Cam Belt fail only 9 months after replacement by dealer - what would you do?

SignificantAlter

Hi all, I would appreciate some ideas on how to proceed with this one.

I have an 04 reg Vauxhall Zafira. I bought it when it was 3 years old and have since had all the annual servicing done by my local Vauxhall dealer. I've not had a car this new before and wanted to ensure it was a reliable car for the forseeable future, hence my decision to have all servicing undertaken by a main dealer.

Back in March the car had its annual service. It was at 37k miles and I knew that the cam belt would be due to be replaced at 40k miles. Knowing this would fall during the year we had the cam belt changed at the same time, at considerable cost.

On 17th December the car broke down by the side of the road. The RAC recovered it back home on the back of a flatbed truck as they sourced the fault as the cambelt and therefore the car couldn't be driven. I was horrified that there was a cam belt fault as I'd had the belt changed at the service 9 months before, and the car had only done 3000 miles since then.

I asked a trusted mechanic to come and take a look at the car, he has confirmed the RAC diagnosis, that the cam belt has sheared a couple of teeth, and that this has caused damage to the engine. He can't see any mechanical cause that would have made this happen ie the water pump hasn't seized, and the oil pump is working (both things that can make Zafira cam belts ping apparently).

I rang the dealer just before Christmas, they are saying that apparently it doesn't just happen, cam belts do not just shear teeth and that there has to be a mechanical cause (ie water pump or oil pump as I explained in the previous paragraph) and that because it was that they would not be liable for fixing either the belt or the engine damage that has ensued.

Then Christmas got in the way.

I'm wondering quite how to proceed. I'm a bit wary of handing the car over to them as anything could happen in that workshop, and after all it is not in their interests to diagnose that the fault was solely with the belt. I know they do not consider the word of the RAC patrolman or my mechanic as sufficient as apparently they have bias in my favour.

There is the option to get an assessor from the Institute of Automotive Engineering to do a full examination so that we have an independent report into the vehicle condition before I hand the car to the dealer.

I'm wondering about engaging a solicitor? Contacting Consumer Direct?
Maybe contacting Vauxhall UK Head Office?

I just don't know what to do for the best. All the trust I have had for this dealer has gone and I have heard anecdotally since all this happened that this dealer is notorious for charging for cambelt replacement, subsequent failure then when the belt is examined finding that actually they didn't replace the belt (belt found to be the original from manufacture). Now that is anecdotal I know and doesn't stand for anything but I don't exactly find it reassuring.

Any ideas on how to proceed would be very gratefully received.
Many thanks

mchale

I think your going to have to let the dealer have a look at it to confirm damage, maybe get the car to another dealer and let them have a look at it without mentioning its history, also ask who ever looks at it to keep all the parts in case you need a 3 party inspection

maybe get a friend to phone up garage and ask if they have a cam belt changed how long is warranty?

ps:

dont mention to garage some one other than RAC has looked at it, I think if your a RAC menmber you get free legal advice as well

crazyhaggid

before handing it to the dealer get someone independent to examine it and produce a signed report stating that the water pump and oil pump were both not the cause of the fault. It might also be worth having them mark these in some way (paint/stamp) so if the dealer latter presents you with a seized water pump you can confirm whether its yours or not.

Also with regards to the water pump, this should have been checked during the cambelt change, how many miles were covered in the nine months? If the water pump was checked during the change it should have been fine. Normally they start to feel rough before they go.

hothothot_3

Having just recently got a Vhall myself, im inclined now to just continue using local independent garages - I dont think anymore theres more trust in main dealers - seems to just be more expensive and dubious as to insuring a good level of quality work done.

SignificantAlter

crazyhaggid - only three thousand miles in those nine months - my husband lost his job in June so the car does not get the use it used to.... even when he was working though it only did max 8k a year

I'm thinking the IAEA is the way to go then... the RAC recommended them for an independent opinion

Premier_2

SignificantAlter wrote: »

...I asked a trusted mechanic to come and take a look at the car, he has confirmed the RAC diagnosis, that the cam belt has sheared a couple of teeth, ...

Unless I'm mistaken, the cambelt on a Zafira is a like that on most modern engines - a rubber belt that fit's over pulleys.
It it was something on a cogged wheel, it would usuallly be referred to as a cam chain.

What teeth has a rubber belt broken ... and where???

SignificantAlter wrote: »

...I rang the dealer just before Christmas, they are saying that apparently it doesn't just happen, cam belts do not just shear teeth...

Unless you can answer the previous question, I'm with the garage on this one I'm afraid.

The usual failure mode of a cambelt is that the belt snaps ... or sometimes the pulley cracks meaning the belt comes off (as there is no tension to hold it in place). There are no teeth on the pulleys.

mchale

Premier wrote: »

The usual failure mode of a cam belt is that the belt snaps ... or sometimes the pulley cracks meaning the belt comes off (as there is no tension to hold it in place). There are no teeth on the pulleys.

Incorrect, a cam belt has teeth which mesh with teeth on the pulley, (thats how you time it up) and the teeth can shear, in fact its possible to shear the teeth on the belt if you attempt to tow start a car with a cam belt, incorrectly.

Which could be a reason why the garage are not admitting liability

slimer3k

All timing belts do have teeth, to mesh in with the notched pulleys. Otherwise the timing would be lost.

In my experience they usually do snap when they fail, but to me it's not impossible that they would fail by sheering a few teeth and hence force the cam shaft out of timing.

If either of the pumps had failed then the belt would be stripped and damaged.

I would commission an independent inspection from the RAC and put this in writing to the garage.

Premier_2

mchale wrote: »

Incorrect, a cam belt has teeth which mesh with teeth on the pulley, (thats how you time it up) and the teeth can shear, in fact its possible to shear the teeth on the belt if you attempt to tow start a car with a cam belt, incorrectly.

Which could be a reason why the garage are not admitting liability

There are lumps in the belt that mesh with the pulley to ensure accurate timing, correct, but not what I would call teeth.

It would be interesting to know whether it is the tearing of the belt that the OP was referring to rather than the failure of teeth on a gearwheel.

slimer3k

Also, quite a few teeth would have to be missing as it's quite common to have a few missing. is it just one or two?

mchale

Premier wrote: »

There are lumps in the belt that mesh with the pulley to ensure accurate timing, correct, but not what I would call teeth.

It would be interesting to know whether it is the tearing of the belt that the OP was referring to rather than the failure of teeth on a gearwheel.

I would read post again, carefully, all relevant info is there