If you are buying or have recently bought a used car then you need to establish if and when the cam belt has been changed. Some cars are fitted with chains rather than belts, but those fitted with a belt often need changing around 60,000 miles up to 120,000 miles. If the seller tells you that the cam belt has recently been changed then try and get them to show you a receipt of this or find out where I was done so you can double check. If a cam belt goes on a car then it can end up costing thousands of pounds as it often causes a lot of damage and may even make the car unworthy or repairs and therefore scrap.

When replacing a cam belt always replace then tensioners too as they are often the components that fail causing the belt to then snap. Changing a cam belt is often not a cheap job and can cost anything from £150 upwards of £300-£400 pounds depending on what the vehicle is.