Decided Not To Replace Cambelt (Ford Figo)

[SauRoNZA]

Most likely a chain with that mileage.

No, the belt on the fsi motors has a 180k interval.

Nope it's a belt as Sinbad said.

However I'm not trusting it all the way till 180k though and will probably change it at 165k.

Funny that every VW dealership changes them at 120 000km regardless of whether they are worn or not...claiming that's what the manual says, which it doesn't.

Thanks for all your input and comments, I will most certainly replace the cambelt.

My Figo is a 2010 1.4 Ambiente. I'm so clueless about cars, I have no idea if my "cambelt" is a chain or not. I'll do the cambelt fitting at my Ford Dealership. I'll stick the cambelt sticker on my service book. I'll also ask my dealership to stamp it and sign it that a cambelt has been changed. Bad decision I made there.

Stop taking it to the dealership and burning your money if the car is out of warranty.

You are already getting dodgy customer service based on your first post so why keep going there?

You have a cambelt, if it was a camchain we wouldn't be having this discussion. Your service manual might call it a timing belt which might be why you haven't seen it.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Yup. Mine's on 266000km - only just run in

impressive;
more than a quarter of a million KM? thats crazy; most new cars I doubt will ever get to 100000 without any issues.....

any real service needed? besides the usual oil,plugs and filters? ever replace camchain in this case?
german engineering Old school style......

car would outlast the owner easily, wish cars like that existed still; still remember my dads old corolla; easily made it to 124000 without a sweat....

now days cars are like razor blades, use it and then chuck it; parts are all plastic; and wear out so easily;
I can bet you that almost everything is metal in that engine; radiator mounts; water hose connections ect......

not like mine full of plastic clips and electrical wires that can short out easily......

 

[Pitbull]

not sure my VIN starts with G4HG so I think its that one;
not even sure what else it has; all I know is its a 4 cylinder

This your engine?


If so that black cover on yours is missing, should not be an issue. Just don't travel gravel roads too often

That cover comes in 2 parts, top one on the cam and the bottom one on the crank. The top one I think you can replace easy but no idea if the dealerships will carry it. The bottom one will be a biatch to replace.

o and definitely an interference engine

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

This your engine?
View attachment 191319

If so that black cover on yours is missing, should not be an issue. Just don't travel gravel roads too often

o and definitely an interference engine

yeah thats it; in my case its also missing the inner fender on the drivers side; where all the belts are

you say I shoudent drive on gravel roads or dirt roads with it? dont intend to as I mainly drive etollway with it;
but good to keep in mind; thanks

 

[Pitbull]

yeah thats it; in my case its also missing the inner fender on the drivers side; where all the belts are

you say I shoudent drive on gravel roads or dirt roads with it? dont intend to as I mainly drive etollway with it;
but good to keep in mind; thanks

Should not be an issue if you drive it once in a while with no cover there. But best to just avoid it till you have the cover replaced. IF you don't drive gravel roads it should not be a problem.

 

[Sinbad]

impressive;
more than a quarter of a million KM? thats crazy; most new cars I doubt will ever get to 100000 without any issues.....

any real service needed? besides the usual oil,plugs and filters? ever replace camchain in this case?
german engineering Old school style......

car would outlast the owner easily, wish cars like that existed still; still remember my dads old corolla; easily made it to 124000 without a sweat....

now days cars are like razor blades, use it and then chuck it; parts are all plastic; and wear out so easily;
I can bet you that almost everything is metal in that engine; radiator mounts; water hose connections ect......

not like mine full of plastic clips and electrical wires that can short out easily......

The interior of the car is low quality as mercs go, but the engine is another story.
I bought it at 240000km, so I've done 26k km in it. When I bought it the idle was rough, there were some knocking noises when changing gears/accelerating hard, oil level was dropping and it was losing water. Brakes weren't great, and brake booster was leaking. The previous owner did very little mechanical repairs, just oil and filter services, unless something got obviously broken,
I've done the following:
Replaced radiator (was punctured and patched with epoxy) - got silverton to do that - water leak resolved
Replaced engine and gearbox mounts, DIY
Replaced oil cooler housing and seals (stripped thread, bit of a leak) DIY
Replaced tappet cover seals (oil leak) DIY
Replaced PCV system (hoses were brittle and clogged) and sealed the covers properly DIY
Replaced driver's door lock (broken) DIY
Replaced viscous fan coupling (was knackered, causing slight overheating issues at idle) DIY
Recently the water pump got a bit noisy and there was some play in the bearing, so I replaced it (DIY) and the thermostat as well (cos it was stuck open, car was overcooling) DIY
Had the brake booster reconditioned (at a specialist) to fix the leak, and flushed/replaced the brake fluid,which looked like coffee - DIY
Got a new serpentine belt sitting the car waiting for the right occasion to change it...

So now, it uses a bit of oil on occasion, but I've gone from topping up every 600km to not having topped up in the last 2000 which is great

Basically all minor maintenance items in my opinion. Cam chain has not been replaced and shows no indication of needing it OEM merc parts are for the most part surprisingly cheap.
Engine is perfectly smooth, no smoke... Merc dealer who had a drive in it commented that it's running really nicely

And the best part was I paid next to nothing for the car!

 

[Sinbad]

yeah thats it; in my case its also missing the inner fender on the drivers side; where all the belts are

you say I shoudent drive on gravel roads or dirt roads with it? dont intend to as I mainly drive etollway with it;
but good to keep in mind; thanks

Get the covers replaced please. You don't want any foreign matter getting onto the belt if you can avoid it.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

yeah thats it; in my case its also missing the inner fender on the drivers side; where all the belts are

you say I shoudent drive on gravel roads or dirt roads with it? dont intend to as I mainly drive etollway with it;
but good to keep in mind; thanks

one other question; probably showing how much attention I put on small insignificant things I read on the internet with crankshaft pulley bolt and stories I heard

I noticed the bottom bit thats shown in the pic is always vibrating when the engines running;
your pic shows it without any belts on it; the actual engine bit is always vibrating back and forth; asked the mechie said dont worry about it;

but I notice these small things; also when you turn engine off these always 2 small squeaks that it always does; as it comes to a stop;

not sure if to worry; but little things are sometimes a sign of bigger things;

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

The interior of the car is low quality as mercs go, but the engine is another story.
I bought it at 240000km, so I've done 26k km in it. When I bought it the idle was rough, there were some knocking noises when changing gears/accelerating hard, oil level was dropping and it was losing water. Brakes weren't great, and brake booster was leaking. The previous owner did very little mechanical repairs, just oil and filter services, unless something got obviously broken,
I've done the following:
Replaced radiator (was punctured and patched with epoxy) - got silverton to do that - water leak resolved
Replaced engine and gearbox mounts, DIY
Replaced oil cooler housing and seals (stripped thread, bit of a leak) DIY
Replaced tappet cover seals (oil leak) DIY
Replaced PCV system (hoses were brittle and clogged) and sealed the covers properly DIY
Replaced driver's door lock (broken) DIY
Replaced viscous fan coupling (was knackered, causing slight overheating issues at idle) DIY
Recently the water pump got a bit noisy and there was some play in the bearing, so I replaced it (DIY) and the thermostat as well (cos it was stuck open, car was overcooling) DIY
Had the brake booster reconditioned (at a specialist) to fix the leak, and flushed/replaced the brake fluid,which looked like coffee - DIY
Got a new serpentine belt sitting the car waiting for the right occasion to change it...

So now, it uses a bit of oil on occasion, but I've gone from topping up every 600km to not having topped up in the last 2000 which is great

Basically all minor maintenance items in my opinion. Cam chain has not been replaced and shows no indication of needing it OEM merc parts are for the most part surprisingly cheap.
Engine is perfectly smooth, no smoke... Merc dealer who had a drive in it commented that it's running really nicely

And the best part was I paid next to nothing for the car!

wow, you did a lot of work on it; worth it in the long run? value of the car now? compared to buying a cheaper and newer car?
I mean if you paid next to nothing on it; did you increase its value significantly now?

you must know a lot about mercs to know how to do this all;
I get confused with all these things, but would love to learn how to do the basics; strange thing is cars these days not made for messing around with;

you get it drive it until it breaks down; sell it for parts and thats it;
like a razor blade; planned obsolescence; such a waste

wish there were more cars like that on the roads today.....

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Get the covers replaced please. You don't want any foreign matter getting onto the belt if you can avoid it.

will the engine get ruined if that happens? as mine is an interference engine?

where is the best place to go? korean motor spare quite expensive for that part; and not many scrapyards got picantos;
actually only found 2 in JHB and every little thing is R150;

seems like quite a hard car to get spares for; I know tires are super pricy;

 

[Sinbad]

wow, you did a lot of work on it; worth it in the long run? value of the car now? compared to buying a cheaper and newer car?
I mean if you paid next to nothing on it; did you increase its value significantly now?

you must know a lot about mercs to know how to do this all;
I get confused with all these things, but would love to learn how to do the basics; strange thing is cars these days not made for messing around with;

you get it drive it until it breaks down; sell it for parts and thats it;
like a razor blade; planned obsolescence; such a waste

wish there were more cars like that on the roads today.....

I bought the car for 50% of its book value.
The work I've done costs out as follows:

radiator (was punctured and patched with epoxy) R4k
engine and gearbox mounts, R1000
oil cooler housing and seals R1200
tappet cover seals R300
PCV system Around R300
driver's door lock (broken) R2500
viscous fan coupling R500 if I remember right
water pump R3k
thermostat R300
brake booster R3k
serp belt: R180

So another maybe 15k worth of parts in total, plus my time, which I enjoyed

At the end of the day it should be good for another 250k km with minor maintenance.
So in total, R67k for an ML320 ... you tell me if you think it's worth it

Don't know much about mercs, or didn't when I started. Merc forums are very very useful places! Lots of helpful people, videos etc.

As to the value, I don't know. I'll battle to sell it privately, it can't be financed. That's why I got it so cheap.
I may be able to trade it in should I choose... but that's unlikely. The real value (large, spacious, comfortable 4x4) is way, way more than the monetary value.

 

[grim]

Modern cars aren't any harder to work on than old cars, there is more that can go wrong though and some of the electronics in modern cars can be a bitch.

 

[Sinbad]

will the engine get ruined if that happens? as mine is an interference engine?

where is the best place to go? korean motor spare quite expensive for that part; and not many scrapyards got picantos;
actually only found 2 in JHB and every little thing is R150;

seems like quite a hard car to get spares for; I know tires are super pricy;

You don't want to expose the timing belt to anything that could interfere with its operation. The R29k of head/valve work on my Cupra was caused by the serpentine belt fraying and getting pulled into the timing belt, making the belt skip a few teeth. Buh-bye 10 valves. Stupid engine design, VW. Reeeeal stupid.

 

[Sinbad]

Modern cars aren't any harder to work on than old cars, there is more that can go wrong though and some of the electronics in modern cars can be a bitch.

Yes, there's a lot of possibility of electrical/sensor issues, you need a diagnostic computer to do things properly with modern cars.
Also, packaging in modern cars is difficult - much more crap crammed into the engine bay, so it's often very hard to get to things.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

I bought the car for 50% of its book value.
The work I've done costs out as follows:

radiator (was punctured and patched with epoxy) R4k
engine and gearbox mounts, R1000
oil cooler housing and seals R1200
tappet cover seals R300
PCV system Around R300
driver's door lock (broken) R2500
viscous fan coupling R500 if I remember right
water pump R3k
thermostat R300
brake booster R3k
serp belt: R180

So another maybe 15k worth of parts in total, plus my time, which I enjoyed

At the end of the day it should be good for another 250k km with minor maintenance.
So in total, R67k for an ML320 ... you tell me if you think it's worth it

Don't know much about mercs, or didn't when I started. Merc forums are very very useful places! Lots of helpful people, videos etc.

great deal; deal of the century if you ask me; especially with old school classics like that
question is isint buying a luxury car a bit of a gamble these days? I mean today; if I brought a 2007 merc M class would that work out? or is there another reason newish old mercs are so cheap......

always thought the less of an aftermarket for a car the cheaper it is used; thats why old BM's and mercs used go for so cheap.....and why I was warned to not go for them as everything cost so much to fix;

an example my dad gave me; say a genius in a deathtrap knocks your mirror off
on a merc its R4500 and you cant exactly buy a cheap uno one from autozone and stick that on a merc....

so things are a lot more expensive for luxury cars; or am I gonna learn something new today........

 

[grim]

Yes, there's a lot of possibility of electrical/sensor issues, you need a diagnostic computer to do things properly with modern cars.
Also, packaging in modern cars is difficult - much more crap crammed into the engine bay, so it's often very hard to get to things.

True but OBD readers are easy to come by and cheap these days. Makes troubleshooting strange issues much easier than in the past.

I know all about the packaging after replacing the intake manifold on my Roc, holy crap that was a mission took me 3 hours to get the old one off, 45 minutes to put the new one in as I knew where everything went. But the basics are the same whether it's a 2015 car or a 1980 car

 

[SauRoNZA]

impressive;
more than a quarter of a million KM? thats crazy; most new cars I doubt will ever get to 100000 without any issues.....

any real service needed? besides the usual oil,plugs and filters? ever replace camchain in this case?
german engineering Old school style......

car would outlast the owner easily, wish cars like that existed still; still remember my dads old corolla; easily made it to 124000 without a sweat....

now days cars are like razor blades, use it and then chuck it; parts are all plastic; and wear out so easily;
I can bet you that almost everything is metal in that engine; radiator mounts; water hose connections ect......

not like mine full of plastic clips and electrical wires that can short out easily......

Wat? My Golf GTI has done 148 000km without a sweat as you call it.

And it's going to do 250 000km as well, as many many many of them do.

I recall seeing a Golf GTI on auction with 350 000km, but obviously I don't know the history of that car.

 

[Sinbad]

Some merc parts are very cheap. Some are very expensive.
The radiator, engine mounts, viscous coupling and serp belt I bought aftermarket.
The rest came from Sandown Mercedes in Sandton.

If the mirror gets knocked off, the glass is R2700, don't know what the body is, but my insurance company will cover it

I'd stay away from the first couple of model years of each incarnation of the car - they often have issues that get ironed out with the facelift.

The major thing for me was that this is a third car in my family. So if it's out of action for a month it's not a train smash.

 

[Sinbad]

True but OBD readers are easy to come by and cheap these days. Makes troubleshooting strange issues much easier than in the past.

I know all about the packaging after replacing the intake manifold on my Roc, holy crap that was a mission took me 3 hours to get the old one off, 45 minutes to put the new one in as I knew where everything went. But the basics are the same whether it's a 2015 car or a 1980 car

Yup until you hit a brand specific issue that the obd reader doesn't handle
But yes, you can get most stuff sorted, and if worst comes to worst, pay a dealer to do a diag and give you a quote on everything that needs to be fixed, say thanks, drive home, and start working

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Wat? My Golf GTI has done 148 000km without a sweat as you call it.

And it's going to do 250 000km as well, as many many many of them do.

I recall seeing a Golf GTI on auction with 350 000km, but obviously I don't know the history of that car.

new or old one? id belive one of those golf 2 gti ones;
but newer golfs; one friend told me his golf 5 keeps blowing the taillight bulb; put a new one in blows almost immediately
VW wanted to charge him 850 for a whole new taillight; probably at a scrapyard would have been less but still his car is still quite new and already this;

and its only done like 80000 km's on it;

so Im learning things here;