the car had its first service since i bought it 7 months ago.
its a clean car at 130k kms and seems to be genuine.

the issue is, a sort of rattling began last week before service, heard from the right front wheel side.
it only happens when the car is at load when i am taking off, at a certain rpm.

my mechanic diagnosed the problem as loose timing belt. i checked the log book and apparently it was replaced at 2008 at 92.000 kms.. so kms wise its not due, but timewise it did hit the 60 month cycle...

so fair enough it needs to be replaced.
my problem is,
he quoted me 520 bucks for the timing belt kit !!!
and 340 bucks for the labor (which i think is fair)

i looked around on ebay and other online resources and it seems like the kit is priced around 120 bucks to 150 bucks depending on the seller and brand.

two brands available,
1- dayton (same as the one on the car)
2- Bosch

i tend to favor Bosch but i am not sure whether these ebay sellers provide you with the genuine stuff or not.. or belt is bosch but how about other bits and pieces?

does anyone have experience with these ebay stuff..
what would you think about the 520 bucks kit quote by mechanic

can i purchase this belt kit from a local seller (supercheap etc) ?
supercheap seems to sell the belt but not as a kit.. and i dont know what other parts are and supposed to be

regards

I'd suggest your mechanic has quoted your for the larger kit with the water pump included because it's advisable to use the larger kit every 2nd change.

Have you checked good old Rockauto.com?

Obviously it's up to you but I always have heaps of other stuff like belts, gaskets, plugs ect done on a major service.

Timing belts do not rattle. Will be extremely doubtful is the belt.

I would get a second opinion, more likely could be a loose ps or alt belt if engine related

Price quoted for kit is std retail, we sell them from $142 depending what parts you are wanting included

Unless your mechanic has x-ray vision, he is in the dark as much as anyone else. Mechanics often guess the worst possible situation, as that is where they can stand to make the most money. lol
Take it to someone who is prepared to do a hands-on look at the car for obvious things like slack belts, loose idlers etc.

Get the manual, and have a look yourself.

Is most likely the tensioner that it loose, not the timing belt. The belt needs to come off to replace it and I think thats what your mech might be talking about.

Pre tensioner will not make noise under load, will be mainly on cold start, belt does not need to come off to replace the pre tensioner either.

Re reading the symptom, get your exhaust front pipe checked, there is a metal divider in the y piece that comes loose, generally when it starts will be under load at around the 1800rpm mark that you will hear it, over time will get worse

yes he did tell me that this kit is the one with the tensioner, but the kits i have found online include that part too.
there is a massive difference between 520 bucks and 120 bucks.. i guess this is how mechanics roll, and there is no trusting without worrying of getting overcharged.

i had a close up check, and the noise is definitely from the timing belt area, and now it also does it a tiny bit when idling.

Engine needs to be opened up to see what is wrong, no way around it.
If you can afford to be without the car for a bit, tell the mechanic to rip into it and find out what is wrong, and you will get the needed parts yourself before he puts it back together. Could save you some dosh, if the mechanic is amenable.

DIY and having a spare car makes this method a no brainer in my case.

Flogged out bearings in the AC compressor make this kind of noise. Get a long screwdriver and use it as a stethoscope to see if you can find any strange noises and vibrations.

ok update here.
i dag deeper into the research.. aparently , even though some ebay sellers say tensioner.. in the listing. its not actually the right thing.
kits with proper hydraulic tensioners ended up costing around 360 bucks, a bit more or less..

i ended up ordering the parts from USA, and picked the most reasonable ones i could.
i hope it will go all well..

thank you for all the information

cheers