Here's the situation:

I have a 2003 TL-S purchased in 2002.
She has around 14,000 miles.
She's kept in the garage.

My question is should I be concerned about getting the timing belt changed?

Thanks.

 

Yes you should change it. Age is an equal contributing factor as mileage is for the deterioration of belts. Would be a good idea to replace the AC and power steering belts since you have to remove them anyway. I also replaced the front crankshaft seal since it's right in front of you when you remove the timing belt.

 

Hey LITypeS, so ya bought the TL new and and averaged less than 2000 miles per year, huh ? Apparently you don't have much use for the car, considering the low mileage.

As Victus1 previously stated, the factory recommends maintenance based not only on miles driven, but also time lapsed. Personally, I could go either way with the T-belt. Reason being that you specifically know the history and driving conditions of the car since originally purchased brand new, pampered and garage kept.

If you are planning on driving the car more extensively and want to keep it for an indefinite period of time, than the money would be well spent for peace of mind. However, on the other hand .....if you're only going to drive it 1000 miles a year or may be planning on selling the car within a few years, why bother, IMO ? Your decision !!!!

 

wish i had 14,000 miles lol

i say change it. if that TL has been sitting then that belt will probably snap within a few thousand of driving it again...10 years of sitting bro

 

Age is worse than mileage

 

I would recommend all of the belts be changed immediately. I'm willing to bet the belts, and the cam & crank seals have dry rotted.

 

14k miles in 11 years!? There's almost no point of owning a car

If you plan to keep it forever, change the belt.

Also, can you post some pics of your car, it must be in pristine condition!

 

HOLY SHITT 14K?
Dude wow just WOW...

But I agree with most.. Even if you dont used the car at all AGE has eaten into your belts even if you didnt want it to. You should replace the Belts like ASAP not to mention Timing Belt job right know, 10 years later think of it as every year you should have averaged 15Ks so right now your cas has 150K un-used miles.. 114K < Timing Belt job.

Hahahaha Sad thing is that Engine has not even breaked in...

 

i'd love to see the dyno numbers on his motor

 

Like everyone else here, I'm green with envy on your low mileage.

With respect to the timing belt, at the end of the day, it's really up to you. I can only share my own experience and opinions with you and you can take or leave anything I say.

I changed mine at 100k miles only because my trans failed and I was damned if I was going the re-build the transmission and have to engine implode the next week. This was clearly my case and not yours. When I looked at the old timing belt, it looked factory fresh and I could not see any wear at all even after carefully checking it for cracks or any signs of wear.

Since my TL is a "99", the cost of the T-belt replacement is very close to what the car is actually worth and so I had planned to run it until it broke, that is until the transmission intervened.

In your case, I would keep in mind that in all of years on this site, I have never read posting were the factory original timing belt has failed. There are several posts that indicate a belt failed after replacement, which would indicate a knock-off belt was used with the attendent result. You run the risk of this hapening unless you provide the Honda parts yourself and ensuring you receive back the old belt, checking to make sure it's actually from a TL. Even after all this, you still might end up the a Chinese belt.

So in closing, there are risks either way and unless you have place to get a really super deal, I would use the $1K for other things than changing a timing belt of a car with such low mileage.

 

Don't change the TB, sell the car to me!

 

For what ever reason, LITypeS is only feeling the waters.

The ultimate choice is that of the owner, knowing the facts of the car since new. No sweat in any rush, but when and if ya do make a decision......don't skimp on a cheap quickie job, as you're taking a risk when it's opened up.

Take it to a pro and treat your baby to the best, to ensure another ten years of sitting in the garage, absolutely destined to be a gem, IMO !!! How about some pics, as we are all drooling at 14k !

 

according to KBB, if his TL is excellent condition it's worth $10k private retail nice