When should I replace my car's timing belt?

Question: "Now, my car is only a little over two years old, but since I live and commute in Arizona, it already has over 59,000 miles on the odometer. I recently took it to my mechanic for an oil change and general inspection and the Service Advisor there tells me: "It's time to replace your ‘timing belt' and this will cost around $400." So I asked her what would happen if I didn't replace it till next year, and she told me: "Most manufacturers recommend replacing the timing belt at 60,000 miles because if it breaks there could be severe engine damage." I've never heard of ‘severe engine damage' from just a broken belt. What's up with that?"

On most cars with a timing belt (as opposed to a timing chain) you do need to replace it at 60,000 miles. There's no way to tell if it's weakened or not by a visual inspection, and if this belt breaks it can cause major (thousands of dollars) engine damage on cars with an interference type engine, and moderate (hundreds of dollars) in repairs will be needed for thos