You Lost Me At Timing Belt

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So many of our customers have basic car maintenance questions and just don’t know where to turn for trusted information. After several conversations with our service department manager, Scott Pfluke, I realized the answers to our customer’s concerns are a lot closer than they realized.

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Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Have you ever had the chef, in a fine restaurant, ask you how the meal was? This changes the entire experience; the chef is a professional, he cares about the meal and knows the importance of your feedback. He also knows the power of your voice if you aren’t happy. Well, Scott is our service Chef with over 20 years of body shop, parts and service experience. He’s ASE certified, Ford Certified and received the GM Mark of Excellence award for service – he knows his stuff.

Scott recently told me about a customer’s timing belt issue. He lost me at timing belt. Here’s two simple items that Scott pointed out that drivers commonly overlook.

Did you know that not every car has a timing belt? Timing belts are simply a rubber strip that helps control the timing and motion of your entire engine. It’s little wonder that this eventually wears out and needs replacing. (Some vehicles have a timing chain which doesn’t need to be changed.)

Unfortunately, changing a belt isn’t a simple task due to the number of parts which rely on the timing belt itself.  In most cases, the engine needs to be pulled apart to replace the timing belt. Each car has a different maintenance schedule. Recommended maintenance suggests to change it every 60,000 miles. It’s very important you adhere to this routine; a snapped timing belt can spell the end of your engine. It’s not recommended you change a timing belt yourself – this is definitely the time to turn to a trusted service professional.

One of the biggest car maintenance tips will always be the oil change. A lot of people don’t understand why this is – and no, it’s not to sell more oil.  Changing your oil every 3-5k miles stops the engine from getting sludgy and helps other vital engine parts work together and prevent premature engine aging & damage. Oil changes are a simple DIY project. If doing it at home, consider replacing your oil filter as well. If it’s been a long time between changes, have a professional look at it to ensure it hasn’t caused any additional problems.

Keep your car safe and in the best condition possible.

Let us know of you have any car maintenance questions  Our Chef is always happy to help…