- Joined
- Dec 20, 2024
- Messages
- 1,709
Friend's Acura MDX at dealership, $3500 with water pump and whatnot. At 100k miles, because service interval recommendation and because they use dealership and follow recommendations.
Even at half that, it's not reasonable to bake it in the scheduled maintenance AND call it a win.
I mentioned "all other things being equal". This is a precise term. All other things being equal, you have a guaranteed expense every 105k miles with the Acura and a maybe expense at double or triple that with say a Highlander or whatever. If at all. With catastrophic engine failure without warning with the belt, and a long series of warnings in the other.
Owner negligence is not a design flaw, but having the owner cough extra in maintenance for no tangible advantage is. And if you'll bring owner negligence, you can't also plead stretching intervals for belt replacements.
As for "correctly designed" - easy. Don't design wet belts, don't design dry chains
. Between two engines designed with equal competence - belt has extra maintenance costs, and no clear advantages in every day usage.
Even at half that, it's not reasonable to bake it in the scheduled maintenance AND call it a win.
I mentioned "all other things being equal". This is a precise term. All other things being equal, you have a guaranteed expense every 105k miles with the Acura and a maybe expense at double or triple that with say a Highlander or whatever. If at all. With catastrophic engine failure without warning with the belt, and a long series of warnings in the other.
Owner negligence is not a design flaw, but having the owner cough extra in maintenance for no tangible advantage is. And if you'll bring owner negligence, you can't also plead stretching intervals for belt replacements.
As for "correctly designed" - easy. Don't design wet belts, don't design dry chains
. Between two engines designed with equal competence - belt has extra maintenance costs, and no clear advantages in every day usage.
