Quick newbie question before servicing.

Sending my car into a independent garage to have the timing belt and
water pump changed out at 100k.

Dont know a thing about engines so wondering, what are the other belts
in a standard honda civic 2001. Should they be replaced at the same
time?

 

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Some say the external belts should ONLY BE HONDA BRAND, not aftermarket,
since the honda ones are more consistant, and therefore quieter.

'Curly'

 

wrote in :

The very best thing, if you intend on keeping the car for a long time, is
to use ALL dealer parts, and ONLY dealer parts. This includes the coolant.

Besides the cogged timing belt which hides under the timing cover, there
are at least two exposed accessory drive belts (what used to be called "fan
belts" in the old days). These should be replaced with new. You have to
take them off to replace the timing belt, so the only additional cost is
the parts (about $20 each).

*Highly* recommended to be replaced at the same time as the timing belt is
the water pump (about $70 plus $15 for the coolant), since almost all the
same labor is needed to replace that as to replace the timing belt.

Also recommended, but of secondary importance:
1) Inspect the timing belt tensioner bearing. Replace tensioner if it feels
worn.
2) Inspect cam and crank oil seals. If weeping, replace. Now's the time to
do it. They're cheap and you're already all the way in there anyway.
3) If you replace the water pump, replace the rad hoses and thermostat if
they're original. The cooling system will have been drained anyway, so this
is the time to do it.

Doing all of the above will add several hundred dollars to the cost of the
job, but the job will have been done properly, and there will be nothing
left to cause nasty and far more expensive surprises a few years down the
road. And your garage will love you for letting them do the job right.

 

There is more then just saving money here. They quote numbers at the
the honda dealership over 80% higher in Canada then the USA quotes.
80%, those dealerships have been gouging up here for years. Hense my
reluctance to ever deal with them. Canadian dollar has approached and
now exceeded the US dollar yet out of the dealers mouth: 'Price has
gone up on that item sir'. Interesting. All prices in theory should
have dropped slowly to match USA prices. This is up to and including
orders not to sell to Canadians in New York state where the prices of
the same new vehicle is far far lower.

Hense my lack of confidence in any local dealership that has
perpetuated the price hikes (though many other industries did the same
thing)

haha but I digress,,, I will at least have the other drive belts
replaced.

Excluding all the above, money is short. So ill have to hit the other
points next pay check.

But thanks though, for the detailed preferred but too costly option
(at least on this paycheck).

I will check into replacing the coolant as well too but I have a magic
number for this service I cant let the garage exceed.

 

wrote in

/

*Eighty* percent more? I wonder about that...

Shop rates on both sides of the border are about $100 per hour. State
sales taxes are generally lower than Canadian provincial taxes. Parts
are usually a little cheaper in the US. I'd expect cheaper prices in the
US, but not to the tune of 80%.

You're making some fundamental errors of thought here.

1) The two currencies have only been at par for about the last six
months. Less than a year ago the Cdn dollar was at about 85¢US. There is
absolutely no guarantee things will not revert to the way they were in
the next few months.

2) The parts/vehicles in question will have been made months or years
before, when the Cdn dollar was worth far less.

3) The various purchase contracts involved in making and transporting
the parts/vehicles were signed and paid when the dollar was far lower
than it is now. The Cdn dollar having gone "up" since then does not
lower costs incurred back then.

4) Canadian taxes and tariffs are far higher than those in the US. Even
with the Cdn dollar at par or higher, the cost of doing business in
Canada is still some 20% higher than in the US.

If you replace the water pump you have to replace the coolant. If you
truly must leave the water pump alone, make certain the mechanic checks
carefully to determine the condition of the pump bearings.

Two points:
2) Old coolant will chew up the water pump seals, leading to eventual
seizure of the pump. The coolant must be replaced with new OEM every
five years at the absolute outside.
2) Pump seizure will rip the timing belt to shreds, risking severe valve
damage.

Spend an additional $100 now, or possibly an additional $2,000 in a few
years. You decide. There is such a thing as "false economy".

If you do nothing else but the timing belt and accessory drive belts, do
yourself a favor and at least change the coolant.