Hi Folks,
I knew that Renault V6s needed a cam belt change at 72000 miles but didn't realise that it was 72000 miles or 5 years whichever was soonest.
The cambelt change at a Renault Main Dealer is very expensive! I know the risks of not doing it but, in reality, for a low mileage car what are the chances of there being a problem at 5 years?
Cheers,
jahboo
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How low mileage are you talking about?
You don't have to use a Renault main dealer, a good independent should be able to do it. I use main dealers until the warranty expires and then my Renault goes to an independent Renault specialist or is sold for my next one.
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You can risk it, but if it goes you can write the car off.
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Cheers Guys. It's done less than 30k. Trying to sell it at the moment which is how I found out about the 5 year thing. I thought it was at 72k only. Obviously, I don't want to pay for this before I sell it. I suppose I need to find out what an independent will charge for it so that I know how much any buyer will have to pay. I rang a Renault Main Dealer and they quoted £840 or so but said they'd reduce it a whole £90 to around £750. I imagine a good indy would charge half that?
Cheers,
jahboo
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Is it an Espace or Laguna?
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Hi Xileno,
It's a Laguna. I've been quoted £750 by a Renault Main Dealer which is a 10% or so discount on the full price. I guess it's wise to get something like this done at a main dealer as it's potentially beyond a small independent given the complexity of the engine. I actually phoned what I thought was a small independent and they quoted me over £900!
A bit of a shocker all around given that I thought this was an expense I was more than 42k miles away from :( !
I don't suppose anyone can recommend a Renault independent in the London area capable of doing the work properly and charging less than the main dealer?
Cheers,
JAHBOO
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For this price I can only assume the engine needs to come out. It certainly does on the V6 Espace :-(
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Yes, unfortunately, they need to virtually remove the engine to do the job. At least drop it out of the engine bay. Most of the cost is labour. It's possibly unlikely that I'll find an independent who'll be able to do the job much cheaper than Renault as they'll have to buy the kit from them.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has managed to get this job done cheaply and well by anyone other than a Renault dealer.
Cheers,
J
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Hi allow me to shed a little light as it might help. 1/ this is a trick some people try and I know it sounds iffy but work out how much it would cost to drive down to the southwest and poss stay at BnB phone a garage in southwest and get a qoute as labour is much cheaper in towns than cities. It might just work out cheaper 2/ Dont go to independant as there is a special tool for a tensioner and cams and a certain way to do it. I had a friend try it and he lost his car for about two weeks while they ordered a part they broke (tensioner). Try it you never know.
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Cambelts are rubber and rubber perishes (i.e. becomes brittle) hence the reason why tyres over a certain age must be replaced as well.
Brittle rubber belt = snap!
Get it done, or reduce the price of the car by say £500.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Try Frank Suarez in Clapham - 020 7627 1108. Run by a bloke called Roy and they specialise in all kinds of Renaults. Last time I used him (when I had a Renault) was 2 years ago and his hourly rate was £40 + VAT. It's also convenient for Clapham North tube, so if you work in the city or central London you can drop it off there before work and pick it up afterwards. He's also pretty friendly.
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