Hey guys :) I recently purchased a 2000 Magna Solara (TJ), and its due for its 200,000km timing belt change. I rang my local mechanic who I've been using for the past 4 years, and who I trust quite well to do a great job and not try to rip you off. Their estimate was $720 for a timing belt kit, water pump and approximately 4hrs of labour to fit them- they did also specify that they'll check out the hydraulic tensioner and if it requires replacing, it will cost more (I don't know how much more- any ideas?). Out of curiosity I also called the local Kmart service center (who I don't have as much faith in) and they quoted $799 to replace the timing belt and for a new hydraulic tensioner- but they didn't mention anything about the water pump.

When I called both places, I basically just said I needed to get the timing belt changed in my car, and just let each place give their opinion as to what should be done, and the price for the assorted jobs...

What I'm interested to know is, which is the better deal/most logical choice (based on what each place recommended)? I'd rather stick with my normal mechanic because, as I said I trust them and they've always done well by me, so I'd rather continuing to support them. But to be honest I have no real idea when it comes to cars, hence why I'm posting here for your opinions! So, any suggestions or recommendations when approaching this would be helpful!

Thanks :)

Stick with the normal mech. He will probably be cheaper. Just ask him to check over everyting engine wise. Some of those kmart places i've heard can be shifty. The tensioner shouldn't cost to much more if they need done.

The price from your mechanic is pretty good, I had this same service done to my KH Verada 3 months ago, I bought all parts from ebay inculding the water pump, I was going to do it myself but there was a couple of things that I thought i might have trouble so got a reliable mechanic to do the job, he also replaced the both drive belts, I payed about $250 for the parts and he charged me $398.




Hey guys :) I recently purchased a 2000 Magna Solara (TJ), and its due for its 200,000km timing belt change. I rang my local mechanic who I've been using for the past 4 years, and who I trust quite well to do a great job and not try to rip you off. Their estimate was $720 for a timing belt kit, water pump and approximately 4hrs of labour to fit them- they did also specify that they'll check out the hydraulic tensioner and if it requires replacing, it will cost more (I don't know how much more- any ideas?). Out of curiosity I also called the local Kmart service center (who I don't have as much faith in) and they quoted $799 to replace the timing belt and for a new hydraulic tensioner- but they didn't mention anything about the water pump.

When I called both places, I basically just said I needed to get the timing belt changed in my car, and just let each place give their opinion as to what should be done, and the price for the assorted jobs...

What I'm interested to know is, which is the better deal/most logical choice (based on what each place recommended)? I'd rather stick with my normal mechanic because, as I said I trust them and they've always done well by me, so I'd rather continuing to support them. But to be honest I have no real idea when it comes to cars, hence why I'm posting here for your opinions! So, any suggestions or recommendations when approaching this would be helpful!

Thanks :)

Rightio, I've definitely decided to stay away from K-mart- I thought they might be less reliable/trustworthy.

I rang up my normal mechanic today to book it in to get the work done, however this time a different person answered the phone. When I booked it in I asked how much extra it would cost to get the tensioner done just as a precautionary/preventionary maintenence, and he said it would be $400 for the kit (vs. $250 for the kit without a tensioner, which I was quoted the other day), then add on the water pump (was quoted $100 the other day) and fitting it, the guy today said it'd be around $1000-$1200... Wheras the other day I was told around $750 for the timing belt and water pump. Does this sound right to you guys? is the tensioner itself an extra $150 and then does it take $250-$450 extra to fit it? I'm a bit confused at the moment, I wouldn't have thought it would be worth that much more (though like I said, I know nothing about cars to be honest)

Also would you recommend I get the water pump and tensioner replaced in a 2000 magna with 203000km?

Sorry about the questions, I'm just trying to keep my costs down as low as possible. I had been hoping to buy a new car at the end of the year/start of next year once I've finished uni and started working (I'm a 5th yr vet student), but now been whacked with the cost of a new car and the cost to get the belt etc done.

Thanks :)

Its better to get everything done while it is all apart .Timing Belt and tensioner and the waterpump.It will save you in the long run.

Kits here about $150 with everthing but waterpump. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Magna-Verada-6G74-Timing-Belt-Kit-/200630559133?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2eb683619d

Waterpump here about $80 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mitsubishi-VERADA-KE-6G74-96-Water-Pump-/270744554846?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f09a20d5e

Then you just need a price to fit.Labour should be around the $400 mark. So you should come out under the original $750 quote.

Mate i just did my sons car today and there is no way in hell it should cost that much.$750 is ok there is a kit on ebay with the tensioner for $210 delivered. by it and get lube mobile or a mobile mechanic to do it a lot cheaper. dont get ripped.
My son was quoted $600 but i fitted belt,seals water pump and tensioner bought from mitsubishi for $178. so you see some charge $80 plus per hour labour.
Please dont get ripped off.

Ok I think I will try to get everything done while I'm at it (belt, tensioner, pump).

The timing belt was last done at 105000km in 2005- so at 203000km and 6 years its now due for a belt... but if I order parts that take a while to get here, is it ok to drive in the mean time? Or am I better off driving my old commodore (which is dying) until I get the belt done?

And thanks Rob :) I'm trying not to get ripped off, and the $1000-$1200 sounds too expensive to me. I just don't know one person said it'd be $750 (without tensioner) and the other said $1000-$1200 with the tensioner- it cant be that much more expensive and time consuming to install!

My Mitsu dealer charged $275 for labour to fit belt,seals,idler pulley, tensioner pulley, hydraulic tensioner. I think that's really good value and knowing they have the experience and special tools for the job is peace of mind. I would guess that equates to 2-2.5 hrs labour.

I doubt it would take 1.5-2hrs to do the water pump at the same time. I was charged $216 for an OEM tensioner but interestingly non OEM at Bursons and REPCO they were $240-$250, go figure? The $178 quoted in the above post is suprisingly a lot cheaper than what I paid for my tensioner at a dealer.

The MITSFIX kit is pretty good value if you work out the individual component prices. The OEM bearings are KOYO Japan which you can get at CBC around $60-70 for both. The 3 seals OEM (Brand NOK) were around $50-60. That means for another $20 you buy the whole lot from MITSFIX.

These are some Dealer prices I got quoted, I did not request the belt price as i had already sorted that one out. The OEM belt MD322641 which part number is now superceeded by 1145A043 is UNITTA Japan which is Gates .

MD372536 – cam seal instock $19.01 inc gst

MD372249 – crank seal instock $16.40 inc gst

MD151793 – crank pulley bolt instock $42.19 inc gst

MD319022 – T/Belt idler pulley nil stock $143.58 inc gst

MD140071 – T/Belt tensioner pulley in stock $91.56 inc gst

MD341830 – hydraulic tensioner in stock $225.45 inc gst

Here is the kit you just need a water pump.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MAGNA-VERADA-PAJERO-380-6G74-V6-TIMING-BELT-KIT-/280717953680?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item415c180a90

To begin with, dont touch any after market tensioner, they last about 20k if you are lucky and then they fail. There is no way for $199 you are getting a good tensioner when the kit itself without the tensioner is only $50 less, you get what you pay for

I have listed kits and pumps now, I had forgotten to list the water pumps for the Magna's for some reason but have fixed this now.

The tensioner, IF you need it, ie you are getting rattles on cold start, then get genuine, if you dont need it, dont replace it

If I don't get the tensioner done now, and it goes some time down the track, how much (on average/estimate) would it cost to replace? I've been told the timing belts are expensive to change simply because they're time consuming to get into... I'm assuming the tensioner is in the same/similar area, so would cost a similar amount for labour if replaced at a different time?


Sorry about all my questions, I'm just trying to get a bit of an idea for what I should do. To be honest I'd like to try and save as much as I can for the moment, and after the end of the year I can get anything additional done if required. Though having said that, if something is going to wreck my car before then, (if I don't get it fixed or whatever now) I'd rather get it done now, if that makes sense!

Edit- When you mentioned a rattling noise on cold start, I tried to find a video of it, because my magna does make an odd noise when it starts cold- not every time, but if I dont start/drive it for a day or so it will make the noise when I next start it, and the noise seems to stop once the car has warmed up a bit. I drove it last night, and it was making the noise when I first started it, but when I just turned it on then to see if I could record the sound, it didnt do it. So I'm wondering if it is the tensioner? It sounds pretty similar to this video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC9jUTCuhMM

Yep thats the tensioner alright.

That said, Mines been doing it since 2007 and still goes fine.

Why does the tensioner make a "thumping" noise? Is it just because the timing belt is a bit loose?

If I don't get the tensioner done now, and it goes some time down the track, how much (on average/estimate) would it cost to replace? I've been told the timing belts are expensive to change simply because they're time consuming to get into... I'm assuming the tensioner is in the same/similar area, so would cost a similar amount for labour if replaced at a different time?


Sorry about all my questions, I'm just trying to get a bit of an idea for what I should do. To be honest I'd like to try and save as much as I can for the moment, and after the end of the year I can get anything additional done if required. Though having said that, if something is going to wreck my car before then, (if I don't get it fixed or whatever now) I'd rather get it done now, if that makes sense!

Edit- When you mentioned a rattling noise on cold start, I tried to find a video of it, because my magna does make an odd noise when it starts cold- not every time, but if I dont start/drive it for a day or so it will make the noise when I next start it, and the noise seems to stop once the car has warmed up a bit. I drove it last night, and it was making the noise when I first started it, but when I just turned it on then to see if I could record the sound, it didnt do it. So I'm wondering if it is the tensioner? It sounds pretty similar to this video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC9jUTCuhMM

That is the tensioner noise you most likely have

It is easy to change later but if yours is noisy replace it with a genuine one

Leaving it is doing damage as that noise is the tensioner pulley bracket thumping against the tensioner, you will end up with broken bolts after a while

The cause is that when the tensioner is old it gets stiff, generally when you stop the motor the cams will move a little over time with the force of the valves pushing against the lobes, the back of the belt will tighten and push the tensioner in, then when you start the engine it takes a few seconds to push back out. In extreme cases you can even slip a couple teeth on the belt but this is fairly rare

Ok, I'll definitely get the tensioner done then. I'll see about ordering the pump and belt kit, but with the tensioner, would the mechanic be likely to use a genuine one if I don't provide one?

Now that I know it has a current problem, I'll stop driving it completely until its fixed- I'd rather not take any risks

Thanks for all your help, and for putting up with my stupidity haha :)

That is the tensioner noise you most likely have

It is easy to change later but if yours is noisy replace it with a genuine one

Leaving it is doing damage as that noise is the tensioner pulley bracket thumping against the tensioner, you will end up with broken bolts after a while

The cause is that when the tensioner is old it gets stiff, generally when you stop the motor the cams will move a little over time with the force of the valves pushing against the lobes, the back of the belt will tighten and push the tensioner in, then when you start the engine it takes a few seconds to push back out. In extreme cases you can even slip a couple teeth on the belt but this is fairly rare

Thanks for the detailed explanation mal :D

QUestion for Mal:
You said that when the tensioner gets old, it gets stiff. I know that when I last did my Pajero timing belt, it was damned stiff to compress the tensioner to insert the holding pin. Can they be cleaned up or do they have to be replaced?

If it helps, Ultratune (in SA) charge $635 to do the timing belt, tensioner, tune, six platinum spark plugs & inlet mani gasket.

Allow $50-70 for sparks and another $80 for labour on them.. Looking at $450-500 for the timing belt job..??

The tensioner is normally very stiff to push back when you need to put the pin in. Unless its leaking it is ok. The manual recommends you take it off the car and use a vice to retract it, in order to put the pin in. A thumping noise may be because the belt has stretched and the tensioner is fully extended, and rattling on the pivoting part. No way to tell if it is still ok or not until the covers are pulled off. Same for the bearings in the two rollers. Best bet is to replace the lot and potentially save labour on replacing those bits some time later, long before the belt needs changing again. (Unless you are like me and don't mind running the risk of another teardown before the belt is due again just to replace the noisy rollers or tensioner. Comes with being time rich and money poor. lol )

IF the timing belt is that loose it would have slipped. The issue is exactly as I stated above, is a known issue and has been so for many years

You do not have to take the tensioner off to retract it and pin it if you know what you are doing, when I do belts I only remove the tensioner if I have to replace it, if it is being re used it stays put

Once the covers and pulley are off, you can put the engine with all the marks lined up. If you put a spanner on the rear cam bolt and turn it clockwise gently, without turning anything too much, the slack at the rear of the belt will disappear and push the plunger in slowly. When the holes line up the pin goes in - like Mal said, the tensioner need not come off the engine, even though the manual says to do so.