Timing Belt Advise

I posted earlier regarding the local Hyundai dealer changing the timing belt on my friend's Elantra without her authorization. When she told them that she brought the car for an oil change and that is all she authorized, they put the old timing belt back in. She had the belt replaced 40,000 miles ago, so she isn't due for a new belt for another 20,000 miles. Should we trust the old belt till it is due, or assume that it was compromised during removal and re-installation? What do y'all think?

I would replace it, not at that awful dealer, though. Who knows how much prejudice they put it back on with knowing the replacement wouldn't be paid for (IF they even removed it in the first place). From your previous posts they sound like real shiny happy people. That said I have seen them do over 100k before, not much more than that however. My question is why the local TV news station isn't probing this dealer yet?

though i may be being cynical or overly cautious, i wouldnt trust a 40k mile timing belt on my car if it's an interference engine.

Um....I would have her talk directly to Hyundai corporate and tell them what happened. For one, the belt could have been damaged while being removed/reinstalled, and the overall fact that these dicks did work on her car without authorization, and THEN went to the extra effort to put the old belt back on just to be shiny happy people when she said it wasn't authorized......that just douchery.

And as noted above, a call to the dealer's general manager telling him that your next phone call will be to all the local news stations will do wonders for his cooperation in resolving the issue.

^ berkeley him (the GM) and the corporate structure places dont get that way because of one person. Call the news, the preacher, the army, and, anyone else who will listen.

Coming from the turbo ford (who gives an f about a timing belt) neon/turbo dodge (not so bad unless it breaks) and most recently DSM (its like hell except rubber and toothy) I dont re-use timing belts or any moving components (water pump, tensioner/ idiler, and so on)

I am not a Hyundai expert by any means is the car old enough to have a 4g63 variant? If it is I would seriously have it parked until a new belt and components could be put on by a good shop.

I never use an old timing belt regardless of whether or not it has 40k or 40 miles on it. Its $25. If its coming off, just replace it. No use spending 5 hours under the hood to save $25.

And don't over tension it, especially on a Hyundai/Kia. It will whine like a bad power steering pump.

I was always told that you are to tension a timing belt and start the engine only once. If the tension is backed off after you have set the timing and run the new belt in, a new one goes on, end of discussion.

If it's off right now replace it. The cost of the timing belt is nothing compared to the work of replacing it, never mind the consequences of failure if it's an interference engine.

If it's already reinstalled I'd leave it for now but advance the replacement time 10k miles.

Personally, I'd replace it. IF y'all were close to central Indiana, I could knock it out in a couple hours... i've got a little experience with those

it's a very easy one to change. i set aside an entire afternoon for that one, and was pleased with how much extra beer-drinking time i had at the end.

I did the one in my old tiburon in a couple of hours.. it is a very easy engine to do the belt on.. except for getting to the teeny tiny belt cover bolts on the front of the engine. Just not a lot of room for hands between the cover and strut tower

Timing belts are cheap insurance. Do it!

changing the water pump at the same time is where the extra time comes in. My first one took me 6 hours....but I had to redo the waterpump because I didn't get all the old gasket off and it leaked.

WilberM3 wrote: though i may be being cynical or overly cautious, i wouldnt trust a 40k mile timing belt on my car if it's an interference engine.

Even if it was a 90k interval? Why stop at 40k - replace it every day before work, it would be fun. ;-)

dculberson wrote:

WilberM3 wrote: though i may be being cynical or overly cautious, i wouldnt trust a 40k mile timing belt on my car if it's an interference engine.

Even if it was a 90k interval? Why stop at 40k - replace it every day before work, it would be fun. ;-)

But Hyundai's are a 60k interval.... so your question is not relevant.

Bobzilla wrote:

dculberson wrote:

WilberM3 wrote: though i may be being cynical or overly cautious, i wouldnt trust a 40k mile timing belt on my car if it's an interference engine.

Even if it was a 90k interval? Why stop at 40k - replace it every day before work, it would be fun. ;-)

But Hyundai's are a 60k interval.... so your question is not relevant.

He did not say a Hyundai belt, but still, replacing a belt a good 33% before it's due seems overly cautious to me.

My wife's LS400 had a timing belt interval of 90k miles and I bought it when the belt broke on the prior owner ... at 230k miles. It was the original water pump so probably the original belt. I would not recommend waiting with an interference engine, but replacing it 20k ahead of schedule doesn't seem worth it. Do it on schedule.

Now, windsordeluxe's situation is different, that's a judgement call.