cam belt and variator change

[lincman41]

hi im looking for somewhere in the north lincs area near sunny scunny that offers a good price to change my cambelt and variator,just had a quote from stoneacres in doncaster of £536 quid !!!!!!!!!,surely i can get it done loads cheaper as my mate with the same year 156 ts 1.8 had it done for £340,only thing is that it was in northampton,can anyone help me out pls .cheers

[Phil J]

Damn thats steep, mine was done for £514 inc full service and MOT in London, so im sure someone will do it cheaper up here. check out the thread about accepted alfa garages.

[Ben B]

www.alfaworkshop.co.uk Quote their cambelt prices on their website's homepage. I beleive it was £70 extra to do the variator too.

[78sudti]

hello Lincman41
Just reading about your variator and cam belt,yes i can help you i did all mine myself on my 99 2ltr t/s.Its a big job im a home mechanic in my spare time but a precision engineer by trade.Also live near you at grimsby.Mail me back if your intrested.
Andy

[lincman41]

cheers for the two replies,pity im not near the one in royston as its only about £300 quid all in but its too far away ,especially a thanks to andy for your offer but i think i would rather go to a garage that offers a guarantee with the work,i would hate something to go wrong and be stuck with no car at all, ive just tried a garage in lincoln and they would do it all for £430 with a courtesy car,am sure there must be somewhere else in this area that can do it cheaper

[lincman41]

whoops been getting quotes for a variator when 18 ts dont have one ,cheers to anyone who resisted calling me a plank lol

[David C]

Originally Posted by lincman41

whoops been getting quotes for a variator when 18 ts dont have one

Yes they do have a variator.
All the TS have variators, except for the 105 1.6TS

Have you tried BLS Automotive in Lincoln?

[gazza82]

David C also mentioned Advantage Motor Group in Lincoln on another thread.

[David C]

BLS would be the preferance though!

[alfarich156]

BLS highly recommende 'ere too..

[rgwm]

When assessing prices you need to bear in mind that the parts aren't cheap...Shop4parts have the timing belt kit on offer for £76 this month IIRC, and a variator is about the same. plus VAT and delivery of course..... Being a 1.8 at least you don't need the balance shaft belts and tensioner, which saves you a chunk. I reckon about 4-5 hours to do the belt job, if everything goes smoothly. No doubt the more often you do it, the quicker you get!

[lincman41]

cheers once again ,no longer am i going to ring various garages that advertise cam belt changes and then proceed to give duff information,i rang ten today,only three mentioned a variator,even had one so called expert ask me if i actually had an alfa !!!!!!!!! three of them said they had done cambelts on alfas for years and never had they come across a variator.when i mentioned about the engine sounding like a diesel on start up for a few seconds due to most likely the variator being worn , they just laughed like i was some kind of inbred!!. rang bls in lincoln and they quote £442 with variator.ITALIAN CAR SERVICES in lincoln do a alfa cam belt change for £235 plus £70 for the variator. was mighty impressed with their knowledge of alfas over the phone so they seem to be the best so far .