1993 1.3 Ford escort brake discs and cam belt

[Bellvecchio2]

Can anyone tell me how much it should cost approx to get my brake discs and pads changed?
Also i have no service history for the car i have just brought so can anyone tell me when i should get my cam belt changed and what i should expect to pay approx, the car has done 78000 miles and i dont know if it has been changed already!

[Andyvon]

Hello again Bellvecchio - I just answered your question about the clutch.

Front pads and discs are usually very reasonable for the average car. It does vary on the make and model but you shouldn't have any nasty surprises with a quote. The labour costs will be quite high though if a garage does the work (about 40 pounds per hour I think. Mobile mechanics are cheaper).

I would change the cam belt as soon as you can and don't delay! They should be changed every 25-30,000 miles but it is best to change them long before that. If it breaks when you are driving you could well cause a lot of damage to the engine - if not wreck it. Basically, the pistons slam into the valves!

That's no exaggeration - get the belt changed now if you can! It usually costs about 80 pounds including parts but it depends again on the car. The belt is about 15 pounds if you do it yourself.

[boro1986]

Good avice but i think a bit low on the bam belt change id say more like �150 lot of labour costs .

[__LEE__]

cam belt change is every 40,000 miles... thats when they should be changed.

and if you pay �150 labour.. then you have been ripped off..
expect to pay at the most 1 hour labour for the cam belt.

[Wilber4rce]

if its a 1.3 then it most likely has the OHV engine which is a cam chain engine - no need to change it. pop into your local ford dealer or trustworthy garage and ask what kind of engine it is over head valve or over head cam. If it is overhead valve it is a chain driven engine

[Bellvecchio2]

Hi All,
Thanks for all the replies.
I've taken on board all the suggestions and decided to bite the bullet and get my wallet out. I've put the car into the same garage as the service was carried out and the work is being done today, at a cost of �108 for the cam belt change and �253.61 for the clutch, with all parts, labour and vat included for both costs. Going by the other quotes I got from other garage's in my area (Berkshire), I think that's quite a competitive price but it would be good to hear from anyone if they agree/disagree with those figures....

I've also noticed that when I'm driving the Escort, some times when you have to turn sharp to the right (almost full lock), as I release the steering wheel back through to straight there can - at times - be a knocking sound. Turning to the left is not a problem but to the right there is this noise and whilst it's fairly quiet, I'd like to have an idea of what it could be, and to see if I can get to the bottom of it before it developes into another problem and I have to shell out again!
It sounds like I've bought a right pile of cr*p but my view is the car for an L Reg, has only done 78K, so although I'm shelling out for all this (as she's obviously been neglected in the past), there's still a fair bit of life in the old girl....

[Andyvon]

Those are pretty good quotes with the Vicious Added Tax Bellvecchio.

The slight knock could be one of several things such as a loose suspension or roll bar joint. A slight knock might even be a loose brake caliper. If you are getting the other work done then it would be worth mentioning the knock to them. The cause should be fairly easy to track down and it won't cost much more if you have that done at the same time.

Once you've had those things done, you should have a reasonable car. Fords are pretty good and they are easy enough to keep going. So long as the engine's fine and there isn't much rust then it should last a while once the work is done. If you find a decent mechanic, ask them to give the car a check.

[homer75]

You are spending a lot of money on an old car - just be careful that it is still sound underneath before you throw any more money at it. Check along the inner sills. inner wings and the rear chassis legs for corrosion. Lift out the boot carpet and look just behind the rear seats either side for rust damage and also the spare wheel well. You may have been extremely lucky and got a solid one but on an L plate most of them are like tea bags.