Volvo changed the frequency of the belt change.
3x18,000=54,000 miles so 3 years rather than the 54,000 miles or 5 years as stated in my handbook.
I will not change an aux belt without changing the tensioner, it's the tensioner that causes the problem by failing and shredding the belt.
Under the current volvo regime you could save yourself £60 and change the tensioner every second belt so every 6 years, if you like a gamble.
Tensioner fail, shreds belt, bits get behind cover and derail cam belt, the very best you can hope for is £2000 of cylinder head, worse case and it's £8000 for a new engine. Or take a chance on a second hand engine that may or may not be as good as the one that failed.
£60 seems cheap insurance to me.
Interestingly today visited a local HGV garage, they had an engine in bits to find the cause of a knock and rough running. Valve head separated from stem, damage, cracked cylinder block, chewed piston, bent vales, bent con rod,bits sucked into the turbo and wrote that off. In short that engine is scrap and they stopped looking so possibly crank damage as well. Unfortunate as that is one of their regular vehicles and very well maintained. The driver stopped as soon as he heard the knock, the brakedown man said drive on its an injector knock, 2 miles down the road it stopped permanently.
Paul.
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