I recently bought a car where the seller told me the cam belt had been changed about 10k miles ago but didnt have any paper work - is there any easy way of checking this before I have to go and get it done again?
Ask the seller the name of the garage who changed the cam belt, and contact them to verify the sellers claim.
A cam belt should only be changed by a qualified mechanic. There is no easy way to tell if it has been changed, as it requires various panels to be removed.
If you examine the cambelt, that should tell you whether it�s been replaced recently. If you�ve got a Haynes manual for the car it�ll show you how to get at it. If you need a manual, look for one on ebay (probably less than half what you�d pay for a new one).
It�s not difficult to change a cambelt as a DIY job, so long as you have some experience of working on cars and you follow the instructions carefully.