Has anyone had a timing belt fail early?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I have a bit of a conundrum here.  I have a 2007 Subaru Forester that I bought new.  It has about 65K miles on it, which is way lower than what it should have on it for normal mileage - but my car did sit undriven for nearly 2 years while I was sick.  It is in VERY good shape, and I have done all maintenance on it.

TD has a 2007 Subaru STi, that also has 65K miles on it.  He bought it used 4 years ago from a guy who drove it as a toy.  When he bought it in 2012, it had 20K miles on it.  Last month, he was driving it to work and the timing belt broke on it.  As it has an interference engine, the engine is shot.  Getting a new engine in this car is going to run around $11K, and it will be an upgraded engine from what it was.  His choice, his money and he can afford it.

So Subaru's manual has 105K or 105 months for timing belt replacement.  I'm a little more than 2/3 the way to the mileage, but am over in months.  So would you get the timing belt changed out early?  I have never heard of a timing belt being changed due to months, only miles.  But with his timing belt fail, while it is worth it for his car to replace the engine, it's not for my car.  One mechanic says "no", the other says "maybe", both trusted mechanics.  Quotes for the timing belt are around $400, the water pump would be another $350 and there are 2 more things that they'd check out while they are changing the belt that would raise it to a $1000 repair.

TD is driving my car to work now, but I am seriously thinking about biting the bullet and just doing a change out once he gets his car back.  WWYD?

[giramomma]

I had my timing belt changed Summer of 2015. It had maybe 63Kmiles on it. Mine is also a 2007.

I had a head gasket that needed replacing, so I got the timing belt done while everything was dismantled.

I'm hoping to keep the car long enough to let DS drive it when he's at home but before college...so another 5 years out of it.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 20, 2017 14:56:25 GMT -5 giramomma said:

I had my timing belt changed Summer of 2015. It had maybe 63Kmiles on it. Mine is also a 2007.

I had a head gasket that needed replacing, so I got the timing belt done while everything was dismantled.

I'm hoping to keep the car long enough to let DS drive it when he's at home but before college...so another 5 years out of it.

Oh....you just threw a new wrinkle into it!  At my 60K PM, the mechanic mentioned some 'seepage' of the head gasket.  He told me that he has seen them either stay like this, or get worse.  As long as it stays like this, I don't need to do anything else.  Now, I'm thinking that if they are doing the timing belt, throw the head gasket into it too since these are a known weak point in Subarus.

[justme]

I going to change the timing belt on my 2008 elantra. Just under 90k. I think it is close to the mileage to change it? Not sure on the months. My dad said to change it, so I'm going to. Only reason why it's not is because I thought I had bought it but my dad didn't tell me I didn't until the car was put back together.

It'll get changed next time I can get home early enough to leave time to do it.

[giramomma]

Jan 20, 2017 15:04:31 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Jan 20, 2017 14:56:25 GMT -5 giramomma said:

I had my timing belt changed Summer of 2015. It had maybe 63Kmiles on it. Mine is also a 2007.

I had a head gasket that needed replacing, so I got the timing belt done while everything was dismantled.

I'm hoping to keep the car long enough to let DS drive it when he's at home but before college...so another 5 years out of it.

Oh....you just threw a new wrinkle into it!  At my 60K PM, the mechanic mentioned some 'seepage' of the head gasket.  He told me that he has seen them either stay like this, or get worse.  As long as it stays like this, I don't need to do anything else.  Now, I'm thinking that if they are doing the timing belt, throw the head gasket into it too since these are a known weak point in Subarus.

My head gasket was beyond benign seepage. Mine was getting worse. They got my car up for an oil change and immediately called DH to let him know that something was wrong because everything was fairly covered with oil.

How much money do you have to put in the car?

I had the timing belt, head gasket replaced, and brakes replaced (all of them), oil change, and a few other piddly things...and the bill came to over 3K.

I think my head gasket was half the bill.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 20, 2017 15:09:42 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Jan 20, 2017 15:04:31 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Oh....you just threw a new wrinkle into it!  At my 60K PM, the mechanic mentioned some 'seepage' of the head gasket.  He told me that he has seen them either stay like this, or get worse.  As long as it stays like this, I don't need to do anything else.  Now, I'm thinking that if they are doing the timing belt, throw the head gasket into it too since these are a known weak point in Subarus.

My head gasket was beyond benign seepage. Mine was getting worse. They got my car up for an oil change and immediately called DH to let him know that something was wrong because everything was fairly covered with oil.

How much money do you have to put in the car?

I had the timing belt, head gasket replaced, and brakes replaced (all of them), oil change, and a few other piddly things...and the bill came to over 3K.

I think my head gasket was half the bill.

 I'd hate to have to put $3K into it, but could if necessary.  If changing out the head gasket doesn't decrease the labor considerably, I'd probably bypass that.  I know a head gasket can run around $1000 or so, but if the head gasket can be tacked onto the timing belt for $500, it might make sense.

[obelisk]

Jan 20, 2017 14:51:24 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have a bit of a conundrum here.  I have a 2007 Subaru Forester that I bought new.  It has about 65K miles on it, which is way lower than what it should have on it for normal mileage - but my car did sit undriven for nearly 2 years while I was sick.  It is in VERY good shape, and I have done all maintenance on it.

TD has a 2007 Subaru STi, that also has 65K miles on it.  He bought it used 4 years ago from a guy who drove it as a toy.  When he bought it in 2012, it had 20K miles on it.  Last month, he was driving it to work and the timing belt broke on it.  As it has an interference engine, the engine is shot.  Getting a new engine in this car is going to run around $11K, and it will be an upgraded engine from what it was.  His choice, his money and he can afford it.

So Subaru's manual has 105K or 105 months for timing belt replacement.  I'm a little more than 2/3 the way to the mileage, but am over in months.  So would you get the timing belt changed out early?  I have never heard of a timing belt being changed due to months, only miles.  But with his timing belt fail, while it is worth it for his car to replace the engine, it's not for my car.  One mechanic says "no", the other says "maybe", both trusted mechanics.  Quotes for the timing belt are around $400, the water pump would be another $350 and there are 2 more things that they'd check out while they are changing the belt that would raise it to a $1000 repair.

TD is driving my car to work now, but I am seriously thinking about biting the bullet and just doing a change out once he gets his car back.  WWYD?

I would look into putting a used engine in TD's car for $3k.  As far as the timing belt on your car, I would change it after 10 years along with the timing belt tensioner.  If this engine has known issues with head gaskets, I would change it at this time along with the water pump.  You tube search on this car will most likely reveal known repair issues to deal with.

The timing belt on the Forester can be inspected before you decide to replace it.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 20, 2017 15:37:43 GMT -5 obelisk said:

Jan 20, 2017 14:51:24 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have a bit of a conundrum here.  I have a 2007 Subaru Forester that I bought new.  It has about 65K miles on it, which is way lower than what it should have on it for normal mileage - but my car did sit undriven for nearly 2 years while I was sick.  It is in VERY good shape, and I have done all maintenance on it.

TD has a 2007 Subaru STi, that also has 65K miles on it.  He bought it used 4 years ago from a guy who drove it as a toy.  When he bought it in 2012, it had 20K miles on it.  Last month, he was driving it to work and the timing belt broke on it.  As it has an interference engine, the engine is shot.  Getting a new engine in this car is going to run around $11K, and it will be an upgraded engine from what it was.  His choice, his money and he can afford it.

So Subaru's manual has 105K or 105 months for timing belt replacement.  I'm a little more than 2/3 the way to the mileage, but am over in months.  So would you get the timing belt changed out early?  I have never heard of a timing belt being changed due to months, only miles.  But with his timing belt fail, while it is worth it for his car to replace the engine, it's not for my car.  One mechanic says "no", the other says "maybe", both trusted mechanics.  Quotes for the timing belt are around $400, the water pump would be another $350 and there are 2 more things that they'd check out while they are changing the belt that would raise it to a $1000 repair.

TD is driving my car to work now, but I am seriously thinking about biting the bullet and just doing a change out once he gets his car back.  WWYD?

I would look into putting a used engine in TD's car for $3k.  As far as the timing belt on your car, I would change it after 10 years along with the timing belt tensioner.  If this engine has known issues with head gaskets, I would change it at this time along with the water pump.  You tube search on this car will most likely reveal known repair issues to deal with.

LOL!  TD is NOT getting a used, $3K engine for his baby.  It is his car, his choice. 

[giramomma]

Honestly, if there's just seepage and you are getting regular oil changes, I would probably wait a tad to get the car fixed.

I would imagine the 11K for the new motor and the new furnace are costing a pretty penny. I would try to cash flow half of the cost of the repairs to your car, just to eliminate the drain to savings.

But, that's only because we spent down 40% or so of our savings on Murphies. And at some point, you have to stop the bleeding.

[lund]

I would have the belt replaced. The damage would be expensive and the inconvenience also adds on.

[busymom]

I'd get a different car. I had a timing belt go out on a different make of car, paid the big bucks to get a different engine, and 2 years later, you guessed it, the new timing belt destroyed another engine. Sometimes you just need to cut your losses, & move on...

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 20, 2017 17:54:02 GMT -5 busymom said:

I'd get a different car. I had a timing belt go out on a different make of car, paid the big bucks to get a different engine, and 2 years later, you guessed it, the new timing belt destroyed another engine. Sometimes you just need to cut your losses, & move on...

Putting a new engine in the car that the timing belt went into is not my decision.  It is TD's car.  The decision is made, and the work has already started on it.  

My decision is whether or not I replace the timing belt on my car.

[Cookies Galore]

I changed the timing belt in my '99 Civic at 90,000 miles. Hubs is currently driving that car for his work commuting and it has about 10,000 miles to go before another timing belt would be due. We're already planning on him getting a new car in 2018 once my Fit is paid off (Sept 2018). Since we both typically put about 8,000 miles/year on the vehicles, the plan is now replace the Civic in April 2018 when it is due for inspection. I ain't inspecting or putting in a belt it only to replace it a few month later!

So what I am saying is, I have a completely different make and model of car and I would change the timing belt at 80-90,000 (or whenever recommended) and not 65,000. In my completely unprofessional anecdotal opinion.

[alabamagal]

I would not replace timing belt before recommended. There is already a pretty good safety factor built in to manufacturers recommendations. I think even the months requirements has a pretty big safety factor built in. If recommendation is 105k and you go to 106k the timing belt is still pretty unlikely to break.

I have had many small engine cars with timing belts. I have never had a failure. I think my Accord went to 170k miles without replacing before I sold it. I did replace 2 timing belts on my sons Kias 2 years ago because I wanted them to last 2 more years. At the time they were 10 years and over 150k miles, bought used no maintenance records. 1 car is still running, the other was totaled.

I also did not do water pumps. I have not had a water pump failure in over 30 years.

[giramomma]

Because I put a low amount of miles on my car, tend to follow date recommendations over mile recommendations.

Otherwise, for example, I'd go over a year inbetween oil changes. A lot of things can crop up in a car in a year or more.

The owners manual says 105 months, which is 8.75 years...which is right about now.

I don't think you can discount the effects of  age on a car.

My first car was a lightly used toyota. I got it when it was 13 or so years old. I think there was 60K miles on it. Shit started breaking when the car was 16 years old. Break lines should not fail on a car with 75K miles on them...but a 16 yo car, yes, that's in the realm of possibility.

[busymom]

Jan 20, 2017 18:15:32 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Jan 20, 2017 17:54:02 GMT -5 busymom said:

I'd get a different car. I had a timing belt go out on a different make of car, paid the big bucks to get a different engine, and 2 years later, you guessed it, the new timing belt destroyed another engine. Sometimes you just need to cut your losses, & move on...

Putting a new engine in the car that the timing belt went into is not my decision.  It is TD's car.  The decision is made, and the work has already started on it.  

My decision is whether or not I replace the timing belt on my car.

    I got that.  I'm just suggesting TD might be throwing away money.

    If it were my car, same model, I'd go ahead & replace the timing belt early.  And next time you trade one in, buy a completely different brand of car.

  Just curious, since I've never owned your brand of car.  Is the engine made by Mitsubishi, by chance?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 20, 2017 19:10:02 GMT -5 busymom said:

Jan 20, 2017 18:15:32 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Putting a new engine in the car that the timing belt went into is not my decision.  It is TD's car.  The decision is made, and the work has already started on it.  

My decision is whether or not I replace the timing belt on my car.

    I got that.  I'm just suggesting TD might be throwing away money.

    If it were my car, same model, I'd go ahead & replace the timing belt early.  And next time you trade one in, buy a completely different brand of car.

  Just curious, since I've never owned your brand of car.  Is the engine made by Mitsubishi, by chance?

I don't know if TD is throwing money away or not.  He has got a specialist putting in a new engine, not used.  He is upgrading it for more HP.

Subarus are not known for this.  Their weak point tends to be their head gaskets, which I know about.  I like this car, and love how the AWD handles snow. Since people tend to hold onto Subarus until the wheels fall off, it is not uncommon to get 200k+ miles on it.  When TD sold his WRX (less powerful model of his STi), he got over $5000 for a 2002 that had just over 200k miles on it.

Subaru makes their own engines.

[tskeeter]

Jan 20, 2017 14:51:24 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have a bit of a conundrum here.  I have a 2007 Subaru Forester that I bought new.  It has about 65K miles on it, which is way lower than what it should have on it for normal mileage - but my car did sit undriven for nearly 2 years while I was sick.  It is in VERY good shape, and I have done all maintenance on it.

TD has a 2007 Subaru STi, that also has 65K miles on it.  He bought it used 4 years ago from a guy who drove it as a toy.  When he bought it in 2012, it had 20K miles on it.  Last month, he was driving it to work and the timing belt broke on it.  As it has an interference engine, the engine is shot.  Getting a new engine in this car is going to run around $11K, and it will be an upgraded engine from what it was.  His choice, his money and he can afford it.

So Subaru's manual has 105K or 105 months for timing belt replacement.  I'm a little more than 2/3 the way to the mileage, but am over in months.  So would you get the timing belt changed out early?  I have never heard of a timing belt being changed due to months, only miles.  But with his timing belt fail, while it is worth it for his car to replace the engine, it's not for my car.  One mechanic says "no", the other says "maybe", both trusted mechanics.  Quotes for the timing belt are around $400, the water pump would be another $350 and there are 2 more things that they'd check out while they are changing the belt that would raise it to a $1000 repair.

TD is driving my car to work now, but I am seriously thinking about biting the bullet and just doing a change out once he gets his car back.  WWYD?

 It's an interference engine.  Why take the chance of destroying it over a $400 timing belt.

How many miles to you plan to drive the car before getting rid of it?  If it's about 100K miles, I'd gamble and skip replacing the water pump.  And maybe let the other two things go until they fail.  We drive a Jeep, 130K miles, and a Dodge minivan, 180K miles.  Neither has a rep for reliability.  Both still have their original water pumps.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 20, 2017 19:48:37 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jan 20, 2017 14:51:24 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have a bit of a conundrum here.  I have a 2007 Subaru Forester that I bought new.  It has about 65K miles on it, which is way lower than what it should have on it for normal mileage - but my car did sit undriven for nearly 2 years while I was sick.  It is in VERY good shape, and I have done all maintenance on it.

TD has a 2007 Subaru STi, that also has 65K miles on it.  He bought it used 4 years ago from a guy who drove it as a toy.  When he bought it in 2012, it had 20K miles on it.  Last month, he was driving it to work and the timing belt broke on it.  As it has an interference engine, the engine is shot.  Getting a new engine in this car is going to run around $11K, and it will be an upgraded engine from what it was.  His choice, his money and he can afford it.

So Subaru's manual has 105K or 105 months for timing belt replacement.  I'm a little more than 2/3 the way to the mileage, but am over in months.  So would you get the timing belt changed out early?  I have never heard of a timing belt being changed due to months, only miles.  But with his timing belt fail, while it is worth it for his car to replace the engine, it's not for my car.  One mechanic says "no", the other says "maybe", both trusted mechanics.  Quotes for the timing belt are around $400, the water pump would be another $350 and there are 2 more things that they'd check out while they are changing the belt that would raise it to a $1000 repair.

TD is driving my car to work now, but I am seriously thinking about biting the bullet and just doing a change out once he gets his car back.  WWYD?

 It's an interference engine.  Why take the chance of destroying it over a $400 timing belt.

How many miles to you plan to drive the car before getting rid of it?  If it's about 100K miles, I'd gamble and skip replacing the water pump.  And maybe let the other two things go until they fail.  We drive a Jeep, 130K miles, and a Dodge minivan, 180K miles.  Neither has a rep for reliability.  Both still have their original water pumps.

I buy new, and drive until the wheels fall off.  

[973beachbum]

I asked the master mechanics in the family and they all said change it now.

For some things mileage is more important but for others time is actually more important.  With the result being ruining the engine I would err on the side of caution and replace it early.

[tskeeter]

Jan 20, 2017 14:51:24 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have a bit of a conundrum here.  I have a 2007 Subaru Forester that I bought new.  It has about 65K miles on it, which is way lower than what it should have on it for normal mileage - but my car did sit undriven for nearly 2 years while I was sick.  It is in VERY good shape, and I have done all maintenance on it.

TD has a 2007 Subaru STi, that also has 65K miles on it.  He bought it used 4 years ago from a guy who drove it as a toy.  When he bought it in 2012, it had 20K miles on it.  Last month, he was driving it to work and the timing belt broke on it.  As it has an interference engine, the engine is shot.  Getting a new engine in this car is going to run around $11K, and it will be an upgraded engine from what it was.  His choice, his money and he can afford it.

So Subaru's manual has 105K or 105 months for timing belt replacement.  I'm a little more than 2/3 the way to the mileage, but am over in months.  So would you get the timing belt changed out early?  I have never heard of a timing belt being changed due to months, only miles.  But with his timing belt fail, while it is worth it for his car to replace the engine, it's not for my car.  One mechanic says "no", the other says "maybe", both trusted mechanics.  Quotes for the timing belt are around $400, the water pump would be another $350 and there are 2 more things that they'd check out while they are changing the belt that would raise it to a $1000 repair.

TD is driving my car to work now, but I am seriously thinking about biting the bullet and just doing a change out once he gets his car back.  WWYD?

Mich, let me weigh in with a more complete explanation of why I think you should replace the timing belt in your car now.  Rubber products, such as your timing belt, deteriorate with use and with the passage of time.  It is possible for old, but unused, rubber products to fail completely.  Why?   Because things such as ozone and exposure to sunlight cause rubber to deteriorate.  Sunlight won't be a problem with your timing belt, it's an issue more common with tires.  But, ozone and some other components of air are an issue.  When you consider that a timing belt is subjected to a lot of stress and strain, and that the consequences of a timing belt failure is a very expensive repair, Subaru recommends you replace the timing belt at 105 months, regardless of mileage.  In my mind, a very prudent recommendation.

[wvugurl26]

I changed mine at the 100kish mile mark in my 2009 Impreza. I drive 30,000 miles a year so nowhere the time interval. Of course that was a debacle. Despite me making the appointment a week or so ahead they didn't have the AC belt and told me after they changed the timing belt. Once you take it off you couldn't put it back on. I ended up calling another dealership to find one in stock and getting my brother to put it on. After I drove five hours back in July with no AC. The AC belt he was fine with replacing, he didn't want to do the timing belt.

[tskeeter]

Jan 21, 2017 9:33:41 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I changed mine at the 100kish mile mark in my 2009 Impreza. I drive 30,000 miles a year so nowhere the time interval. Of course that was a debacle. Despite me making the appointment a week or so ahead they didn't have the AC belt and told me after they changed the timing belt. Once you take it off you couldn't put it back on. I ended up calling another dealership to find one in stock and getting my brother to put it on. After I drove five hours back in July with no AC. The AC belt he was fine with replacing, he didn't want to do the timing belt.

Isn't dealing with car dealer service departments a kick in the butt?  Had a car that had a recall.  Scheduled the work for when I would be out of town, so the dealer would have plenty of time to get any parts they might need.  And told the service writer what recall service was needed when I made the service appointment.  Since I made the appointment a week before I was leaving town, told them exactly what work was needed, and that they would have the car for four days to do about three hours worth of work, I had high hopes.  Unfortunately for me, they didn't order the parts to perform the recall service in advance.  And, they didn't start work on the car until the day I was to return home. Then they didn't have the parts to handle the recall in stock.  So I ended up without my car for another four days while they waited for parts. 

Hard to believe that even when we customers work very hard to set car dealer service departments up for success, they are even better at screwing up.  Any wonder why so many folks despise car dealers and their service departments?
 

[Value Buy]

I have to be honest. We have never changed a timing belt, and I never realized they were such a problem, and we have driven two cars for over 200,000 miles.

Probably just guarenteed we will have a timing belt go out for simply acknowledging we never had it happen......

[alabamagal]

Jan 21, 2017 10:37:45 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

I have to be honest. We have never changed a timing belt, and I never realized they were such a problem, and we have driven two cars for over 200,000 miles.

Probably just guarenteed we will have a timing belt go out for simply acknowledging we never had it happen......

Well it really depends on the type of car you drive as to whether it is a potential problem or not. If you have a vehicle with a timing belt - usually in small to mid size, mostly foreign designed but some US cars - a failure of the timing belt will cause the engine to be ruined. It is important to replace the belt before failure and is a recommended maintenance procedure.

For vehicles that don't have that type of engine, you have what's usually called a serpentine belt. If it fails you are stuck on the side of the road, but can replace belt for reasonable repair costs. It is probably recommended to replace the belt but it is less critical. I have never replaced on my truck or SUV. Had one fail and just had to replace, no big deal.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

When I started this, I had pretty much decided to change out the timing belt on my car when TD gets his back (mechanic says the end of this month, I'm estimating Valentine's Day at the rate this is going).  This means I can take my car down to the mechanic I prefer in Seattle.  The mechanic working on TD's car is local, but this is the one who suggested it wasn't necessary.  I wonder if there isn't a bit of conflict of interest there.

I bought this car new and it is still in very good shape despite it being 10 years old.  Even up here where everyone drives a Subaru, trying to get a gently used one is difficult.  The KBB estimates of what my car is worth is no where near what they are selling for (if you can find one) locally.

[Anne_in_VA]

This thread made me look at my owners manual to see when I should change the timing belt on the 2009 Accord we bought a few months ago.  The manual says around 60k miles and the previous owner never got it replaced although online recommendations seem to be around 100k.  It's got just over 81k miles on it, so I guess I'd better get it done sooner rather than later.  

[milee]

Jan 21, 2017 10:37:45 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

I have to be honest. We have never changed a timing belt, and I never realized they were such a problem, and we have driven two cars for over 200,000 miles.

Probably just guarenteed we will have a timing belt go out for simply acknowledging we never had it happen......

Or your vehicles didn't have a timing belt. Mine has a timing chain- never needs replacing.

[resolution]

Jan 21, 2017 9:22:00 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jan 20, 2017 14:51:24 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mich, let me weigh in with a more complete explanation of why I think you should replace the timing belt in your car now.  Rubber products, such as your timing belt, deteriorate with use and with the passage of time.  It is possible for old, but unused, rubber products to fail completely.  Why?   Because things such as ozone and exposure to sunlight cause rubber to deteriorate.  Sunlight won't be a problem with your timing belt, it's an issue more common with tires.  But, ozone and some other components of air are an issue.  When you consider that a timing belt is subjected to a lot of stress and strain, and that the consequences of a timing belt failure is a very expensive repair, Subaru recommends you replace the timing belt at 105 months, regardless of mileage.  In my mind, a very prudent recommendation.

I replaced my timing belt last summer for that exact reason. My 2006 Hyundai Tiburon had under 40k miles at the time, and I took it into the shop for a check up since it hadn't been serviced in several years. They recommended changing out a number of belts and hoses due to the potential deterioration of the rubber. The total charges ended up being approximately $1000, but that included the timing belt, water pump and a bunch of other belts and hoses. I figure after 10 years, the car was due for a cash infusion and I would rather do it on my terms than on the car's terms.

[Deleted]

Jan 21, 2017 13:54:58 GMT -5 Anne_in_VA said:

This thread made me look at my owners manual to see when I should change the timing belt on the 2009 Accord we bought a few months ago.  The manual says around 60k miles and the previous owner never got it replaced although online recommendations seem to be around 100k.  It's got just over 81k miles on it, so I guess I'd better get it done sooner rather than later.  

Is it a V6 or a 4 cylinder?   The 4 cylinder is a chain.  Only the V6 has a belt.