the guy who work on my car told me i need a new timing belt.i own a 2001 xg300 it has 48000 mileson it.I live in south fla. were it is hot all the time.I dont drive much.I was told that the rubber timing belt rots no matter what the miles are.It should be change at 60000 miles but that could be 3 more years.I was told that average miles a year are 12000 and that is how the maintenance book are wrote.He said if i lived up north were in is cold most of the time the rubber does rot as fast and i could wait. is this right.

 

I really don't think the climate is a contributing factor but time and mileage are. While you are still a little ways away from 60K miles, the car is almost 7 years old. If it was me and I planned on keeping the car awhile, I would change it. The cost isn't cheap but the repairing the damage to the engine that would happen if the belt breaks is much more expensive. Basically all new valves if you are lucky, a whole new engine in the worst case scenario. The choice is up to you. Pay a little now or gamble and possibly pay a lot later.

 

Timing belts are not your average rubber belt. They are constructed from materials designed to withstand and operate in the high temperatures of the engine, they will not simply "rot" way over the relative short period of time of just a few years. Unless the mechanic has uncovered physical evidence of premature failure (a nick or crack in the belt or fraying edges), I think you can run the car closer to the 60,000 mile mark as indicated by Hyundai for replacement. On the other hand, if you follow your mechanics and NovaResource's advise, then this is a matter you don't have to worry about until the car approaches 108,000 miles. You are faced with doing this now or in the very near future.

 

Check your owners manual. The one for my Elantra states the timing belt is to be changed out every 60,000 miles or 48 months, whichever comes first. Even though you're at less than 60,000 miles, if your belt breaks, the repair would not be covered by Hyundai's warranty because you did not replace it at 48 months. So yeah, replacing it is a good idea.

 

i would say that guy is a rip off. you still have 12k miles left and i've seen them last longer that that too.

 

Why play the odds, I see timing belts brake on an average of 3 a week. 50% need valve jobs when they do this. Lets see we just went from a 300-400 dollar timing belt job to a 1350-2500.00 valve job if there is no lower end damage.

Timing belts are not your average rubber belt. They are constructed from materials designed to withstand and operate in the high temperatures of the engine, they will not simply "rot" way over the relative short period of time of just a few years. Unless the mechanic has uncovered physical evidence of premature failure (a nick or crack in the belt or fraying edges), I think you can run the car closer to the 60,000 mile mark as indicated by Hyundai for replacement. On the other hand, if you follow your mechanics and NovaResource's advise, then this is a matter you don't have to worry about until the car approaches 108,000 miles. You are faced with doing this now or in the very near future.



Lets see if someone can warranty a timing belt for 100k miles (not going to happen). Follow the recommendations and perform proper service at intervals recommended. Someone is always going to argue that (you) can wait on that certain service. When it comes to you on the side of the road and a big bill (they ) are not around to assist. Advise is what it is and thats advise. Now as for rubber rotting due to heat that is wrong ,you dont have to be a chemical engineer to figure that one out.Change it at 60k and stay on your service track. Also look into the Hyundai warranty book. Some year models if you had your timing belt changed with hyundai parts they warrantied the belt to 100k not just 1 year 12 k mileage. I will ck more on this.

 

Autocarecenter's mechanic and NovaResource are advising Autocarercenter to replace the belt now at 48,000 miles. That would set the next service interval for the timing belt at 108,000 miles (or the next 48 months as pointed out by Doohickie). No one has suggested the warrenty on the belt, much less the life of the belt, is good for 100K.

 

The first 48 months has already expired though; if the belt breaks it will notbe a warranty repair.

 

I had all the belts replaced on my 99 Accent and 2004 Elantra at 60,000 miles. Both timing belts were still in great condition but the other drive belts really did need replacing. I drive about 30,000 miles a year. Usually the drive belts wear out before the timing belt. The way I see it, if your drive belts need replacing you might as well replace the timing belt too even if it is a little before the 60,000 mile mark.When you get to 60,000 you should replace all of your belts if they are the original parts.