Engine
A cambelt is a wear item with a fixed replacement interval which, depending on the manufacturer, usually falls between 60,000 and 180,000 kilometres or after a set number of years. A timing chain is designed to last the life of the engine, but it can stretch and then makes itself heard as a rattle on cold starting.
If the cambelt snaps while running, in most engines pistons and valves meet. The damage then goes far beyond the component itself and with older vehicles quickly exceeds their residual value. The interval is therefore a limit, not a target.
The belt ages through heat and material fatigue, regardless of whether the vehicle is driven. Someone doing low mileage who does not reach the kilometre limit in twelve years still has to have it replaced.
Typically a metallic rattle in the first seconds after a cold start which then disappears. If a fault message about camshaft adjustment is added, you should not wait much longer.
The water pump, tensioner and idler pulleys are usually renewed at the same time. They sit behind the same cover — replacing them separately later would mean doing the entire job a second time.
In brief
It is stated in the service book or the owner's manual, and we can tell you from the model and engine code.
In most engines pistons and valves meet. The damage then affects not just the belt but the cylinder head.
It is designed to, but not every one manages it. If it stretches, that is announced by a rattle on cold starting.
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