Vehicle in question is a 2000 Mazda 626 LX V6.
When should I really change the timing belt?
The book says every 60K unless the car was initially registered in CA,MA,VT,NY or ME. Otherwise check it at 60,000 and 90,000 miles. Change it 105,000 miles.
Does Mazda use a different timing belt for those 5 states? Probably not. Are the other 45 states changing the belt too often?
I bought and registered the car in MA. I do the Schedule 1 maintenance every 7,500 miles. I would say over 85 percent of the mileage is on the highway. Not too much stop and go.
Had it in the shop today for rear bushings for the second time. Once at 30,000 and today at 66,325. Service pointed out that I should swap the timing belt. I mentioned what the manual stated. The response was "that's the bare minimum maintenance you should do under perfect driving conditions." Sounded like the service department was fishing for revenue. On the other hand very bad things can happen when a timing belt fails....
Am I living on borrowed time or do I rush down and drop 400-500 bucks for a new belt?