Ask an expert

I have a 2004 Honda Accord V6 with 66,000km. When do I NEED to have the cam belts replaced and should the water pump also be changed at this time?

Replacement is based on a time or mileage (whichever comes first) basis.

The Honda recommended time/mileage replacement period is 100,000km or 5 years whichever comes first.

Based on the age of your Accord the cambelt is definitely due for replacement and yes we support replacing the water pump at the same time.

Thanks. Based on this time criteria the car could end up needing or having 3+ cam belt replacements in its lifetime (Japanese parts reliability?). This seems a lot particularly when considering the high cost involved. Why is it necessary every 5 years, and why use belts rather than timing chains which seem to have much greater longivity?

If you step outside the manufacturers recommendations you then have to make a call eventually just when to change the belt. Most mechanics will tell you it is impossible to determine the condition of a cambelt without removing it completely and only the very brave (or stupid) would be prepared to refit an old belt and guarantee its longevity.

Every manufacturer will have a built-in tolerance on components like cambelts to protect themselves against premature failure so stretching the time is a far safer option than going over the mileage replacement recommendation.

Any oil contamination (from leaking cam or crank seals for example) is the other critical factor that will determine when a belt should be replaced.

More and more manufacturers are designing their engines to run chains which have no replacement periods however, if work was ever required in this area which necessitated the chain to be replaced, the costs would be considerably higher than what it costs to replace a cambelt.

As vehicles fitted with cambelts grow older the tendency to ignore replacement recommendations increases. No doubt there are many vehicles which have travelled well beyond manufactures recommendations and are still going strong. Then again there are others who have taken a step too far and suffered the consequences.

If it makes you feel any better they are other manufacturers who have cambelt replacement periods as low as 2 years or 40K’s whichever comes first.

I understand where you are coming from; the reality is in years gone by, cars were built to be serviced during their lifespan whereas the modern thinking is to reduce ownership costs which in the long run helps retain customers.

Thanks for this explanation, much appreciated.