Cam belt has gone on my car - not sure what to do

dagrowler

OK so this is a slightly long story.

Yesterday I drove 55 miles to work and my car was fine. Got to work, parked, went in. Came out a bit later for some air, saw a better parking space so went to move my car and it made a craaaazy noise (it started and it moved but it sounded a little bit like putting my mobile phone in the blender). So off I turned it and left it there. Rang my breakdown people who promtly sent a man out.

Man from the breakdown people fiddled around and said it was the starter motor (which i'd had replaced about 4 weeks ago, I was suspicious as it made no sound when it went then, and this time sounded scary) and that he wouldn't replace it because it would still be under warranty and all I really needed now was a push start to get home. He arranged for someone to come out for the end of my shift.

End of my shift comes and the new chap turns up. He has a fiddle around (with the car), and says it sounds like more than the starter motor but he'll jump start me and I can drive home (55 miles on the motorway).

This morning I rang the garage who replaced the starter motor 4 weeks ago and they come and tow the car away. Then I get a phonecall to say that the cambelt has gone and the engine is totally knackered (my words not theirs, they mentioned pistons, something metal sounding, contact and bending). He reckoned it would be £600-£800 worth of damage. The car is only worth about £1300 at best...

What would you do? My first action has been to spend the day crying

shaun_from_Africa

End of my shift comes and the new chap turns up. He has a fiddle around (with the car), and says it sounds like more than the starter motor but he'll jump start me and I can drive home (55 miles on the motorway).

This morning I rang the garage

Did the 2nd breakdown man who came actually jump start your car and did you drive home, or did you turn down the offer and leave your car at work?

dagrowler

He started it and I drove it home (it wasn't making the scary noise at that point, once it started)

dagrowler

Oh my main thing is that i'm super skint. Should I get the car fixed or just throw it off a cliff?

ossie

If cambelt gone you would not have been able to drive it home !!!!!!

shaun_from_Africa

If it was the cam belt going when you first started the car to move it, there is no way that you would have been able to drive 55 miles, especially as you said that there was a lot of grinding noises from the engine.

I would suggest that you take the car to another garage for a second opinion.

Tilt

dagrowler wrote: »

He started it and I drove it home (it wasn't making the scary noise at that point, once it started)

Obviously isn't (or wasn't) the cam belt then.

Do you know when it was last changed?

dagrowler

As far as I know it's never been changed... I bought it a year ago, and it now has 50,000 miles on it (I did most of them). It's a 52 plate.

Tilt

What is it?

PeterZ_2

If the cambelt had gone there is no way you would have been able to drive home. It is possible that the belt slipped a tooth, this would cause the damage described.

The problem you have is that you will have to pay a garage the labour costs involved to diagnose the problem and the extend of any damage. If the car is in otherwise good condition it might be worth getting a second hand engine fitted.

Before doing anything I think it would be worth getting an opinion from another garage.

shaun_from_Africa

Well the first thing I would do would be to visit the garage unannounced and ask to see the engine.
If they have stated that there was "pistons, something metal sounding, contact and bending" then they must already have stripped it down so any damage would be obvious to see.

If they refuse to show you, or show you and it hasn't been taken apart, I would definitely want to take it elsewhere.

It is possible that the belt slipped a tooth, this would cause the damage described.

But if this slippage had happened when the OP first went to move the car, that'w when the damage would have been done so a 55 mile drive without noticing serious engine problems wouldn't have been possible.