cambelt

[robrome]

hi it's me again
we have a 3lt v6 c5 on a 02 with 71'000 on the clock
just tried getting some prices for cambelt change around here and nearly died
what sort of money am i likely to look at as have been told between £550 and £700
this seems awful high to me or is this normal
thought we had got rid off the money bin when we got rid of the pajero

[RichardW]

If you buy the belt, tensioners, and water pump at the dealers, the parts alone IIRC are over £240 - add in 6 hours or so labour, and the cost will soon be in the range you have identified A 3.0 V6 C5 is unlikely ever to be a cheap car unless you can DIY....!

[CitroJim]

Despite appearances, the cambelt on a C5 V6 is quite a realistic DIY proposition. It's easier than it looks and the tensioner is easy to set up and adjust.

I don't know about the C5 exactly but in the Xantia V6 it's quite roomy in a Citroeny sort of way down there...

If you want the official words on how to do the job let me know...

EDIT: If you are doing the job for yourself on your own car you can make an intelligent decision on the condition of the tensioner and jockey wheels and decide if they will do another round of service. They wear well and I've not felt the need to replace them...