How can I check the condition of a timing belt?

Have recently bought Peugeot 307 (70,000 miles) and dealer said he wasn't sure if when the car had it's last service - a new belt was fitted.

He thinks it likely. I've contacted the garage who did the last service - but they've gone out of business. I gather that there is no way I can check the condition of the belt. I'm just releuctant to pay to have a new one fitted when it turns out that the other one is fine. Any advice welcome please.How can I check the condition of a timing belt?I agree with you entirely.Why change a perfectly good belt that,s only a few months old.You will have lots of answers telling you to change it because you will have serious damage to your engine.Many belts broke because they were contaminated with oil or were adjusted to tight causing bearing failure.Inspect the belt for any signs of cracking,for any contamination with oil or grease.If the top of the belt looks shiny and stretched change it.If it looks like new don't change it--edit--i serviced and maintained 1000,s of cars in my 3 garages and never had a belt break.Those that i changed were oil contaminated ,stretched from incorrect adjustment or obviously worn.I am not afraid to say a cambelt is OK.Many garages change them as a money making issue and any car manufacturer that cant make a belt last 60,000 miles shouldnt be in business.In the early days of cam belts the materials used were not of todays high quality and some broke,particulaly on Fords but those days are gone.People dont put new engines in a car incase the old one packs in ,so why do that with a cam belt.If it looks ok it is ok,but you must know what you are doingHow can I check the condition of a timing belt?You could have a mechanic that you TRUST remove the timing cover and give the belt a physical inspection. But then if you are going to have him go that far you may as well have him replace the belt. If it is an interference engine, you run the risk of causing expensive damage to the engine if the belt breaks.How can I check the condition of a timing belt?There is no way to tell, with a used vehicle at 70K miles I would assume the service was not done. People don't tend to do expensive service work if they will get rid of the car. With a timing belt you do the water pump as well.How can I check the condition of a timing belt?Anytime you are unsure it is always best to replace it. 70-80k is the suggested change for a timing belt. If it hasn't been changed you run the risk at causing severe damage should it actually break.How can I check the condition of a timing belt?No point in risking wrecking the engine- get the timing belt replaced. The fact that the garage which did the last sevice has gone out of business means it is not possible to check, why take the risk.How can I check the condition of a timing belt?If the engine is generally very dirty but the area around the timing cover is cleaner, that may be an indication of recent work. Hope this helps.How can I check the condition of a timing belt?as far as l know they say you should check timing belts or replace at roundabout 80'000 klmsHow can I check the condition of a timing belt?get the belt changed it is far cheaper than a new engine and will give you peace of mind