I had an interesting thing happen this week. My wife asked me if I thought her 2000 Honda CRV needed a new timing belt. I told her that the car didn't have a timing belt, it had a timing chain which would not need regular replacement.
When she asked how I knew that the car had a timing chain instead of a belt I responded that since the car had 160,000 miles on it, that a timing belt would have broken some time ago!
It turns out that I was wrong. Not only does the car have a timing belt, but it had never been replaced and with the high mileage, it is a miracle that the belt didn't snap which would have caused severe engine damage. Not to mention a dead car.
I drove the car to the repair shop, and the belt was replaced. In this case I was very lucky. I had ignored an extremely important maintenance detail and I had gotten away with it ... this time! The mechanic told me that if the belt had broken the engine repairs would have been at least $1200.
But the lesson learned is to not place yourself in jeopardy by overlooking important details. Ignorance is no excuse for apathy, and obviousness doesn't justify lethargy.
We need to establish priorities in life. It's so much better to be proactive than reactive.
And it's often less expensive too!
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Richard my 03 CRV has 80,000 miles and I have never changed the timing belt. I think it's time I had it done.
And yes it is always better to be proactive.
James...
I believe that the 03 model has a chain! But you better check it out!
Richard:
It's so good that you didn't have to experience that one. Years ago, I had a Honda CRX (a fun little car.) I was rounding the curve to my final destination (which we will forever refer to as "dead man's curve") when my car completely died. It was the timing belt. I had to buy a new engine for the car. Yes, that was an expensive mistake. I'm glad you were able to avoid it.
Richard - I have a Honda Pilot and just recently replaced my timing belt. You were indeed very lucky that the belt didn't snap.
Richard,
I'm curious...how much did it cost. They quoted me about $900 to replace the timing belt on my wife's CRV. Right now she's got 60K miles on it.
Rich
Richard, things like that really do hurt, our wallets as well as our pride! Ignoring them does not make them go away, as much as I would often like for it to, LOL.
Thanks Richard, a lot of analogies can be made to our business with this post. Have a great weekend.
That was so humble of you to admit you were wrong about a car to your wife! Your respect level just went up hugely my friend!
Claudette...
Thanks for the testimonial ... I still wonder why they use belts instead of chains?
Judy...
It is one of those "unforgivable" errors, glad you were proactive! THX
Rich...
They probably are going to change the water pump at the same time. I went to a mechanic I trusted, and the timing belt, new water pump, and all the other belts replaced was $545. I got a good deal!
Andrea...
You as so right ...ignoring them will not make them go away. TX and have a great day.
Gabe...
I thought that it was an interesting analogy too! Thanks my friend.
Steve...
I said two things ... "I was wrong" and "that car isn't moving until I get it fixed!" lol and thx
To all ... off to listing appointment ... I'll be back later!
Richard, just as preventive maintenance saves money in the long run being proactive in real estate will make you money in the long run. Being proactive always insures future referrals from satisfied clients. Good luck with your listing appointment.
We can easily apply your experience to the current real estate market. Many of the available listings are REO properties or short sales that have deferred maintenance. In some of these situations, the owners have hidden the problems. Every home buyer needs an alert buyer agent and an experienced home inspector to protect them from these potentially expensive issues.
Richard, Great thought about being proactive and not reactive. All to often we tend to be reactive.
Now how many of you have a preventive maiontenance schedule for you HOME!
I'd bet it's all too few!
Hmm, I think I'll blog about that with a checklist included. Thanks for the idea!
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Richard - Right you are. I always thought that timing belts were an odd device, since they are set to break at a certain point. Happy to hear that you got this done before it became a problem!
We just laid out over $2K on my car because we had to do the timing and sensors. Glad you guys are okay and that nothing bad happened. :-)
Richard: Regular maintenance on cars, regular dental check ups, annual visits by the HVAC guy. Those are three that come to mind right off the top of my head that save people thousands.
It doesn't pay to overlook details in work, home, children, love, etc.
So the real lesson learned here is to listen to your wife? That is what I got from it!
Hello Richard, I'm old enough to remember cars with fan belts, carburetors, bias-ply tires and Ethyl Gasoline. The inspection and maintenance routine was very frequent and relatively easy to remember -- something was always being monitored or repaired! And a car getting 160,000 miles -- unheard of! Modern cars are so low maintenance that it is easier to forget they are not maintenance free. I think the same is true of people and careers -- we learn some great skills and they perform well for a long time however, those skills and learnings need updating and refreshing or the important "timing" will become further and further off! John
I am not sure that there is less maintenance. There does seem to be less that the average person can check. Older cars didn't incorporate so much electronics. Many components now are buried and difficult to get at for the average consumer as well. Better to trust professionals to keep the car maintained.
My Hyundai came with a lifetime free oil change. When I bring it in they always do an inspection and I get cards in the mail telling me when to have various other inspections.
I have a good habit of double checking myself even when I know I'm right. Sometimes I don't know as much as I thought I did as well.
Being proactive is a requirement in life but alas at times we all fail to do so. Years ago I had a crx and the belt broke and it was goodbye valves.
Richard knowledge has power however many never take advice of a professional real estate agent.
Have a great week.