How Many Timing Belts?

[smartwave]

Just wondering how many timing belt a IS200 deserves in it's life span(assuming 10K milage a year)?

My IS200S is 10 years old and has done 100K.

The timing belt was changed a few years back at 40K.

I am not going to give it a second belt change. If one day the belt snaps, then I get a very good excuse to get a another car, very likely to be a lexus again.

Let me know what you think.

[kam05]

You need a timing belt change every 60k/6 years.

[Solhatt]

Isn't it better to sell the car? Snapping a belts = £££££

As far as I know the the valves will stop when the belt snap and damage the engine badly

[IZZZY]

the impression i got was smartwave does not want to expense for a cambelt change.. and if the belt does snap then rather than repair and spend ££££ he will just get a new car....

i could be wrong

[smartwave]

the impression i got was smartwave does not want to expense for a cambelt change.. and if the belt does snap then rather than repair and spend ££££ he will just get a new car....

i could be wrong

yeah you are right. The car doesn't worth more than 2K now. rather than spending 300+ quid on the belt I would gamble on it. Keep in mind timing belt is designed and made to run for more than 100K miles so in my opinion a 2nd timing belt is a waste of money.

There can be one exception which is for classic cars.

[stuie]

where does it say a timing belt is designed for 100k miles?

What seems like more of a waste is ruining a good car over a few hundred quid

[atce4]

where does it say a timing belt is designed for 100k miles?

It's what Lexus recommended for the IS200 until they changed it to 60k a few years ago so they must have assumed it was good for 100k at one time

[Maffison]

the impression i got was smartwave does not want to expense for a cambelt change.. and if the belt does snap then rather than repair and spend ££££ he will just get a new car....

i could be wrong

yeah you are right. The car doesn't worth more than 2K now. rather than spending 300+ quid on the belt I would gamble on it. Keep in mind timing belt is designed and made to run for more than 100K miles so in my opinion a 2nd timing belt is a waste of money.

There can be one exception which is for classic cars.

Rather than wait for your car to die you can check the belt yourself. If it looks like is worn or damaged then just sell the car and let the new owner know the belt needs doing. Saves killing a car, plenty of buyers would be happy to spend a couple hundred changing the belt. Better than just waiting for it to die and scratching a few quid back in scrap money.

[The Transporter]

The IS200 is falling in to the "Banger" category now it has been out of production for a few years and there are plenty who are happy to run one 'till it dies. If you do local trips, then this is fine but if you do use it on the motorway then a snapped timing belt in the third lane in heavy traffic can be quite entertaining when trying to get to the hard shoulder accross two lanes of 44 tonners. The sheer amount of paperwork for that poor truck driver when he turns your car/ you/ your family in to mush is quite horrendous... And you'll scuff his front bumper :shifty:

I'm too tight to pay for servicing too so I do it all myself and because it is my car, I'll pay a little more attention to the job than any mechanic can afford to do... The IS200 is a dream of a car to service and repair because it is so nicely laid out.

So how do new cars become classics?