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What does the average water pump/timing belt cost?

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15 October 2003
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West coast!
I'm looking at a car and the owner said the car currently has 56k miles but the timing belt/water pump have not been done yet.

Do you guys think at this mileage it's something I should be concerned about? Any other areas I should look at given the mileage? The car is a 1999 and about ready to hand over the check.


thanks
rik
 
To be on the safe side i would do it. Its over the recommended service interval. I may be wrong but i think its 6years or 60k miles, so either way your right about there. I would not want any headaches with a new car. Last Feb i paid $1800 to have tbelt, pump and valves adjusted at an Acura dealer. I may have overpaid but security was my number one concern since i still had the original tbelt from 92. :biggrin: Car was in storage for some time previously.
 
I bought my nsx (97 spa yellow w/51k miles) in July and it went straight to the dealer for tb/wp.... The cost was $1850 at cerritos acura.
 
Awesome guys, thanks so much for the info - talked to a local performance shop who I trust to do all my CTSC work on my s2000 and he quoted me about $1290 for everything so that seems like a STEAL!

I'm going to talk to the owner today - now just gotta find a NORCAL, San Jose guy I can trust to do the PPI - any recommendations for locals?


thanks
rick
 
Replace the timing belt at 105,000 miles (168,000 km) according to the maintenance schedule (normal conditions/severe conditions). If the vehicle is regularly driven in one or more of the following conditions, replace the timing belt at 60,000 miles (U.S.A.) 100,000 km (Canada) .
In very high temperatures (over 110°F, 43°C) .
In very low temperatures (under -20°F, -29°C) .

60,000 Miles C 0.0 2.4 Notes
Note
With Timing Belt Service Add B 0.0 4.6
Looks like the total labor charge should be 7.0 hours plus the parts.
$2k sounds crazy high :eek:
 
Run a search on "timing belt" and you will get your answer.

Short answer: Average price is between $1,500 and $1,750.
 
I'm looking at a car and the owner said the car currently has 56k miles but the timing belt/water pump have not been done yet.

Do you guys think at this mileage it's something I should be concerned about? Any other areas I should look at given the mileage? The car is a 1999 and about ready to hand over the check.


thanks
rik

Here's a good thread regarding all things timing belt/water pump including why it shouldn't be postponed and why the WP is also replaced.

Looks like you're two years overdue at least on your 1999 for 90K mile service and TB/WP replacement. Mileage when the time interval is reached is immaterial.
 
Thanks for the wealth of info guys! :)

So is it fair to ask the seller to account for the cost of replacement timing belt/water pump if it's overdue? His asking price was $45k and he's thinking the car is a killer deal if he sells to me for $41k (1999 nsx with just under 56k miles).

I know two things I'll need right away is rear tires and doing the water pump and timing belt which will run me roughly $2000.....also he just told me the car is on the original clutch as well.


rick
 
Thanks for the wealth of info guys! :)

So is it fair to ask the seller to account for the cost of replacement timing belt/water pump if it's overdue? His asking price was $45k and he's thinking the car is a killer deal if he sells to me for $41k (1999 nsx with just under 56k miles).

I know two things I'll need right away is rear tires and doing the water pump and timing belt which will run me roughly $2000.....also he just told me the car is on the original clutch as well.


rick

When I bought my 97 with 23K miles I specifically used the overdue TB service as a negotiation issue. I compared to other cars for sale that didn't need the TB.

That said - I'm going against what many here say. My 97 has about 30K miles on it and I am in no hurry to do the TB service. The NSX mechanic at Flatirons Acura in Colorado told me not to worry much. He said the belt is extremely durable, and he has never seen one fail nor have any that he replaced (hundreds) been in poor condition. My car was a cool weather car and not subject to high temperatures routinely.
 
When I bought my 97 with 23K miles I specifically used the overdue TB service as a negotiation issue. I compared to other cars for sale that didn't need the TB.

That said - I'm going against what many here say. My 97 has about 30K miles on it and I am in no hurry to do the TB service. The NSX mechanic at Flatirons Acura in Colorado told me not to worry much. He said the belt is extremely durable, and he has never seen one fail nor have any that he replaced (hundreds) been in poor condition. My car was a cool weather car and not subject to high temperatures routinely.

I'm sorry, but this is very bad advice. I don't know who the mechanic is at Flatirons Acura is but Mark Basch, arguably the most experienced NSX mechanic in the country, as well as other highly respected NSX techs, have confirmed on numerous occasions it is impossible to tell how much life is left on a NSX timing belt just by looking at it. The internal construction of the belt may very well be deteriorating without any obvious outside signs. When TB failure does occur rarely does the belt actually break. The teeth usually just strip off. The elasticity/integrity of the TB is essential to it's effective operation and that simply cannot be determined by visual inspection.

Honda recommends replacing the timing belt at 7 years on a 1997+ NSX under all conditions--cold, hot, wet--anything. If the conditions are particularly harsh I would consider changing the TB before the scheduled interval, if anything. I would not risk it. This has been discussed at length here.

Even if the timing belt is fine the water pump might not be. The reason you don't hear about many water pump failures is because almost everyone replaces them with the timing belt. Just one more thing that could break and destroy your engine if you extend your TB service...:rolleyes:
 
Good lord, that's cheap. How did you manage to snag a price like that? I haven't seen a quoted price for a TB/WP for that little in years!


Actually my shop also quoted me $1300 range to do both.....so that's a pretty good deal. Add rear tires and I'm looking at roughly $2k once I buy the car......hmmmm


rick
 
Typical cost for replacing the timing belt and water pump only is $1200-1600 or so.

I suspect that those paying $1800 or more probably had additional work included in that figure. Remember, the timing belt is recommended as a major replacement interval, so, depending on the year of your car and the maintenance interval you might be hitting, other items being serviced at the same time often include fluids (oil, brake, coolant, transmission), filters (oil, air, fuel), valve adjustment, etc. Those other items typically cost $800-1200 to do by themselves, not including the TB/WP replacement. There is a small amount of overlap between the two services (e.g. both replace the coolant).

Consider replacing the cooling system hoses (either all of them, or at least the big ones) at this time, for good preventive maintenance. And, if the car has been tracked or driven hard, the crankshaft pulley.

now just gotta find a NORCAL, San Jose guy I can trust to do the PPI - any recommendations for locals?
San Francisco - Don at Hilltop in Daly City
San Jose - Foreign Affair in Santa Clara
 
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