Cam belt change

[Alan]

My 1.9 Tid is now 6 years old and has done 68,000 miles. I'm adding around 14,000 each year.

It's the 2007 model. Do I change the belt, water pump etc at this years service or do I leave it until next year.

What would you do ?

[Audax]

I'd do it early and get the complete kit done. If the belt goes, it's an £800 bill to sort out the mess, and they do go. With inflation and lack of interest you'll be getting on sticking the money into a savings account, it'll just cost more to do next year anyway. The only exception would be if you want to get rid of the car in which case do it now. I found that in general 72k services were very often expensive as they needed a belt and bigger service and very often tyres and brakes and suspension components at the same time on that service, many a "cheap" 70k car that "just needed a service" turned out to be a bit of a wallet buster for a new owner.

[Alan]

I learned the hard way with a Ford about having everything changed, a pulley failed 20,000 miles later. Luckily it was at low revs and only needed a set of valves.

I think I saw a price of around £400 for the belt / pump / pulleys on here a few weeks ago, is this about what I can expect to pay. 

[Audax]

I think someone had a quote of around £300 but I'd expect to pay somewhere around £400 for this job.

[Petemate]

Good advice Audax. On our previous Saab, I got the job done at Oxford Saab. Would happily have done it myself, but there was a 'special' offer going at the time and I got it all done for about £350 inc VAT and all the kit and coolant pump. Oddly, the offer was advertised for just the belt kit for £250. I couldn't understand why they only offered the job less pump considering it is prettywell a must to do the pump at the same time.
On our new (to us) one I will do it myself although following advice on here I will be using a genuine pump.

[jmblack]

Any experience of neo bros pump?