The words ‘car repair’ can strike fear into the heart of anyone. Some repairs can be costly, and even routine maintenance can add up if you’re on a strict budget. It’s tempting to try to eke a little more mileage out of your car before getting your timing belt taken care of when it needs work, but the results of that can be far more costly than the original repair was going to be.

Interference Engines

If your car has an interference engine, if the timing belt fails the end result can be disastrous. In an interference engine, the timing belt synchronizes the movement between two engine parts, the cam shafts and the crank. The valves and pistons of the parts are working very closely to each other and the timing belt is essential in keeping them operating correctly. If the timing belt fails, the valves and pistons lose their timing and interfere with each other, causing major damage to the engine. The price tag on a repair after this kind of damage can often exceed the cost of the car; putting off a simple repair can cost you your transportation if your car has this kind of engine.

Breakdown

For those who are lucky enough to have a car without an interference engine, a failed timing belt can still be costly. A different engine configuration will lose power when the timing belt fails. Of course that is inconvenient even at the best of times, but if you happen to be traveling on the interstate when this happens it can be downright dangerous. Once you manage to maneuver your vehicle to safety, you are still stuck with a dead vehicle on the side of the road.

Costs add up

Aside from the costs of the repair, if your car breaks down unexpectedly after not having your timing belt serviced, there are a myriad of other costs that you will have to deal with. The first thing you’ll have to deal with is a tow truck — they are not cheap, especially if you happen to break down somewhere a bit out of the way! Then there’s your transportation while your car is in the shop. If you plan ahead to change your timing belt you can make other arrangements sometimes, but when you push your luck and end up with an unexpected breakdown, you are often left having to rent a vehicle, the cost of which can add up quickly.

Time is money

When you plan ahead for a timing belt change, you can plan it around your schedule — you can take a vacation day, or arrange for an alternative ride to work. An unexpected breakdown doesn’t give you that luxury. If you’re out driving, you were obviously going somewhere… somewhere you can’t go now, without your car. If it was picking up the kids from school, you have to scramble to try to find them another way home. If it was work, you now have to explain to your boss how your car broke down, and hope they don’t decide to write you up for missing work. You miss a day of work and likely the salary you would otherwise be earning on top of having to pay for potentially costly repairs, and a tow truck, and possibly a rental car. Planning a routine timing belt change seems fairly cheap in comparison.