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

blued

Premier wrote: »

That may be what you thought you had posted but in fact you posted pretty much the opposite.

You said if the failure was due to a failed pulley which probably wasn't replaced as it wasn't due, then the garage would not be liable, ... otherwise they would.

I said if the belt was damaged by dropping oil then the garage would not be liable (unless specific circumstances made them)

What do you mean I posted the opposite? I think you are a bit of a troll to be honest.

The facts we have from the OP are

Teeth are stripped from the belt
Water pump confirmed ok by RAC and mechanic
Oil pump confirmed ok by RAC and mechanic

If the idler has gone then the dealer will not be liable unless it was changed or meant to be changed as part of the belt change. I said if there was no sign of oil then the next thing that should be checked is the idler.

I dont think I'd be taking advice from someone who isn't familiar with the term "teeth" on a timing belt anyway. By all means provide us with more pictures of the cam pulleys at the top of the engine that have lots of teeth engaged at once. Maybe a picture of the crankshaft pulley where there are much less teeth might make you realise that just a couple of missing teeth can cause a problem.

Have you ever changed a timing belt?

mikey72

Get an independant report before it goes to the garage.
It should have have a full belt kit, including the tensioner pulleys, and a new water pump is good practice, and any dealer should always replace it.
If the belt loses a tooth it can slip, and the pistons will hit the valves.
The belt can also jump off.

Don't let the garage get it until you have the report, marked all the parts, and taken as many photos as you can.

missile

I would suggest you will be hard pushed to get an expert who will be prepared to state that the garage was at fault. Their expert will doubtless claim it was not their fault. You could then face the hassle of going to the small claims court and may not win. All the while your car is f....d

I would put it down to experience and use the money you could waste on an expert towards getting your engine repaired at an independant garage. Ask your friends for recomendation who to use and get an estimate for the work.

missile

Then I would sell the car

Premier_2

blued wrote: »

...By all means provide us with more pictures of the cam pulleys at the top of the engine that have lots of teeth engaged at once. Maybe a picture of the crankshaft pulley where there are much less teeth might make you realise that just a couple of missing teeth can cause a problem...

Rather a shame you didn't. :rolleyes:

However, as you asked:



The crankshaft pulley is the one at the very bottom. Although you are correct in that it is much smaller than the camshaft pulleys, you'll also see in common with most engines how the belt wraps around it almost 3/4 of the circumference.

CHR15

I stripped the TEETH off a Cambelt in my younger years of driving.

I hadn't checked the coolant mixture properly (lesson learned) and the Water Pump froze solid on a particularly sudden cold spell.

Water pump wouldn't turn, belt did = Stripped Cambelt.
Diagnosed at the roadside with it all still frozen.

Impossible to prove after the event as it had all thawed out and Waterpump span feely.

This could be tricky, although the OP did have it serviced so the coolant should have been checked by the garage.

Wig

oops, I just noticed it was serviced 9 months ago (sorry I did say I only skim read your post/thread) If it was 9 months ago, I wouldn't do the independent inspection as a first option. Sorry but this is one of those nightmares that happen.

I'd be looking for a leak oil or water inside the cam belt cover, or a broken cam belt cover that may have allowed water inside.

on the subject of was the belt changed - why not look at the one fitted and see if it has any part numbers on it.

iltisman

Best option is sell the car and buy one with a timing chain.

goldspanners

iltisman wrote: »

Best option is sell the car and buy one with a timing chain.

no its not.