325i cambelt - at what milage?

[sleepenvy]

working out a list of to do items - at what milage does the cambelt need changing?

[snoops]

60k?

[sleepenvy]

is that a guess or do you know for sure?

[Chris-W]

40k or 3 years.

[sleepenvy]

really - seems a short interval?

is it a big job?

[peejay]

60k?

Every 60k is correct! Fact.

PJ.

[sleepenvy]

lol

do we have any more bids?

[BDC6570]

on my service book BMW dealer changed the cam at 70k ,haynes says every 30K just done my again on 119000 that was overdue big time.

[tezk]

I'd go with 40k or 3 years. Average milage is 10k per year, so most people will be replacing every 3 years anyway.

And not a bad job. Biggest pain is removing radiator to get clearance and so having to refill coolant and bleed.
But then there's supposed to be new coolant every 2 years.

[sleepenvy]

hmmm...

so we've got 60k, 40k, 70k

anyone willing to place bets?

[BDC6570]

think when new or newish first one would be around 60-70k but then 2 be safe every 30k

[sleepenvy]

why change the miles though? you don't do it for things like brake fluid and oil changes

[gooner1]

why change the miles though? you don't do it for things like brake fluid and oil changes

Oh yes we do, my oil gets changed every 3000 miles. As to belt change
personally i,d go for 40k just because of the obvious damage that would incur if a belt did snap.

[tezk]

why change the miles though? you don't do it for things like brake fluid and oil changes

The majority of changes have time scales quoted that will be met by the majority of drivers way before the mileage.

Of course, someone doing 100 miles per day motorway driving will rack up the miles, but the wear on the car is going to be a lot less. Still, 5 days per week, thats 50k odd miles in two years? If I were travelling that distance I'd be changing it sooner than every two years to save the risk of loosing the car!

[sleepenvy]

that's your own perrogative though - there's nothing in the owners manual which states above a certain milage you should change the oil more often

besides which doesn't the dash indicator tell you when it needs doing dependent on various factors?

[tezk]

I'm sure the indicator is based on milage.

There's an excellent oil guide available through the links section (I think) that explains that oil changes should be based solely on the amount of moisture accumulated in the engine which is based on numerous factors.

General guidelines usually come close to this for the majority of conditions.

[darkchild]

I change mine every 25K or 3 years - whatever comes first. When I get my 320i the cambelt had been changed only 15K previously, but those 15K had been done over 7 years. The belt was on the edge of being well and truly knackered as age affects them as well. Its always worth changing the water pump too as it tensions the belt.

[sleepenvy]

tezk - cheers for the ehads up regarding the guide

most of my e30 knowledge has gone out of the window since I last owned an e30 but I seem to recall the service indicator works based on the number of hot and cold starts, running hours and time spent at certain engine speeds plus a few other key factors

[darkchild]

The current BMW's Service Indicators are purely based on fuel consumption, whilst earlier ones (E30, E36 etc) take into account mileage, operating temperture and other variables.

[sleepenvy]

60k, 40k, 70k, 25k

anymore for anymore?

5000 internet points for the closest one when I call the dealers in the morning

[tailoutcharlie]

whoops, just looked thru my history, cant see mention of belt (prob my eyes). engine has done 166k

so just to clarify, best to fit a new water pump whilst at it? worth changing the viscous fan thing while rad is out???

[gooner1]

Would also change the tensioners,not sure about viscous fan but could,nt hurt.

[darkchild]

60k, 40k, 70k, 25k

anymore for anymore?

5000 internet points for the closest one when I call the dealers in the morning

I would make 40K the absolute max. If it snaps, your engine is highly likely to be scrap. I doubt many BMW dealers see an E30 these days and I would advise you to take it to a local specialist. From personal experience BMW main dealer servicing has rapidly declined over the past few years. The fact they don't even take the wheels off to check brake wear says it all. Mechanics under pressure to rush through oil services on repmobiles. An E30 is an old car that benefits from someone spending time checking over it. The BMW service staff I've spoken to are brainwashed sheep who state that my autobox is sealed for life and will never need its oil changed No oil lasts forever, so I beg to differ.

[sleepenvy]

will do the belt change myself but they should know the intervals

agreed with the standard of service from main dealers - they stories I've heard...

[ShepsEvo3]

My mothers A'reg 320i had around 70k on it when she got it. I bought a cambelt kit for it with all the intensions of doing it within a couple of weeks. 9-10 years and nearly 100k later we scrapped the car.....not due to cambelt failure but due to corrosion. The engine was as sweet as a nut, never used any oil, etc and I still have that cambelt kit!!!! No, I never did change that cambelt.

She now has a 318is which has a chain and for the cost of replacing that if it fails I will just wack in another engine.

Another interesting fact, years ago, Dial Contracts who were/are a vehicle leasing management company would never authorise cambelts when they were due.... apparently they saved an absolute fortune on maintenance costs, saying that it far outweighed the actual amount of cambelts which failed and needed a major repair. I suspect this is no longer the case though.

Food for thought, but then I wouldn't envy those poor people who bought those Dial Contracts cars....

Personally I would say change the cambelt if you feel happier to do so and I would say 40k would be a good interval to change it.

[Morat]

I had a cambelt go on me in another type of car and its not something I'd like to fix again. You'd be looking at a new engine realistically.

[sleepenvy]

2 sportevos?? you greedy bugger!

O/T - shep, you're not an architect are you?

[Simon13]

from what i've known bmw have shortened the intervals a bit over the years as they have got older, not sure why and i am not sure of the intervals.

I don't let mine do more than 30k. but thats me, as mine do the odd bit of track work i'd rather be safer than sorry for the sake of about £30 and 2 hours or so of my time changing it.

[AlpineAde]

so just to clarify, best to fit a new water pump whilst at it?

Yep. Might as well. Easy whilst you're doing the belt and a good practice to get into. It's the extra care like that that'll keep these old cars going for years to come.

[Jon_Bmw]

At the original poster- Why don't you just change it then worry about the intervals in 25K+ miles? I'd personally go with 40k and 3 years, but seeing as most people don't keep these that long it shouldn't really bother you that much

[tezk]

Got a Renault Espace that had a cambelt break before recommended replacement.

New cambelt would have been £80 fitted.

Repairs after belt broke topped £800.

Don't take chances!

[sleepenvy]

it was changed last year by the previous owner but I'd just like to establish when I'd next need to do it

just saves me an afternoon when I could be tackling other things that need sorting out

[tezk]

so just to clarify, best to fit a new water pump whilst at it? worth changing the viscous fan thing while rad is out???

Tensioner (which you have to loosen to change belt) fits up against water pump. To replace water pump involves releasing tension in cambelt where it is recommended to fit a replacement belt.
Might as well spend a few extra £ than run into problems later on.
No such worries with viscous coupling. If its not over heating don't worry - its easy to replace later on.

[ShepsEvo3]

[quote="tezk"]Got a Renault Espace that had a cambelt break before recommended replacement.

New cambelt would have been £80 fitted.
quote]

£80 for changing a cambelt on an Espace? Where is that? Etheopia?

[tezk]

it was changed last year by the previous owner but I'd just like to establish when I'd next need to do it

just saves me an afternoon when I could be tackling other things that need sorting out

Mine was changed 9 months ago. Still replaced as I'd released tension. Don't take the risk for the sake of a £17.25 part!