[Engine] 1.6 16v petrol cambelt

[sks01773]

Hi just recently got a 1.6 16v petrol berlingo, it has 61000 on the clock and is 9 years old .
I checked the service book and it hasn't got any documents to indicate cambelt has been changed.I think in the service book it said every 80000 and or 10 years whichever come first, as it is due soon  I want to get it changed,
my dilemma is as follows,I phoned my regular local garage ,who says he can do it for £200 pound labour ,but I have to buy kit from gsf £119 ,it includes water pump, idler pully, tensioner and cambelt.
I thought I would check how much the local main citroen dealer will do it for,i checked with a technician and was informed cambelt is £325,i asked if it included the water pump ,tensioner ,pulley,and was told that they would check and replace if needed,
so asked how much are the items if I wanted them changed anyway,as even I know its good practise to replace them whilst changing cambelt,he totalled it up to £510 plus vat.
I have not had dealing with citroen main dealer and was bit surprised they would only do the cambelt only without changing the other parts ,
also iam thinking if I buy parts from gsf and get my local mechanic to fit them will they be as good as oem parts ,will he fit it correctly,
could the new cambelt break a couple years down the line, would I have more of a guarantee with citroen dealer.
Just want to ask what members would do as I have never had to change a cambelt before.

[polar]

Those prices sound about right - nothing wrong with finding a good local garage if they have decent mechanics.

[ghost123uk]

I have just had mine done at a local garage (which has a good reputation) at the same sort of price. I bought a full cambelt, tensioner and water pump kit from GSF using one of there discount codes. This weekends one is WKEND47 and gives 47% off .

I got a full engine service done at the same time. I provided the oil and filters. They charged £40 to fit them.

[cancunia]

You should ask the Citroen dealer what guarantee they give, it's likely to be 12 months but I may be wrong. If you have a trusted mechanic, he will know what the good brands are and you can buy from GSF, lots of trade places buy there too. GSF also often have 40% or more off at weekends, you can join their mailing list to get an email alert on prices. As noted in the post above, this weekend it's 47% (code is WKEND47).
You can compare prices with Carparts4less to see what's a good deal, only thing I'd say about Eurocarparts / Carparts4less is to steer away from their own label brands, maybe the same goes for GSF.
Citroen cars seem to have a longer interval than most that I've seen, 100k / 10 Years is what I've seen for Citroen. I read somewhere that this is done to have an effect on the overall service costs and most cars I've seen are about 80k / 8 years, so yours is about ready if you have no service history.
I've personally changed belts on 3 petrol cars and about 3 times on my bike, with new cars I always change the belt when I buy them so I know it's been done & never had a problem yet. If you have a trusted mechanic and buy a reputable brand, it should be fine.

[sks01773]

there is a video on youtube citroen c4 1.6 16v petrol,does the cambelt and the related parts,
looks very complicated I don't think I would be able to tackle this at home.

[geoff]

Just get the local garage to do the work and keep the extra cash in your arse pocket, this sort of work really is bread and butter stuff.

[sks01773]

I have ordered the gsf kit at discount was around £85 with water pump,will get my local garage to do it,
the anitfreeze in the car is blue is that the correct colour?, what specification should new antifreeze be?

[sks01773]

Citroen cars seem to have a longer interval than most that I've seen, 100k / 10 Years is what I've seen for Citroen. I read somewhere that this is done to have an effect on the overall service costs and most cars I've seen are about 80k / 8 years, so yours is about ready if you have no service history.

The vehicle has full history from citroen main dealer,there is no paperwork to support the cambelt being done ,I presume as it not due until next year.

[cancunia]

Citroen cars seem to have a longer interval than most that I've seen, 100k / 10 Years is what I've seen for Citroen. I read somewhere that this is done to have an effect on the overall service costs and most cars I've seen are about 80k / 8 years, so yours is about ready if you have no service history.

The vehicle has full history from citroen main dealer,there is no paperwork to support the cambelt being done ,I presume as it not due until next year.

Yes, that sounds likely if it's not due according to the service schedules. In your first post you said you'd like to get it done, so it's your call on whether it's this year or next. Driving in towns a lot can cause greater wear on the belt than motorways, getting the belt done will cost money upfront now, but then won't be needed for quite a few years.
This weekend a Dayco kit will cost just over £60 at ECP/ CP4L or a 'premium' kit at GSF is £55.

[geoff]

the anitfreeze in the car is blue is that the correct colour?, what specification should new antifreeze be?

 I believe " Red " is the correct colour - a hybrid ethyline glycol / OAT compound giving best of both technologies.