timing belt question

Looking at the Edmunds Maintenance/Service site
http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/MaintenanceServlet
it says that the recommended replacement schedule for an Elantra ('07)
is at 60k miles. It would seem that at 120k the belt should be replaced
again but that is not indicated. So my question is: Does that mean
that the replacement belt is so much better that it doesn't need to be
replaced or that after 100k Hyundai doesn't care if the belt breaks as
they are off the hook. I also noticed that ALL Hyundais are to have the
belt replaced at the 60k interval. It was my impression that the V6s
had chains and thus didn't need that service. Anyone be able to set me
straight??

Thanks, John

 

Neither. If you look in the Maintenance Log that comes with the car,
timing belt replacement is indicated every 60K miles.

The timing-CHAIN equipped engines obviously don't need a timing BELT change.

 

Thanks Brian

 

Actually, check your manual carefully. I believe the interval for the
timing belt for your car is 105,000 miles (or 7 years).

 

Did that change in '07? Is it just for California cars, as it was
previously?

 

I finally was able to check the service schedule in the owner's manual
for 07 Elantra. Inspect timing belt at 60k & 120k replace at 90k and 150k.

 

For the amount of damage a broken belt can cause I,d go for the shorter
time/distance even if makers suggested a tad longer. Valves through pistons
are not a pretty sight.
John

 

I believe the interval changed for the '07 Elantra and '07 Santa Fe. 90k
and then 150k, as jp has posted, however, seems to make little sense.

 

Which raise the question: Is there an easy way to inspect the timing
belt or is it just about as labor intensive as changing it?

 

Not visible at all until you disassemble a lot of stuff.
If you get to the point of inspection, it is only a few minutes more to
change it. IMO, it is not worth the risk to stretch the interval.

 

It's often not terribly instructive to check the timing belt. It's
possible to tell that the timing belt is about ready to fail because the
teeth are starting to crack and strip off, but that means you'd need to
have inspected it when failure is immediately imminent. It's entirely
possible to check at every oil change, have the timing belt look fine, and
then have it fail prior to the next scheduled oil change. Better to just
replace it at the specified interval.