conservative or not, it seems silly to me that people are trying to avoid a PM item that can very well have more effect on an engine's life than any other.
$600 is a lot less than an engine. You may well get 100k out of a timing belt. You may get a LOT more. VW TDIs I believe used to have a 60k belt, and now theyve been upgraded to a 90k belt.
If the money is that much of an issue, find a well-qualified mechanic (not pep boys or the equivalent), who knows your car. If you can afford it, id suggest you do it regardless of how good the belts are. Nobody is forcing you to go to the stealer. If you cant afford it, youve got other problems.
My mother's 85 colt vista had the belt go at ~75k. She had her 91 colt 2dr done at ~60k, and it looked fine. She had her 97 plymouth breeze done at ~60k and it was a-ok too. all of these cars have had 5 block commutes 6 times a day, and an occasional long drive of a few hundred miles.
Im sure the 85 had a lower-tech/quality belt than the newer cars, and I guess she didnt realize it needed to be done (I dont think my father's 79 plymouth champ had it done in its 10 years/100k miles of ownership and commuting). Highway cars probably dont need it as much, but oxidation and time still takes its toll. I read somewhere that the greatest forces on belts/chains are at startup. The more startup, the shorter the life.
JMH
JMH
