So I ordered everything above, but when I went to pick it up.....the timing belt tensioner was literally missing from the box. So, the guy could not find the part anywhere and is ordering me another one that will take another couple of days. I decided to go to a Honda stealership to pick it up there ($40 more), and the guy told me they NEVER replace the tensioner. He said unless it is squeaking.....you should never change it. He showed me the order history for the part and the only do about 6 a year; that includes EVERY car that goes in and out of the shop. Anyway, im thinking about just leaving the original on. The guy said it would be fine so....any ideas? As of now I am NOT planning on replacing the tensioner.

Thanks!

 

I don't know what that guy is talking about.

Replacing the tensioner can't hurt.

It's preventive maintenance. If your tensioner seized you would be screwed. It's very common practice to replace the tensioner with the belt.

 

I've certainly had tensioners go bad on my Civics. They get noisy gradually, so you will have plenty of warning; unlike the water pump, catastrophic failure seems rare. If you are willing to take everything apart again later should the tensioner starts to go, you don't necessarily need to replace it pre-emptively.