Funny
you should ask this question. A friend of mine recently imported a 25
year old Caterham from England. Before shipping, he sent it to the
Caterham factory for a going over. He opted out of spending the money
for a new timing belt.
If
you know what a Caterham is, you know that most people drive them
pretty much full on. His belt broke the other day. The engine is a GM
based OHC four cylinder. Cost to repair: $2500 (yes, it is an
interference engine, and every valve is bent). If he had had it done at
the factory, it probably would have cost about $200.
Part two:
Many
years ago I bought a 1990 Ford Probe. The factory recommended interval
for changing the timing belt was 50,000 miles. I followed this
religiously, even though I could discern no difference between the old
belt and the new one. Result: 300,000 miles with the original engine,
before I gave the car to a family who needed one.
Hope this helps you make the right decision.
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