech can bang the work out in a day.  But is that the best job for you as an owner?

If you plan to trade the car next month, it may seem like the way to go.  But if you plan on keeping your Audi another 100,000 miles, or you plan to pass it on to a kid or friend or anyone you care about, a different approach is probably called for.

At Robison Service, we do a lot of work for enthusiasts – people who ask a lot of their cars and really care about and for them.  Over time we’ve learned that the best repairs are the ones that last.  Often that means doing more work, not less, when tackling a big job.  Anytime we do a big job, we ask ourselves, “What else is going to give trouble soon,” and we address those items while the car is apart and it’s easy.  After all, it’s always smarter to spend two hundred dollars today, if it saves six hundred dollars next year. 

If you simply slap a timing belt onto a 100,000-mile Audi you can be assured that the job will not last another 100,000 miles.  More than likely, you will be doing the work over again, with additional repairs, within three years.  Why?  Because the timing belt is just one piece of a complex system, and the other pieces of the system can and will fail too, even though they are not on the maintenance schedule.

For example, the water pump is driven by the timing belt.  Most Audi water pumps make it to 100k miles.  I’ve never seen one last 200k.  The water pump is behind the timing belt, so its replacement calls for doing the timing belt all over again.  Installing a water pump during the timing belt job will cost a few hundred dollars, in most cases.  Replacing it two years later (and doing the timing belt and other work over again)  may well cost fifteen hundred more dollars, when everything is tallied up.

The timing belt is guided and tensioned by a number of rollers and springs, all of which wear out.  Those parts won’t last till 200k either, and if they fail, the timing belt can come off, leading to thousands of dollars in preventable engine damage.

All cars leak oil and coolant when they get old.  Audis are no exception.  The thing is, you can fix many of those leaks easily when the engine is apart.  A few extra hours may get rid of those annoying drips.

And drips can be more than an annoyance.  When oil or coolant leaks onto the exhaust, it’s a fire hazard.  When oil gets hot in summer, it makes an acrid stink that can be drawn inside the car when the AC is running.  Those are a few of the good reasons to fix your leaks while the motor is open.

What about everything else under the hood?  I believe a good technician should look the whole engine bay over carefully when doing any big job.  Who knows what’s about to fail?  There may be cracked hoses, leaking AC lines, or even a corroded and failing battery.  The time we open the hood for work may well be the only time anyone looks at those things until they fail.

As much as people hate to spend money, it’s easier and cheaper to change a battery when your car is already in the shop than it will be when it dies, in an empty parking lot, some cold winter night.  That idea exemplifies the difference in our philosophy.  We believe in identifying what may go wrong tomorrow, and fixing it while we do today's repair.  Other people believe is doing just what the schedule says, and no more.  There's a place for both ways of thinking; I believe our philosophy is more suited to long term ownership.

We apply this same preventative care approach to every car we service.  Sometimes it can surprise people.  They go to the Shop A and hear about two problems.  They come to us and we show them ten more things.  That doesn't make the first guy wrong - it just means we have a different approach and I like to think we are more through.

Robison Service is a four-star Bosch Car Service center.  We service Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, Land Rover, Porsche, and Rolls Royce-Bentley automobiles.   We’re located right off exit 4 of I-291 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Visit us online, or stop by the shop.  We're here from 8-5 Monday through Friday.   Phone us at 413-785-1665