Cheapest / best place for a Cambelt and cambelt seals change on GTV6?

[joninmelbourne]

Hi there, what place is the cheapest for a cambelt change and cambelt seal replacement on the GTV6? I have been quoted $1000 at one alfa place which seams steep. Maybe a non specialist will be cheaper? Not sure when the last change was, so doing it now to be sure. I'm in Melbourne. Cheers!

Jon

[alfagtv58]

Try ringing around all of our sponsors.  They can be found from a link on the home page.

I think $1000 is cheap compared to the belt skipping a couple of teeth, bending valves and stuffing your engine.

[Anthony Miller]

Try ringing around all of our sponsors.  They can be found from a link on the home page.

I think $1000 is cheap compared to the belt skipping a couple of teeth, bending valves and stuffing your engine.

Having been on the end of a non specialist repair(previous owner) with the result being exactly what Phil has described, I'd say $1000 is a lot cheaper than the $2700 it cost me to rectify mindless pennypinching.
Anthony

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Wouldn't you rather know who would do the best job rather than the cheapest?

$1000 seems like a good price to me for the job anyway.  But Phil's advice is pretty much spot on.  Depending on whereabouts you're located I'd try the closest club sponsor.

Failing that, I'll give it a go for $750.  Never done it before, but how hard can it be?  And I'd like some practice before I do it on my own GTV6.

[shane wescott]

Had to do ine when I replaced the water pump.

Yeah - how hard can it be. Probably spent at least 6 hours just stuffing around with the belt until I gleamed a couple of tips. Next time i think it will be a garage job.

Even though I appear to have done a good enough job as the car runs like a dream.

On days like today, sunroof open, favourite girl in the passenger seat, sussing out some info for social club events, and gunning the GTV6 down the highway, it doesnt get much better than that :-)

CAtch ya

Shane

[Evan Bottcher]

Seriously - if you ring around the mechanic shops listed on our sponsors page you'll get a fair price for an experienced person to do the job.  I honestly think if you want to get cheaper service then you should consider a Hyundai.

[Ray Pignataro]

my money is with Sheldon may not be the best job but at $750,you could afford him to muck it up, besides Sheldon could then write a magazine article on his experience with your car.

[joninmelbourne]

Hey thanks for the replies guys!

Not sure about the get a Korean car if the $1000 is too much comment though - I think its fair enough to shop around for a good deal... Plus excel's are not really my style...!

Remember that $1000 is 10% of the car's value. Also, if you see that a cambelt is $50, even at $100 an hour labour it should not come to more than $650  - I have been told its a 6 hour job by an alfa mechanic.

Cheers
Jon

[alanm]

Hi Jon

For what its worth, I think $1000 - $1200 might buy not just the belt and labour but a set of tensioners as well.
I think its common to replace the tensioners at the same time. If they're are not doing their job properly the belt can slip a tooth and the result is the same as a broken belt.

I had mine done at Pur Sang Motors (now merged with Maranello Motors, Brunswick)

cheers,
Alan

[Evan Bottcher]

Not sure about the get a Korean car if the $1000 is too much comment though - I think its fair enough to shop around for a good deal... Plus excel's are not really my style...!

Yeah I know how rude - this forum's full of trolls! :-P

I had an Accent rental car once - I really didn't think it was possible to get a worse car.  Then next time I got a Getz, and realised how lucky I had been.

[alfagtv58]

this forum's full of trolls! :-P

At our last meeting.

[Al Campbell]

A squirt of TD40 will keep those little devils away from your wiring.

[Victor Lee]

Oi Phil!  Who do these Trolls belong to?   

[joninmelbourne]

I didn't think it was rude, honest, just making my point and you made yours.  I was in the MG club before, had a 1976 MGB and I was the youngest in the club by about 20 years. They gave me free beer and cucumber sandwiches at the meetings and were so pleased that the club was attracting the younger generation. Frightened of the pressure of respresenting a whole generation I decided to go to the dark side of the force and back to the Alfas. Miss the MG though, and the free carrot cake at meetings is sorely missed too. One day when I am rich and famous and have my 3 car garage, I will have the GTV6, a MGB V8 and a Volvo P1800 and will never worry about the cost of servicing again. Until that day I will bitch about the $1000 cambelt changes Found somewhere to do it now for $550 thanks to this forum so really pleased!

[Simon Aarons]

I don't think its the best idea to just 'let your engine go'. Not the smartest comment going around there. I am sure its alot eaiser to just pay for the cam belt to be changed than to put another engine in. And if you are unable to swap engines yourself a cam belt seems alot cheaper to me.