Cam belt gone - do I have a case?

Wickwhistle · 22 February 2008 at 9:47PM

Hi all - this is my first post but I have been reading for a while - this is a brilliant site and offers brilliant advice!! So I am wondering if you can you help me please? I'm desperate and don't know where else to turn

I had my 02 reg car serviced at "In and Out" on the 30th December 07 (mileage was 54,500k), the cam belt then went only 5 days later on the 4th Jan 08. The repair work cost £1,200 and according to the garage that repaired the extensive damage to the engine, I have a good case against "In and Out" because nowhere on their paperwork (or verbally) do they offer recommendations on when to have scheduled maintenance work like cam belt changes done like some industry rules tell them that they should when servicing vehicles.

My car is recommended to have the cambelt done at 60k (I didn't know this and it doesnt say it in the book) and would cost no more than £400 to be replaced.

Anyone have any thoughts? I'm confused and if there is a hope of recouping even some of that £1200 I would be thrilled!

Thank you

Hugs Luce x

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! · 22 February 2008 at 10:04PM

Not a hope in hell IMO.

I'm betting the cambelt is 4 years/60k. Its your property, and your responsibility to take proper care of it. They may even have assumed that you'd already done the belt.

daveyjp · 22 February 2008 at 10:11PM

Sorry but I doubt you have an argument.

Whoever "In and Out" are they will have a done a basic service. They are not required to tell you what is or not required on your car unless they identify a problem whilst checking your vehicle which is over and above the normal service - for example brake components.

As the vehicle owner you are responsible for knowing when items such as cambelts should be replaced and arranging for the work to be done. The service book for your car will detail exactly what is required and when. 60,000 miles may be only half the story, most cambelts have a time limit too - for example 60,000 miles or 5 years whichever occurs first.

A main dealer may flag this item up, a local fastfit centre probably won't as they won't have the details of every car.

Wig · 22 February 2008 at 10:48PM

You would have had a case for further investigation by an engineer, if they had changed the cam belt.

IMO they should have asked if you had ever had your cam belt done but making that enquiry a legal obligation, I don't think so.
I also think they should have asked you before the service to bring your service book with the car for them to look at. They then should have asked you if it had been changed.

When I say "should" I mean out of good practice, not legally required. I don't think you have much to go on.

anewman · 22 February 2008 at 10:57PM

I agree unfortunately I am so sorry to say. It will say in the user manuals or a separate piece of paper that should be with the manuals for the car, the recommended change interval. Don't suppose it helps, but plenty of other people on these forums have had similar experiences. Search for cam belt and you'll see those too.

Probably best put down to an expensive lesson to make sure the cam belt is changed unfortunately. Sorry can't be of any more help.

Conor_3 · 22 February 2008 at 11:58PM

You've not got a chance. As the owner, the onus is on you to ensure things are done when they are. Whilst it's "good practice" to tell a customer something like a cambelt is due, there's no requirement or legislation requiring them to.

deltic_2 · 23 February 2008 at 12:05AM

Sorry, you do not have a case. This is one of the hazards of using low cost independent agents for service as they are unlikely to have the in depth level of expertise and experience in your car make/model. It's also likely that the mechanic is either not very well trained or lacks model specific training.

blue_haddock · 23 February 2008 at 12:08AM

You've got two hopes - and bob has just left the building!

The garage performed the service you asked them to do. If you had asked them to do a service and a cam belt change it's a different scenario but you didn't so its a case of pay up and move on.

Sounds harsh but thats life.

Wickwhistle · 23 February 2008 at 12:17AM

No it's fine - I had already accepted it was over and that's that! Just the main dealer dude suggested I DID have a case and just wanted to see what others thought.

Thanks for your replies.

lil_me · 23 February 2008 at 12:46AM

The guidelines for cambelt replacement are also just that, guidelines. After repairing several cars which cam belts have snapped before they were due, it makes me much more aware of the damage they can do (I've got some bent valves somewhere from one, he was one of the lucky ones) I replace mine much earlier than they are 'due'

I am doubtful you would have any claim to make against the servicing garage, unfortunately as stated they did the work you requested.

Wig · 23 February 2008 at 1:00AM

Don't give up just yet. We don't know the full story, what you said, what they asked, what they didn't ask, whether they had asked to see the service manual.

My advice - before giving up, phone your local trading standards & see what they say. I should point out that no-one here to my knowledge is a legal expert.

Cam belt gone - do I have a case?

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