Q: The timing belt broke while I was driving. Can a mechanic estimate what additional damage the broken belt caused upfront?

asked by on December 03, 2016

The blue book value of the car may be less than a repair but the garage where I towed the car is not able to give me a estimate and suggested I take it to Mercedes dealer. Is the ancillary damage to values or fuel pump or whatever evident without actually replacing the belt, or it is difficult to get a real number unless they start working on it? I'm trying to decide whether to donate the car or tow it somewhere else to get an estimate. I really would like to get the car running again but don't want to exceed the value of the car if possible.

My car has 122000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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