General Help

[The Shrike]

Anyone know an experienced timing belt mechanic in Kilmarnock area?

 

[The Shrike]

Sorry, brand new to the forum and did not elaborate. (Had trouble figuring out how to do above post!)
The only official dealerships, (Arnold Clark) which are in Glasgow want £450 to £500 to change the timing belt and water pump on a 2014 Mk 4 Fiat Panda 1.2 Pop.
This seems over the top to me and also to general figures quoted here. I would appreciate any views on these prices and also any suggestions as to where to get this job done.
I have just bought the car and with no mention in records of timing belt change, I reckon better to be safe than sorry. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Panda IIs]

Sorry, brand new to the forum and did not elaborate. (Had trouble figuring out how to do above post!)
The only official dealerships, (Arnold Clark) which are in Glasgow want £450 to £500 to change the timing belt and water pump on a 2014 Mk 4 Fiat Panda 1.2 Pop.
This seems over the top to me and also to general figures quoted here. I would appreciate any views on these prices and also any suggestions as to where to get this job done.
I have just bought the car and with no mention in records of timing belt change, I reckon better to be safe than sorry. Thanks in advance for your help.

Welcome to the forum!

I'm from the deepest south (well Herts!) here we are lucky enough to have some really good "Independents". Interestingly one that I have very high regard for is the Fiat Workshop in Royston who have fixed price servicing theirs's for a full Cambelt service is not dissimilar... I would double check what the dealer price includes, not least VAT?

Fiat Panda Servicing

Fiat Panda fixed price tables for service schedules, suspension, brake repairs and general services.

www.fiatworkshop.co.uk

 

[The Shrike]

Thanks for your reply. I guess the high price is down to it being a more exacting job with the 1.2.

 

[Panda IIs]

Thanks for your reply. I guess the high price is down to it being a more exacting job with the 1.2.

I'm not so sure and others will comment; I think the 1.2 is a fairly straightforward engine when it comes to cambelt swap. If you are comparing prices between the engine variants (TA and MJ) in the service menu I shared then remember the TA and MJ have timing chains so you don't see the "blip" caused by the extra labour and parts of the belt (and probable waterpump) change.

 

[JayAre]

Arnold Clark… want £450 to £500 to change the timing belt and water pump on a 2014 Mk 4 Fiat Panda 1.2 Pop… This seems over the top to me

According to Google AI “Replacing the cam belt and water pump on a Fiat Panda 1.2 Pop typically costs between £260 and £446, with independent garages often being cheaper than franchise dealers”

the 1987 Panda 4x4 Sisley below is exactly like one I bought new (RH drive, same colour, everything) and has the same FIRE engine as yours (but 1 litre)

a local independent did the same cam-belt +water pump change in 1989/1990 (30k miles?) and it cost (from memory) £150+. So fast forward 35 years and you’re being quoted admittedly top end £450-500 for essentially the same work so, with inflation and from a big name dealership, I wouldn’t say the quote is a total rip-off

As the famous TV series (nearly) said “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find a good local independent…”

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Worth repeating here the answer given by the Forum's moderator (@jrkitching ) in reply to another post about replacing the cam belt on a 1.2 Panda:

“ This [the fitting of a new timing belt] is one job on the VVT Panda/500 1.2 where I'd recommend using a franchised dealer (or trusted fiat specialist), rather than an independent garage.”

“I'm struggling to think of any small car where the belt change procedure has caused so many folks to go wrong and get into difficulties”

So, I don't think its considered 'an easy job'

(It used to be easy on the older versions of this engine, until they added variable valve timing -- aka VVT...)