I replaced the cambelt on my 1.3i Van 3 years ago and it has covered about 12000 miles without problem. The original cambelt was that put on by Daihatsu when the van was built and had covered 68000 miles over 9 years. Because of its age I replaced it with an OE belt marked MAK Japan Powerbelt. The van has been running like a dream but yesterday all power was suddenly lost. After a tow home I checked for a spark, nothing, so I removed the Distributor cover and turning the engine found that the distributor remained static. Removing the timing cover revealed the worst, the cambelt had broken/snapped cleanly acroos one of the teeth valley's. When I lost power there were no knocks bang or odd graunching noises and to be honest the last thing I expected was the timing belt. Perhaps this saga tells me and indicates to readers to take care where replacement belts are purchased from. The culprit came from an ebay supplier.

I have ordered a new belt from a reputable supplier on ebay and will see if the damage caused is terminal once the new belt is fitted. If it is knackered then because of the age and low value I will be selling it for parts so watch this space for an update once the engine is back together.