Heard a guy at the mechanic shop say timing belts are a scam

I was picking up my truck last Tuesday and this older guy was telling the cashier that timing belts are just a way for shops to make money. Said he drove his Honda 200k miles and never changed a belt once. I just had mine replaced at 90k for $650 and now I'm second guessing it. Anyone else run into people who swear certain maintenance is a total waste?

4 comments

4 Comments

price.ray27d ago

Man timing belts are definitely not a scam but I gotta say that older guy had one thing right - some of those older Honda motors were actually non-interference engines so if the belt snapped you just got stranded instead of destroying your valves. But these days almost everything is interference motors where a broken belt means thousands in repairs. So yeah you did the right thing spending that $650 even if it hurts the wallet. That older guy probably got lucky or had one of those few engines that can survive a belt snap, but thats not most cars anymore.

foster.tessa27d ago

Guess I paid $650 for peace of mind plus a free anxiety discount lol.

kim_ramirez327d ago

Right? @price.ray nailed it, most people don't realize how rare those non-interference engines are now. I dropped $700 on my Subaru last year for the same thing and it felt ridiculous until I remembered a new engine would cost me five times that.

ward.jamie27d ago

Trust the mechanic not the guy with a lucky old Honda. Those non-interference engines are getting rare, most modern cars will grenade the whole motor if that belt snaps. You spent $650 to avoid a $3000+ repair bill, that's not a scam that's cheap insurance.