Ford B-Max 1.0 Ecoboost timing belt change

[Ecosseven]

Afternoon all,

My mum has a 1.0 Ecoboost B-Max that she has owned since new. It's low mileage but coming up for 10 years old and needs the timing belt done. Her local dealer has quoted £2400 to change the belt which seems ridiculously expensive to me. The dealer is saying they need to remove the engine to change the belt.

Any thoughts or guidance on a reasonable cost would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[HTP99]

Just Googled it out of interest, apparently the engine was designed with the intention of the cambelt never having to be replaced, this was then changed to a 10 year/150,000 mile year replacement cycle but it is a huge job taking 10-12 hours using specialist tools, hence the high cost

[Simon_GH]

Some independent garages are now doing this job for around £1100 including VAT.

[Ecosseven]

Thanks Both. I'll phone around a few places.

[LuS1fer]

Cheapest I saw was for a company doing a full package, in Transits for 850. Others quote far more. My daughter decided against and traded it in on a Vauxhall.

[ACCYSTAN]

£1,650 at Marshall’s Cambridge Ford dealer.

And they don’t want the work.

You need to find an independent garage locally that has done one, that way you will get the price down as they will be more aware and confident of what’s involved,

[jamiem555]

I was quoted £2500 from our local Ford dealer here in Perth. Our B Max will be 10 years old next March. Local indies don’t want to touch it.
So, I’ve been buying the parts over the last few months and I’ve just bought the timing tools for £70 on Amazon. There is a procedure for doing the crank pulley without the multiplier and I think I will try that. Otherwise I can buy the multiplier on Amazon for £150. I reckon I can do the whole job myself for about £400 including the consumables. Oil and coolant. Using genuine ford parts as well. I don’t think the engine needs to come out but if it does, then hey ho, so be it. I’ve told the Mrs I’ll need the garage for about 4 days so I can slow time it when the kids are at school.

[stevemcs]

Its not an engine out job, its a good days job. You really should use the torque multipler that bolts to the bracket that bolts to the block. We currently charge £1300 for all the belts inc waterpump.

Don't forget to change the friction washer. The are places that charge less than £1000 now. Oh and there is a choice of two different width of belts.

[jamiem555]

Haynes are saying there is a procedure to torque the crank pulley bolt to 300NM and then 90 degrees. Access might be a problem though when it’s on axle stands and I’ll be using a 3/4 inch drive torque wrench. I have the new bolt and friction washer.

[Muzzer79]

My OH has a 1.0 Fiesta Ecoboost

10 years old in March just gone, we had to get the belt done.

£1100 + VAT IIRC. Local Indy who had all the kit but they really don’t like doing them

The engine doesn’t need to come out.

[ACCYSTAN]

No need to take the engine out but it would be a bit harder to do the job on axle stands

[PinkTornado]

With garages not wanting to touch these and dealers charging the earth for the job, I can see a future where a lot of EB powered cars become worthless, or we see even more of them fail on the road.

[stevemiller]

I looked around and found a local indy who completed the two belt and water pump change for under £800. He has completed more than a dozen now, hates it but there brass where there's muck they say! That was on a 2012 Fiesta, which has covered around 2k miles since the change.

[LuS1fer]

PinkTornado said:

With garages not wanting to touch these and dealers charging the earth for the job, I can see a future where a lot of EB powered cars become worthless, or we see even more of them fail on the road.

I can't help wondering whether it is not the job itself but the potential for the engines to still fail, after the work has been done (through prior oil starvation etc) meaning they can still be blamed for work they did where the cause is historic, so to speak.

[mark-3bw80]

A word of warning. It's a Ford wetbelt system, GET IT CHANGED IMMEDIATLY, IT WILL FAIL. My daughters Fiesta with 38000 miles had a change recently and despite regular and on time servicing it had multiple teeth missing and was about to let go. Its a massive subject at the moment the Ford Wet belt system on the Eco boost ( nicknamed Ecoboom by the mechanics) google it and book it in soonest.

[stevemcs]

LuS1fer said:

I can't help wondering whether it is not the job itself but the potential for the engines to still fail, after the work has been done (through prior oil starvation etc) meaning they can still be blamed for work they did where the cause is historic, so to speak.

Partly true, but if the customer is honest and says the oil light has already been on then there is no real point in doing the belt, or just forewarn them it may fail. Likewise if the pump is really badly blocked then give them the option to continue with the risk it may fail.

[r3g]

stevemiller said:

I looked around and found a local indy who completed the two belt and water pump change for under £800. He has completed more than a dozen now, hates it but there brass where there's muck they say! That was on a 2012 Fiesta, which has covered around 2k miles since the change.

It's not so much that the job is "hated" but more that you can make the same or more money in the same worked hours just doing standard servicing, changing brakes etc which is easy bread n butter work for any competent mechanic. The latter is a known quantity, predictable and rarely causes an issue tying up the ramp for tne next customer. The wet belt change theoretically isn't a difficult job, but it's pretty complex as it requires most of the engine and everything bolted to it on the top and left side disassembling and removing. Lots of bolts and plastic connectors and wires to remove - all of which have an uncanny tendency to seize/shear/snap/break when you really don't want them to, leaving you up st street when the customer is coming to pick it up at 4.30 pm and needs it to get to work tomorrow. You rarely get that problem changing oil and filters or putting new disks and pads on.

[zspere]

mark-3bw80 said:

A word of warning. It's a Ford wetbelt system, GET IT CHANGED IMMEDIATLY, IT WILL FAIL. My daughters Fiesta with 38000 miles had a change recently and despite regular and on time servicing it had multiple teeth missing and was about to let go. Its a massive subject at the moment the Ford Wet belt system on the Eco boost ( nicknamed Ecoboom by the mechanics) google it and book it in soonest.

What year was the car?

If it was a mk8 was it serviced with correct oil (WSS-M2C948-B) every year or every 2 years like the servicing schedule says? Interested as there appears to be no known reason why Ford decided to switch the 1.0 ecoboost on the mk8 fiesta to servicing every 2 years/ 18k

Edited by zspere on Wednesday 17th July 16:56

[woodypup59]

I can recommend North West engines in Rochdale, and EcoPro near Lincoln who have changed the belts in both my 1 litre 3 cyl ecoboost Fords.

Both cost about £900.

For reference, once out of warranty, both cars had had the pukka Castrol Edge for Ecoboost at annual oil changes because I did it.

One car was 11 years old, done 90,000 miles and the belt was starting to shed particles.

The other at 9 y o and 45 k miles, would have gone a bit longer, but you can't tell without stripping it down.

[mark-3bw80]

zspere said:

mark-3bw80 said:

A word of warning. It's a Ford wetbelt system, GET IT CHANGED IMMEDIATLY, IT WILL FAIL. My daughters Fiesta with 38000 miles had a change recently and despite regular and on time servicing it had multiple teeth missing and was about to let go. Its a massive subject at the moment the Ford Wet belt system on the Eco boost ( nicknamed Ecoboom by the mechanics) google it and book it in soonest.

What year was the car?

If it was a mk8 was it serviced with correct oil (WSS-M2C948-B) every year or every 2 years like the servicing schedule says? Interested as there appears to be no known reason why Ford decided to switch the 1.0 ecoboost on the mk8 fiesta to servicing every 2 years/ 18k

Edited by zspere on Wednesday 17th July 16:56

It had been serviced by the book, correct oil and on time. My mate has just had his done and exactly the same FFSH 40000 miles belt had started to loose teeth, seriously if you have an Ecoboost anything either get rid ir get it changed.