Timing belt & wet belt finder

Interval

150,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£500–£1,100

Fitted to

Fiesta, Focus, EcoSport, B-Max, C-Max, Puma

Ford's schedule is long, but independents widely advise 6 years / 100,000 miles. Degrading belt material blocks the oil pickup and destroys the engine, so check oil condition and listen for a rattle on cold start.

Interval

150,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£700–£1,500

Fitted to

Focus, Kuga, Transit Custom, Mondeo

Oil-immersed belt driving the pump as well as the cams. Sludge in the sump or a low oil-pressure warning are the tell-tale signs.

Interval

100,000 miles or 6 years

Typical job cost

£500–£1,000

Fitted to

208, 2008, 308, 3008, C3, C4, Corsa F, Mokka

Stellantis shortened the original interval after widespread early belt breakdown. Later builds moved to a chain. Confirm which one the car in front of you has before pricing the job.

Interval

112,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£400–£800

Fitted to

208, 308, Berlingo, Corsa, Proace

Dry belt, but change the water pump at the same time — a seized pump takes the belt with it.

Interval

130,000 miles or 8 years

Typical job cost

£450–£900

Fitted to

Golf, Passat, A3, A4, Octavia, Leon

Longevity is good if the interval is respected. Check for a stamped belt change in the service history over 100,000 miles.

Interval

130,000 miles or 8 years

Typical job cost

£400–£850

Fitted to

Polo, Golf, Ibiza, Fabia, A1

Dry belt in a plastic cover. Inspect for oil contamination from a leaking cam cover, which shortens belt life sharply.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£900–£2,200

Fitted to

Golf GTI, A4, A5, Superb, Tiguan

Chain, not belt — but early Gen 2 units suffered tensioner failure. A rattle for a second on cold start is the warning.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£1,200–£2,600

Fitted to

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Series, X1-X5

Chain-driven with no scheduled change, though early B47 chains were revised. Listen at the bulkhead on a cold start.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£1,100–£2,400

Fitted to

118i, 320i, X1, Mini Cooper

No belt to budget for. Prioritise oil-service history instead — chain wear tracks oil quality.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£900–£1,900

Fitted to

Clio, Captur, Megane, Duster, Qashqai, A-Class

The earlier 1.2 TCe is known for oil consumption and chain stretch. Check oil level and cold-start noise before anything else.

Interval

90,000 miles or 6 years

Typical job cost

£350–£700

Fitted to

Clio, Megane, Kangoo, Juke, Qashqai

Well-proven engine, but injector and turbo issues follow neglected oil changes. Belt with water pump is the standard job.

Interval

60,000 miles or 6 years

Typical job cost

£350–£750

Fitted to

Corsa, Astra, Insignia, Mokka

Short interval by modern standards and frequently missed on trade cars. Also check the thermostat housing for coolant weeping.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£800–£1,600

Fitted to

Prius, Auris, Corolla, CT200h

Chain-driven and famously durable. Spend inspection time on the hybrid battery cooling fan and inverter coolant instead.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£800–£1,700

Fitted to

Civic, HR-V, CR-V

Chain drive. Watch for fuel-in-oil dilution on short-journey cars, which is what shortens chain and bearing life.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£800–£1,800

Fitted to

i30, Tucson, Ceed, Sportage

No belt service. DPF and EGR condition matter far more on urban-use examples.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£700–£1,500

Fitted to

i10, i20, Picanto, Rio, Stonic

Chain-driven and low-cost to run. Confirm oil-service stamps — missed changes are the main risk factor.

Interval

90,000 miles or 6 years

Typical job cost

£400–£800

Fitted to

500, Panda, Tipo, Renegade

Standard dry belt. Earlier 1.2 8v FIRE engines run belts at similar intervals with cheaper parts.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£700–£1,600

Fitted to

Panda, Punto, Doblo, Combo, Giulietta

The 1.3 MultiJet uses a chain; the 1.6 uses a belt on many builds. Identify the exact engine code before quoting.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£800–£1,700

Fitted to

3, 6, CX-3, CX-5, MX-5

Chain drive with a strong reliability record. Corrosion and rear suspension bushes deserve more attention.

Interval

108,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£500–£1,100

Fitted to

V40, V60, XC40, XC60, XC90

Dry belt on a transverse four. Diesel variants also need injector-seal and DPF checks at the same mileage.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£1,000–£2,400

Fitted to

C-Class, E-Class, Vito, Sprinter

Chain-driven. Early units are known for injector and balance-shaft issues rather than belt wear.

Interval

150,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£900–£2,000

Fitted to

XE, XF, F-Pace, Discovery Sport, Evoque

Diesel Ingenium engines use a belt-in-oil driving the oil pump. Early failures are documented — treat oil-change history as critical evidence.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£650–£1,400

Fitted to

Swift, Vitara, S-Cross, Baleno

Chain drive, light and durable. Check the mild-hybrid battery and belt-integrated starter-generator instead.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£700–£1,600

Fitted to

Micra, Juke, Qashqai, Pulsar

Chain drive. CVT gearbox condition is the bigger financial risk on these — check for judder under load.

Interval

100,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£300–£650

Fitted to

Fiesta, Focus, B-Max, Fusion

Straightforward dry belt and one of the cheaper jobs in the trade. Change the water pump and tensioner with it · a seized pump is what usually takes the belt out.

Interval

100,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£350–£750

Fitted to

Fiesta, Focus, C-Max, 308, C4, V40

The PSA-Ford joint diesel. Belt life is fine when serviced, but blocked oil-feed screens and turbo failure are the real money on neglected examples · check the oil-change record before the belt record.

Interval

130,000 miles or 8 years

Typical job cost

£400–£850

Fitted to

Golf VI, Passat B7, A4 B8, Octavia II, Leon

Very common on the forecourt and easy to price. Most were emissions-recall updated · check the recall history and the belt stamp together, and look for an oil-pump drive replacement on early builds.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£700–£1,500

Fitted to

Polo, Golf V/VI, Ibiza, Fabia, A1

Chain-driven, and the early narrow-link chain is known for stretching and jumping teeth. A rattle on cold start or a long crank before firing means walk away or price the chain kit in.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£1,200–£2,400

Fitted to

118d, 320d, 520d, X1, X3

The rear-mounted chain on early N47s is the best-known chain job in the trade · the engine or gearbox has to come out. Listen at the bulkhead on a cold start for a diesel-rattle that does not settle.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£1,100–£2,600

Fitted to

E-Class, ML, GL, Sprinter, Vito

Chain-driven with no scheduled change. Budget instead for the oil cooler seals and turbo actuator, which are the two jobs these are known for.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£600–£1,300

Fitted to

Yaris, Auris, Aygo, Verso-S

Chain drive with a strong record. Spend the inspection time on rear-brake condition and the oil-service stamps rather than the timing drive.

Interval

100,000 miles or 10 years

Typical job cost

£400–£850

Fitted to

Astra K, Insignia, Zafira Tourer, Mokka

Dry belt with a sensible interval. DPF and EGR condition on short-journey cars costs more than the belt, so check for regeneration warnings in the service record.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£700–£1,600

Fitted to

i30, Tucson, Ceed, Sportage, Kona

Chain-driven, so there is no belt bill to plan for. Carbon build-up on the inlet valves and oil consumption on high-mileage examples are the checks that matter.

Interval

No scheduled change

Typical job cost

£800–£1,800

Fitted to

Mini Cooper / Cooper S, 207, 208 GTi, DS3

Chain drive, but the tensioner rattle on cold start is the single most-quoted fault on these. Also check for carbon build-up on the turbocharged N14 and a weeping thermostat housing.