Timing chain replace, is it inevitable?

[Travis Bickle]

Was just idly curious. 2015, 2.4 LEA, 77,000+ on it. Runs perfect, no detectable rattle, that I can tell anyway.

Is it a foregone conclusion that the timing chain will have to be replaced at some point? Should it be done so preemptively, as a rule, at say 80,000-100,000, or is it possible it'll just last for the life of the vehicle?

 

[bagbyjw]

This link says between 80k - 120k

Timing Chain Replacement

The cost of a timing chain replacement will vary greatly depending on the type of car you have. Get a guaranteed quote from AutoNation Mobile Service today.

www.autonationmobileservice.com

 

[PoManNox]

Was just idly curious. 2015, 2.4 LEA, 77,000+ on it. Runs perfect, no detectable rattle, that I can tell anyway.

Is it a foregone conclusion that the timing chain will have to be replaced at some point? Should it be done so preemptively, as a rule, at say 80,000-100,000, or is it possible it'll just last for the life of the vehicle?

I'd keep up on frequent oil changes, make sure to never run the oil level low and ride on. Cut open all your used oil filters and examine them for metal bits if you are concerned. If you hear a hint of rattle, it may be time, or it could be something else. If you have concerns, you can pull any of the oil pressure control solenoids to look for metal bits on their screens, you may have caught it just in time or it could be too late at that point.

A lot of people claim "Oh I maintained this thing meticulously", but they are the second or third owner, or they stretched oil changes too long some of the time, or they let the oil level run low some of the time, etc. Meticulous maintenance to me is oil changes every ~4K miles, every time since new, without fail. Every 5-6K miles is good maintenance. I wouldn't go beyond that with any GDI engine.