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Cost of cambelt change?

34K views 34 replies 21 participants last post by  Richard's  
#1 ·
Can anyone give me a rough idea of what a cambelt change will cost on a tf? I think I've also noticed people recommending having the water pump changed at the same time? if so, why?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
It is labour intensive to change the water pump, when changing cam belts etc it is ' easily ' accessible so it makes sense for the relatively modest cost to change it at the same time as they have the habit of starting to leak after the big service, that's known as ' sod's law '
Russell, Rover solutions will travel to you to do the work, someone will be along with a phone number or Google.
 
#4 ·
You should be able to get a cambelt and water pump done locally for around £200. I am lucky and live close to a very good MG Rover expert. There are good garages out there and it is often a shorter wait to get the car booked into the local garage due to Russell having a good reputation and being booked up well in advance.
 
#7 ·
Had cambelt MOT and service done at same time (no water pump!) toatal cost including VAT at 17.5% was £526. Signature, Preston. 'spensive!

As far as I can see, cambelt alone would have been about £300.

Laurie G0MRL
 
#8 ·
Ouch..!!!!!!!

Was there a reason why they didnt do the water pump at the same time ?
A mate of mine round the corner does cars in his spare time at week ends. very methodical and trust worthy.
Was going to do mine for £100 plus price of parts but thought i'd have a go at doing it myself for the experience...
turned out to be a nightmare as the matrix bleed screw snapped when re bleeding so dash had to come out and new matrix fitted . It was a very worth while experience and learned loads about the car. but apart form that it was a straight forward job.
 
#10 ·
I'm just outside Cambridge (so about 90 miles away) and that's no problem (although there is a small extra charge for the travelling).

Your best bet will be to drop him a line when he returns from his hols and see what he says.
 
#12 ·
Recently (2 weeks) had my "C Service" carried out by Sterling Automotive which was £495 including cambelt change.

I queried about automatic replacement of the water pump and they said generally they only do that if there is evidence of it having been leaking or looks like it warrants a change. Surprised me a little as I thought it was often taking the tension off the water pump that caused it to leak once retensioned.

Also Russell did cambelt change on my daughter's "F VVC" last year and he didn't replace the pump either.

So two quite respected MG specialists taking the same approach left me feeling quite comfortable.

David
 
#14 ·
cost of cambelt change

Getting my cambelt done at the weekend by a recommended mobile mechanic, cambelt kit inc tensioner, and 'rollers' £140 fitted.

He's bringing a new waterpump with him just in case, and will fit that for cost of pump.

Am minded for the cost of pump it's getting done at the same time.

Based in south Cheshire.
 
#18 ·
I would never put a cam belt on without a new tensioner as the old one can sieze and then cause belt failue/ catastrophic engine damage..
it should always be done with the cam belt
there are 2 types (manual and auto tensioners) and believe they arent interchangable.
 
#19 ·
I had mine changed recently and it came up to 150eu +VAT. I did bring him the bits which I got off ebay. I did change water pump, alternator belt and the cambelt with the tensioner new. Dayco was the brand I think.

However.. since changing it, a sort of 'electric' noise has appeared, like the belt is running too tight. It varies it's pitch with engine speed. Maybe because my older alternator belt was running with a bit of slack. It doesn't sound too bad to make me think it shouldn't, and engine is performing fine. I've covered a few hundred miles since, so don't think it's anything serious.

It's just one of them noises that wasn't there before!
 
#20 ·
My Tf is in for a service at the moment at a local garage recommended on the MG Owners club website.

Full service, cambelt, water pump and stainless steel under floor pipes: £400,

£200 for just the cambelt and waterpump sounds reasonable to me.
 
#27 ·
To me, the first important consideration should be the quality of the parts to be used - particularly in respect of the water pump, where some (most?) aftermarket makes might not be considered to be a good bet.
In terms of the belt and tensioner then aim would only use Gates if not going with ‘dealer’ parts. Water pump would be ‘dealer’ only.
Cost of fitting this parts is the secondary consideration.
Always renew the alternator belt at the same time.
 
#28 ·
Russell will travel- he got family in Cheshire, I believe- hes based in Wrotham Kent. Ive known him through this Forum and hes worked on my sons TF160 and mine over the past 10 years. Im an engineer by trade and do all my own work but with the K-Series and its reputation/access- or lack of it- I decided to go with what was recommended on here- And heres a thing- hes not a crook and will only do whats necessary! Theres loads of stories on here and his FB page where hes righted the wrong with suspect head-gaskets etc- look him up on FB- Mg Rover Solutions and drop him a message, holiday or not- he gets bored and is likely to reply!!
 
#29 ·
The kit I have bought is a gates kit with water pump [everything] exactly the same as the dealer would fit.

What I would like is guidance on the cost of having them fitted which was the question, as I have huge differences in quotes for labour only.
Obviously cost is not the major issue but I don't want ripping off either.

The alternator belt I had changes 3 weeks ago as it was slipping.
 
#31 ·
.......What I would like is guidance on the cost of having them fitted which was the question, as I have huge differences in quotes for labour only.
You would perhaps get a reply to your specific question if you started your own thread, rather than resurrect one which has been dead for nearly 9 years.

All that happens with resurrecting threads is that people reply to the original thread without noticing the date on the posts ;)

I can't answer your question as I do not know the job on an F or TF, but a complete cam belt and water pump change on a 25/ZR in a bricks and mortar garage would probably be around £200 including the cost of the parts. It's a bit more work on an F or Tf due to the lack of space around the engine, so is going to be significantly more.
 
#30 ·
OK, Gates kit including water pump. Personally, although I would certainly go for the Gates kit for the belt and tensioner, I would not use their water pump in preference to a a bit dearer ‘dealer’ pump.
‘Fit only’ quote. There are a couple of points to consider here:- The fitter will have lost his mark up on the parts, so is likely to simply add that loss to his labour charge. Also (and more importantly) they are simply fitters of your parts, and I doubt whether they will give you the same guarantee on the job since they have not supplied the parts and have no guarantee responsibility regarding these parts.
 
#32 ·
........Personally, although I would certainly go for the Gates kit for the belt and tensioner, I would not use their water pump in preference to a a bit dearer ‘dealer’ pump.....
The factory fit timing belts for the K series were Gates belts, and I am pretty sure the tensioner in the Gates kits is the same INA tensioner that was factory fitted to the K. I am not sure what water pump is included, but I would think it will almost certainly be either the same factory fit Airtex pump or one of equal quality. I am also unsure what pump is now supplied as ;Genuine MG Rover' by XPart as the part number has changed since 2005, so it may no longer be an Airtex one ???

I would fully agree with your sentiment behind suggesting a genuine MGR pump though - there are far to many cheap water pumps out there and I am convinced that the biggest proportion of cars that suffer a water pump failure do so as a result of fitting a cheaper water pump when doing a head gasket or cam belt replacement. The original Airtex pumps are very good, and I have had two engines which were still going strong on their original water pump at over 100k miles (both had suffered an earlier HGF, but had the timing belt changed, but neither tensioner nor water pump were replaced). This was on a non-VVC engine with auto tensioner for the timing belt though; the VVC has a manual tensioner, overtightening of which is well known to lead to potential for eccentric wear to the water pump seal and subsequent failure.

Which leads me to another question for Richard's - you haven't said whether yours is VVC (160) or non-VVC? If it is a VVC, the cost will be higher because there are two timing belts (and tensioners) to be replaced - longer job.
 
#33 ·
Okay no worries.
Had a discussion with my usual garage yesterday afternoon.

They did my alternator belt & recommended the supplier for the Gates Kit [where they would get it from] said it was of no issue whether I got it or them.

They are happy to do the job on a labour only basis with the usual grantees which they gave me before.
The labour cost is £280.00 + VAT so I'm happy with that.

Cheers