Six wet belt warning signs every Canterbury driver should know
Spot these early and you keep a healthy engine. Ignore them and you'll be paying for a new one.
A short metallic chatter on first start that disappears after 20–30 seconds. People dismiss it as 'normal'. On a wet belt engine it's the timing chain hydraulic tensioner struggling against a stretched belt.
Cam-correlation codes (P0008, P0009, P0016, P0017) are the canary in the coal mine. They mean the belt has stretched enough that the cams and crank are out of sync.
Burning more than 0.5 litres between services is not normal on a healthy modern engine. PureTech and EcoBoost units shedding belt material accelerate ring wear and start drinking oil.
Healthy oil is amber. If your dipstick comes up looking like used graphite — and you're not overdue an oil service — that's belt particulate.
If your car or van is suddenly lethargic on the A2 climb out of Canterbury, fuel-economy is dropping and there's no obvious cause, get the front cover off.
Less common but serious. Indicates the belt has lost tension or is rubbing against a guide. Stop driving and book in.