"Mike" <powerpNOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:NNudnWBk54A3YjbcRVn-vQ@adelphia.com...
> Hi,
>
> 1st time on here...
>
> Honda recommends preventive maintenance replacement of water pump and
> timing belt at 90K.
> I'm at 91K now and things are running fine with my '96 Accord coupe (4cyl
> Vtec auto).
> Should I have it done now by Honda ($800), find a good back-alley guy, or
> just wait for something to happen?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Mike
Howard is exactly right - don't wait for something to happen - absolutely
guaranteed you won't like what happens, and it isn't a question of "if" but
of "when."

If you are really lucky and the engine is not grievously damaged, you at
least won't get where you were going, your car will have to be towed, you
will be without it until it is completed, and you will pay at least as much
for the repair as you would have if you scheduled it. It's a losing game by
any measure.

The timing belt replacement should include replacement of the tensioner and
the water pump. They are modestly priced, and the labor to get to them is
about the same as to replace the timing belt.

The dealer is worth it for the peace of mind. If the replacement belt fails
early (it could happen, but isn't likely) and trashes the engine, the dealer
can probably be pressured to make it right. I doubt you will get that from a
small independent.

Mike