TECHNICAL INFO (That saves money) CV JOINTS The purpose of a CV Joint is to allow the movement of a driven wheel when the steering is turned, or the up & down movement that comes from the suspension while in motion. CV Joints are more common on 4 wheel drive & front wheel drive vehicles. The joint is covered with a rubber boot, (CV BOOT) this boot is packed with grease. The rubber boot wears & most commonly splits. If left unattended the worn or split boot loses the protecting grease, becomes dry & fails. The first sign of a wearing CV Joint is a clicking noise when turning hard left or right & is normally very easy to diagnose. That’s why if you are told about a split CV Boot you should repair it as soon as possible. (It is a lot cheaper to repair a CV Boot than a CV Joint) CAM BELTS / TIMING BELTS Timing Belts have replaced the old Timing Chains with where noisy and cost more to manufacture. Today’s Timing Belts are lighter, quieter, more efficient & more economical than chains. The Timing Belt causes the intake & exhaust valves to open & close in time with the Pistons which move up & down in the Cylinders. There are two types of Engines that use Timing Belts, they are described as Interference Engines & Non‑Interference Engines, your owner's Manual will tell you which type your Vehicle is. On an Interference Engine, if the Timing Belt slips even one notch, the Piston can crash into an open Valve causing serious damage by bending valves & breaking Pistons, this will be very costly & will keep your vehicle off the road for sometime. Non‑Interference Engines won't usually self destruct, but in either case if the belt fails the engine will shut down immediately leaving you stranded. Timing Belts are difficult to check & can fail without warning, in most cases your only protection is to change the Timing Belt at the recommended intervals. Most car manuals will recommend replacing the Timing Belt at 100,000km, but most Automotive Technicians will recommend replacement at 80,000km due to them having seen the results of many broken Timing Belts. (Timing Belt replacement is not cheap but is far less costly than the alternative)