Cambelt failed 'early'

leedom

Hi all, my megane 1.5 dci 07 plate cut out yesterday due to a cambelt failure - it is currently being looked at but thoroughly expecting it to be quite a few £££££'s

My question really is, the car has 'only' done 53K and this seems a bit early for a cambelt to go - although i guess they could go at any point? book says change at 70K

Do i have any comeback with renault (i bought the car from a local independant garage not renault) as surely this is too early to get such damage and have to fork out probably around a grand to fix?

any info/advice much appreciated

Strider590

If I remember correctly the 72k miles was a selling point for Renault, but i've heard stories of failures not far beyond 35k miles. As a golden rule I always replace the cambelt as soon as I buy a car unless the previous owner can show me a receipt to say it was changed.
You might be able to get Renault to contribute toward the repair costs if you ask nicely....

forgotmyname

53k miles is a bit low BUT... Its around 4/5 years old.. So replacement was due/overdue?


Belt change can cost £700+ without having to repair any damage that you may have.

If you have a full dealer service history you may be able to negotiate the repairs with them. No full service
history then it still maybe worth writing to renault expressing your concerns at its early demise.

Normally i would get a belt changed early but if it was going to cost £700 - £1000+ then maybe i would think
nah it will be OK for another year?

Silly price. Dearest belt kit i ever bought was for a MK2 mondeo £68 complete kit with the extra pulleys required.
Good job i bought that the pulleys were cracking on the inside.

Trebor16

Have you checked to see if it is either a time or mileage based replacement? Many cambelts have to be replaced after a certain period of time if the mileage limit hasn't been reached.

slyracoon

At 4-5 years old it was probably due regardless of mileage.

ohreally

Belt interval is recommended at 72k or 5 years whichever comes first. Tensioner pulley should also be replaced. Repair time is 2 hours and engine damage is likely if belt fails.

cyclonebri1

Bottom line to your question is;

No.


You don't have any come back against Renault, (or Ford, VW, Honda etc etc)., whatever the car in question .

The belt could last the time or the mileage, but outside waranty it's yours to fix, sorry not trying to be offhand , just pragmatic.;)

Hammyman

leedom wrote: »

Hi all, my megane 1.5 dci 07 plate cut out yesterday due to a cambelt failure - it is currently being looked at but thoroughly expecting it to be quite a few £££££'s

My question really is, the car has 'only' done 53K and this seems a bit early for a cambelt to go - although i guess they could go at any point? book says change at 70K

Do i have any comeback with renault (i bought the car from a local independant garage not renault) as surely this is too early to get such damage and have to fork out probably around a grand to fix?

any info/advice much appreciated

The thing is that it isn't only mileage based but time based. So it would be 72k or 5 years WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. The reason for this is that rubber starts to crack once it gets to around 5 years old hence the cambelt change being based on time as well as mileage.

Unless it has a full service history to Renault spec done with genuine parts you're going to get nowhere with them.

Horizon81

If it's an 07 with 53k on the clock then it meets neither criteria of 5 years or 70k. It's 4.5 years old at the oldest.

almillar

So it's an 07 car with 53k miles. We've established I think that the interval (OP please confirm, it's in your manual, not on the internet) is 70k OR 5 yrs. That means this car is due a change in 2012 some time as the car hasn't hit the age OR mileage specified.
IF the car has a full RENAULT service history, I think that OP may have a case against Renault, as the car should have been serviced fully in line with instructions, so either the belt was faulty, the interval is too long, or it hasn't been properly serviced, all of which are Renault's fault.

STOCKWIRE

Horizon81 wrote: »

If it's an 07 with 53k on the clock then it meets neither criteria of 5 years or 70k. It's 4.5 years old at the oldest.

I had a cam belt go on a scenic at 55,000. It had just turned five years old that month !.