New 08 Saturn Vue never needs timing belt plus no plugs till 100K?

Question

I was told the Vue has a timing chain not a belt. Never needs replaced. Spark plugs don't have to be changed until 100K miles too? Does this sound kosher to you guys? Any other American cars out there have the same or is this something new? Any websites give that kind of nitty gritty info?

Answer 1

the plugs sounds right, but never change the timing chain? look in the owners manuel and see about the 90,000 mark if is says anything about changing that. but it does sound kind of strange because all auto makers went to timing belts because they dont strech like the chains will.

Answer 2

My 2005 Vue has a timing chain , rather than a belt. It's the corporate GM 4cyl.
2007 and before had Honda 6cyl. 2008 will have corporate 4, GM design 6cyl.

Timing chain should never need changing in the lifespan of first owner usage.

Answer 3

My 93 Saturn had a chain instead of belt. Problem was that they had a hole too small to allow oil in to lubricate the chain and it broke. Took out the case along with it. Timing belts may be better but, they are usually installed with other belts and when you change one, you need to change them all. My old Merc had 5 belts on the same pulley.

Answer 4

When looking at repairs for broken timing belts, they added up all the mileage numbers and divided by the number of broken belts, and found they tended to fail just after a certain mileage. Actually though, you heard wrong. Honda recommends replacing the timing belt "On 1990 to 1996 models, replace at 90,000 mile intervals or every 72 months". It's a maintenance issue, not a weak link. Do consider a three year battery failing at 3 years a weak link? It's the concept of "useful life". Parts wear. The whole idea of preventive maintenance is to identify and check or replace the parts most likely to fail at a certain mileage.

Answer 5

Yes it's true,the new Saturn needs no maintenance other than oil changes and brakes.GM/Saturn has surpassed the competition in most areas and now builds better cars than any other manufacturer.Don't fall for the hype about Asian cars,they're made from lightweight imitation materials with a short life span.

Answer 6

ALL of the various GM models have pretty much the same deal and have for over a decade.