timing belt experiences

Mine looked new at 86k miles when I changed it because I had to fix the front oil seal. I think 105k is a reasonable figure.

I'm almost at 99K on my 99 SUS Ltd and will get it changed per the manual at

105K. I hoping to get another 100K out of the car (Based on the history myself and my parents have with Subarus - my parents just bought number 9 between us - I don't see this as a stretch) so I'm very picky about my maintenance schedule and sticking to it.

Hi,

Judging by experience w/ earlier Subies, as long as one uses OEM belts, the standard service interval should be fine, and your belt may still look "good to excellent" at that mileage. OTOH, aftermarket belts have been known to fail before the book intervals, even when they were only

60k (I had one--well known name brand, even--let go at barely over 50k miles.) Considering the work involved in swapping out belts, I'd suggest OEM only!

Good luck,

Rick

The timing belt on my '99 Outback was just changed, at 113k (at the time I bought the car.) The mechanic showed me a garbage can full of broken belts. All of them looked perfect except for the point where they were torn apart. His point was that a belt does not deteriorate gradually, in such a way that the appearance can be used as a guide. He also showed me several bent valves which resulted from broken timing belts--it's pretty risky to push the limit if you have an interference engine.