Timing belt change - do the idlers as well?

[Jekyll and Hyde]

$280 for a complete belt kit when purchased privately.

So, you're guessing at the markup on a V6 cambelt kit, going off what you can buy a 4 cylinder kit off Ebay for? 

[wankski]

ok bud.. i dunno why you are harping on this issue... it's cheaper o/s that's been established...this is what i paid for my v6 belt kit:

CAM KIT 2.5,3.2 24V V6 (1X CAM BELT OE ALFA,3 X TENS OE) £155.95

happy? oh btw, whenever i ask alfa for a common part - e.g. drop link, sump plug - i get "that will be [insert extortionate price here] and none are in stock in the country, so it will be about a 2 week wait from italy."

i had that on multiple occasions from alfa dealers which tells me they are probably sourcing the stuff cheap from o/s, keeping the margin, and shipping it in on a per order basis without keeping stock on hand for customers. IME. infer from that what you will.

[Jekyll and Hyde]

ok bud.. i dunno why you are harping on this issue... it's cheaper o/s that's been established...this is what i paid for my v6 belt kit:

Hey BUD...  I'm not arguing that it's cheaper overseas.  I'm arguing that the reason is NOT due to every Australian mechanic being out to rip anyone off who comes near him by putting on hundreds of percent markup.  They simply cannot buy through their local suppliers at the same price as things RETAIL for overseas.  Get it?

happy? oh btw, whenever i ask alfa for a common part - e.g. drop link, sump plug - i get "that will be [insert extortionate price here] and none are in stock in the country, so it will be about a 2 week wait from italy."

Well, that is Alfa Romeo themselves, via ATECO (you know, the big company responsible for importing and distributing all the genuine Alfa gear).  And I suspect a dealership might be at risk of losing their licence to sell Alfas if they sell anything other than genuine parts bought through ATECO.  So why not ask ATECO why they feel the parts should cost considerably more here than overseas, instead of complaining that your favourite dealer charges too much for the parts.

[tony8028]

So, you're guessing at the markup on a V6 cambelt kit, going off what you can buy a 4 cylinder kit off Ebay for? 

It was just an approximation / example, keep your knickers on!

 

[wankski]

So why not ask ATECO why they feel the parts should cost considerably more here than overseas, instead of complaining that your favourite dealer charges too much for the parts.

despite the trolling i'll bite. when exactly did i complain? i personally am very happy with LD doncaster as i stated. They are happy to install my $300 oe part over their $1000 supplied part. I'm happy, they're happy.

Complain to ateco? hahahaha, yea... that's gunna get me far... and i s'pose i'll take on the rest of the distributors that do the same in Aus?

that said, i'm not sure they are getting it from ateco? if they were they would have stock on hand (and half justifying the cost) - but no. no common parts on hand.... two weeks from 'italy'.... now, i'm speculating here, but that reads to me they are ordering piece-meal from foreign sources.... i wouldn't be surprised if some of the stuff is the same oe packaged stuff some of us are getting from germany or even the UK. why not just out the middle man and get it for 1/3 the price?

anyway, the OPs question has been answered - he's got enough info to make an informed choice for himself. Thread's done.

[Evan Bottcher]

despite the trolling i'll bite.

Hmm it's an interesting definition of 'trolling' - you must think trolling means someone doesn't agree with you and takes the time to make some reasonable arguments?

Thread's done.

On what basis are you declaring this?

[wankski]

despite the trolling i'll bite.

Hmm it's an interesting definition of 'trolling' - you must think trolling means someone doesn't agree with you and takes the time to make some reasonable arguments?

Thread's done.

On what basis are you declaring this?

not at all Evan. I am frequently wrong on a great many things. But what I do notice is that J&H likes to inflame threads by picking on something that is really a tangent.

I am basing "OP been answered" on this:

but I can source the parts VERY much cheaper online - from http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/

they're quoting me just over 300 Aussie in total, including delivery - so I don't know why local garages just don't source their bits from the net. But anyway...


so what I'm wondering is, should I get the idlers as well, or just the cam belt kit?

thanks for any guidance

his actual question was answered. Replace all. It was settled. All, i think including J&H agreed on that point (but i wont speak for him). So the topic has been exhausted.

what has been argued to death is sourcing of parts. did the OP ask that? I think the OP was fairly comfortable in sourcing it from OS. Yes, the pros and cons were discussed, but to harp on advancing your theory when the OP has clearly stated he rather pay $300 o/s, is pointless ragging.

i guess i don't also like the 'tude shown to infrequent posters... inferring they can't do simple maths, or are just wrong... that's a good way to encourage them to come back isn't it?

anyway, I am done with this thread. I hope my answers, and the fashion they were given, was useful to the OP. Good luck with it all Darkstar.

[Domenic]

This might be a little off topic and i do apologise.

But, did you call up any local parts suppliers such as "The Spare Place" and "Turin Imports" to see how much parts cost compared to overseas vendors??

I know  they are generally really good with prices and know their Alfa's. They also support the Clubs and they're members as well. Plus it keeps an Australian citizen employed and not on the dole, which tax payers have to fork out money for. (That's a separate topic in itself)

So like i said it might be off topic, but maybe have a think about the bigger picture when buying parts from overseas vendors.


just my $0.02

[ANG156]

Spare place have the cambelt kit for $295 for the 4cylinder including tensioner's, cam belt and balancer belt.

update: just rang LD:

- quoted total $1800 for cam belt replacement
- split was $1000 for the belt replacement kit, $800 labour
- asked if I could supply my own parts: 'yes, but we won't give you a warranty'
- what if they're genuine Alfa parts? - nope, no warranty
- what if I pay some extra for a warranty? - nope, no warranty

If you think about it, you're actually doing the mechanic a favour by supplying your own parts. Since he is not supplying you with a warranty on them he is actually reducing his liability if something were to go wrong.

All things go through a quality control system today where probably 1 in every 100 or 200 items will be tested. But what if a defect part is not caught through the system and installed by the mechanic and fails on the customer's car? Obviously the mechanic then has a liability to fix the problem no matter which way you look at it since he supplied a warranty for parts. It would cost the mechanic more in fixing re-works than anything else. Therefore, it makes better business sense not to provide a warranty on any parts supplied unless a specific manufacturer's warranty is associated with the items. If i were a mechanic, i would not provide a warranty on things outside of my control and this is generally the consensus used in other industries. It all comes down to limiting liability and sadly you only need a small thing to go wrong before you're up for a lawsuit.

[colcol]

ALWAYS get prices of parts from local and overseas, don't just listen to people like me!, sometimes locally they have specials on parts, eg $7 for Austrian Mahle oil filters for Alfa Romeo's, The Spare Place in Adelaide are very good, they know what people are doing and buying their parts overseas, so i don't think they need the message, if they are competative, buy local, as if they go out of business, it will be a sad day, as it will be another job lost in Australia, having said that i buy my parts 50-50 local and import, just depends on quality of part and how long it will take to get here and what happens if they send the wrong part, who pays the freight to send it back, my Alfa mate up the road has an incorrect exhaust from England, who is going to pay for the return freight?, if it was local, it might cost $50, back to the UK would be i reckon $200, and thats my 2 cents worth, Colin.

[phri]

Did you got it done? and if yes how and where at what cost? I am actually in the same boat as you, I bought a 2001 GTV in NSW and need a timing belt change, I live in Geelong and nobody here want to touch a GTV... and I don't want to spend a fortune.

[colcol]

What about Geelong, isn't there an Alfa Dealer there?, or Ballarat, there is Stapletons, do not under any circumstances take it to a normal service centre, as you need special tools, such as cam locks, top dead centre gauge, flywheel locks, etc, on that side of the city there is Zagames in West Melbourne, Marranello Pursang Motors in Brunswick, to name a few, look up the service places on the service providers on the forum page, ring them up and have a chat to them, but don't leave it too long, as its 50,000 klms or 3 years on the twin spark timing belt intervals, a bit longer on the V-6, Colin.

[phri]

Update, got belt done for my GTV3.0 at Eurocity Geelong. Sounded they know the engine well and belt changes are routine. Belt kit & installation and cooling system pressure tested (for waterpump) $1100.

Next thing is brakes (front rotors/lines), then some new suspension parts, then repaint..... and the issues I haven't found yet. When I look at the uk sites easy to spend a couple of grant more, q2, GTA flywheel, koni shocks, better stabilizer bars. It's all fun, but good I still have the falcon for boring trips.