We Supply & Fit Cambelts in Crawley & Wider West Sussex | JA Autos

Cambelts fulfil an essential function: synchronising your engine’s pistons and crankshaft with its valves and cylinder head. It’s also a vehicle component that wears down over time and can eventually snap, causing serious damage to your engine. That’s why JA Autos in Ifield – just a short drive from Crawley, Gatwick, Horsham and Horley, amongst other West Sussex locales – provides a full supply and fit service for all vehicle makes and models.

But how can motorists tell when their cambelts are reaching the end of their lifespan? The first thing to do is check your car’s servicing manual, which should provide a specific recommendation on how often to replace it. As a general rule of thumb, however, if you’ve owned your vehicle over 5 years or driven over 40,000 miles without checking in on your cambelt, it’s worth booking in an inspection. Customers around Crawley, Gatwick, Horsham and Horley who regularly visit JA Autos for full and major car servicing will be pleased to know that their cambelts will undergo inspection as part of these packages.

What Can Go Wrong With Cambelts?

As a cambelt deteriorates over time, it can eventually crack, tear or snap. It can also stretch, influencing an engine’s timing; this can be quite noticeable in terms of performance: a lack of acceleratory power, a rattling when in neutral, or problems getting the engine going. The worst case scenarios are snapped cambelts, which cause the crankshaft to make direct contact with the cylinder head. This can cause irreversible damage to your engine’s valves, and repairs running into the thousands of pounds.

That’s why we urge motorists around Crawley, Gatwick, Horsham and Horley to be vigilant, and take note of their vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations around cambelt replacement. It just might save you a bundle. Replacement cambelts aren’t expensive, as you’ll see from our distinctly competitive quotes. In many cases, we can replace them on the spot, should the right parts be in stock. JA Autos carries out all related work around cambelts, such as replacement of water pumps.