My TL reached 90,000 miles couple days ago and I started to think about getting my timing belt replaced soon.
Now, when I called the dealer, they quoted me $950 for timing belt and water pump replacement including parts & labor. That is crazy..
Now, I have a friend who is going to mechanic school and he said he can do timing belt replacement if he has the manual. But, I can't really trust his work because he wasn't too sure on what to do when we were lowering my tl together and I basically tought him what to do. Should I have my friend do the timing belt job? Is it something that could destroy my engine if he does the job improperly? I mean, is it very very hard to do the timing belt job? Should I just take it to the dealer? Lastly, if anyone know a good shop who would do it for cheaper in Chicago area, please let me know.

 

dont let him touch it if hes unsure. if you know what your doing its really not that hard, just time consuming. if done improperly the engine wont run right and there is a possibility for damage. 950 is high for even the dealer. check around with different shops

 

Good lord NO! Your friend needs to learn on fords and chevies and maybe the occassional Dodge. My highschool auto teacher used to tell me, "there is nothing you can screw up that I can't fix, so go ahead and try." He was a great teacher, and I screwed up. That's how a mechanic learns, by making small mistakes and then fixing them.

If the timing belt is not installed correctly, the valves can hit the pistons, which is very bad. Fixing that basically requires a new engine.

$900 sounds a little high but they are recommending replacing the water pump as well so I am not sure if that is really a terrible price. If you trust you dealer's service workmanship, Its a worthy investment.

 

He told me that he will be going to mechanic shops for working on real cars this week, so I assume that he should know what he's doing.. But at the same time, he looks just unsure...
Man.. spend $1000 or take a risk through my friend?

 

im in the same situation as you i called the acura dealership and they quoted me tha same. so imma just look around and shop for a cheaper place or do it my self

 

$950 is insane for a timing belt. The total labor time is 5.5 hours at 75.00 for customer pay labor. Throw in the timing belt itself for 36 bucks and a water pump for around 115, you guys do the math. Look elsewhere.

 

if you can get a manual on how to do it and you and your friend are mechanicly inclined its really not that hard. just TAKE YOUR TIME. and mark every thing

 

My friend said that he can print out the manual from his school. I assume that that is basically like helm's manual.
Once I do it, I will make sure to get all the pics on step by step.

 

man im getting scared i had a local shop do it for about 400 to 600( i dont remember) . Am I in trouble?

 

Check around with other dealers or independent repair shops that specialize in Honda/Acura before settling on one dealership (if there are any around). I'd rather pay a little premium than be paranoid while my friend is installing a timing belt that he's not sure or has little experience doing. At least if a shop messed it up, they would be liable and foot the bill or whatever.

 

no.

 

and by marking things i meant marking the cams and crank pullies in relation to something so that the timing has no way of getting messed up.
it should be in the manual on how to do it.

these are the directions for a 99, im sure its the same

theres a slot on the rear cam pulley. line it up with the mark on the rear pulley cover. the white mark on the crank pulley with align with the arrow, and the number 1 will be visible in the window of the front pulley cover


Dont forget the special tool for holding the auto tensioner compressed while you install the new belt. Honda didnt use the old spring/arm tensioner on that model and didnt go to a hydralic unit till 2002. As far as the marks go , Your best bet is to pull the top covers off and use the lower cover marks to align with the crank pully but if you forget there is and arrow on the block and a dot on the crankshaft timing gear that you can use as well.

 

it doesnt have to be "$1000 or a risk". You can always go to other mechanics and i even think that tire kingdom or any jiffy lube/quaker state place can do this too

you should also try another dealer, i'm sure there's more than one near you.

 

$950 sounds high.......does that include water pump replacement too?

I plan on selling my car before the timing belt replacement anyway.....I could never drive the same car for that many miles.....I get too bored

 

If you have a good mechanic that you trust, get the parts from the dealership and have him fix for you. This way you can save on the labour

 

maybe you just need to drive more miles a year soy you could get that high and not get bored! 173,000 miles tonight on mine ORIGINAL TIMING BELT!

 

When are you planning on changing it? How about the water pump? Is that also original?

 

Thought They Were Not Due Till 110K

 

Wow!! $950 US???? That wayyyy too much! You can get the timing belt and water pump done here for much less, and that's in Canadian Funds!

 

Thats alotta cash dude....its only about $700 in toronto canada at the dealership for a 2002 TL. By the way what year is it? I know for sure the 2001+ models dont have to change they're timing belt and pump til 168KM or 5 years.....so im told by the dealership.

 

My TL is 2002. Should I just drive up to Canada and get it done? hehe.

 

lol.....well if you come to the toronto acura meet on april 9th u mite be able to get it done then.....

 

every thing is original on the engine except the oil, and tranny fluid(on 4th tranny), and spark plugs

as for when i plan on changing them, i was thinking of waiting till 200k