I have just had a chap in from SKF and we have had a longish chat about cambelts I personally use SKF kits as the belts are made by Gates and the rollers/tensioners are always OE quality (if not original fit) I also only fit complete kits including water pumps if the belt goes around it, if the customer does not agree, then i don't do the job I asked about warranty. He said they would warranty any kit fitted for 12 months with unlimited mileage, the same as most main dealers. I would agree that 12 months unlimited is fair He also said (i tend to agree) that 99% of premature belt failures is due to incorrect fitting, one of the biggest causes is not tightening the roller/tenioner bolts to the correct torque, hence it comes loose Cambelt change times is also another grey area, i advise my customers not to go beyond 4 years or sooner if they reach the required mileage. If the belt is changed at 100k or 8 years then i still recommend on the invoice 4 years, after that they take the risk (if it breaks in 6 years) Another common cause is the failure of auxiliary drive belts shredding and getting wound around the bottom pulley, so always replace it at the same time (SKF also recommend changing the auxiliary belt tensioner a well) This can all add up to an expensive repair for the customer, but would you sooner sleep at night or worry about that belt coming off with 4/5k for a new engine Cambelt changing is a skilled job and on some engines can be scary, so make sure its done right first time. If the customer wants to moan about the cost, then refer him to the manufacturer.......they created the problems, not us Peter
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