Complaint AA Breakdown repair, peace of mind???

shazarda

hey Colino,

the engine has just been recently serviced and there was plenty of oil in the engine, so nothing to do with me not looking after the poor thing, as she just recently had a cam and cambelt change with a full service as well as i thought best to get them done at one go, i generally go to a independant specialist to get it done (the service work) as if you dont look after your car it cant look after you when you notice why is it drinking so much fuel lol!

The car is a VW Bora 1.9 TDI PD engine,

maninthestreet

So was the cause of the camshaft failure due to a loss of oil pressure??

shazarda

the Hydraulic tappet or something has a hole in it i think what the mechanic said and its a failure not a wear and tear issue he said...

the AA patrolman said its a failure and not a wear and tear issue, so when two people say the same thing...both professionals then you think why so much controversy...and just get it sorted for me lol

learningaboutinsurance

shazarda wrote: »

the Hydraulic tappet or something has a hole in it i think what the mechanic said and its a failure not a wear and tear issue he said...

the AA patrolman said its a failure and not a wear and tear issue, so when two people say the same thing...both professionals then you think why so much controversy...and just get it sorted for me lol

you can get failure of a part which can be due to Wear and Tear,

E.G. you can get failure of the clutch (does not mean they will change it as it can be down to wear and tear from the owners driving habits and style) then its upto the owner of the vehicle to have this replaced. had a quick google search on what you state the mechanic said is the problem and it seems it can be due to wear & tear

Hydraulic lifters can deteriorate from wear and tear or the buildup of contaminants and sludge in the engine oil. Lifter springs become weak or no longer travel their full path to return the valves to the closed position. The telltale clacking sound made by intake or exhaust valves is evidence of worn hydraulic lifters and should be checked immediately. New lifters can make an engine run smoother and quieter, and lifters are inexpensive and reasonably simple to replace with some mechanical experience and the right tools.

shazarda

it seems i have got it wrong, as i thought it was the tappets but the hole was in the camshaft....i think...although dont quote me as i havent seen it as i recall the AA patrolman saying it wasnt the lifters at fault as thats only 200 to fix as you would hear them being faulty with just the engine running, whereas for the camshaft you only hear that when you rev the engine....

Hope that clarifies it....

shazarda

sent an email to Andrew Goodsell the ceo of AA last night around 5pm, and he didnt directly reply he has sent it to some special investigations team, who sent me a reply at 1pm so will see what happens.... now

The_AA_Company_Representative

shazarda wrote: »

hey,

Just had an issue with the AA, car brokedown and it didnt feel safe to drive, so called out THE AA, and the guy came early so i thought brilliant, then the patrol man says its your camshaft has gone not your tappets and thats a failure, it has to be covered, so i take it to the garage and they say the same....i thought okay,

then i have an AA representative ring me and say its not a failure its wear and tear, but if two people who are both specialists say its a failure how can the third person then say the absolute reverse?

I rung membership services as he wasnt being helpful and being quite forceful on the phone, which i tried to think he is just doing his job but i am paying for a service, peace of mind.....not to ring round everyone to say come fix my car and tell people how its a failure and not wear and tear? If i knew i had to diagnose my vehicle each time an AA person came out why would i need them?

Any help would be appreciated,

Shazarda,

Hello Shazarda, we appreciate you have already spoken to someone from The AA regarding this, however if there is anything outstanding which you would like to discuss, please email into chat@theaa.com with Reference number FOR34756. Regards, The AA

shazarda

hey guys,

Just sent a message to the AA representative so lets see what happens eh...

just paid the massive bill at the garage which has taken a nice chunk and was shown how it was a failure and not wear and tear,

apparently on the cam shaft only on of the rings has failed whereas the rest are fine, as if it was a wear and tear issue all the rings would have worn away

and with the hydraulic followers aka tappets they have a hole in them another indication of failure...so where is the wear and tear argument, in the water where it should have been....and my argument solid as stone!

JimmyTheWig

Remember to let us know how you get on, OP.
We've had the breakdown repair cover on our AA policy and used it a few times with no problem. Just got the car back from the garage today, so am hoping they don't try to pull something similar on us.

I understand that the policy doesn't (and shouldn't) cover wear and tear items, but it's annoying where there is a fine line between wear and tear and not.

shazarda

well to be honest i rung aa, they came out checked it said it was a failure, garage said it was a failure, garage rang aa, aa said no its wear and tear, if garage has had it approved from AA then it should be fine....

If not then your problems will start like mine,

there is a fine line between wear and tear and failure, however when examining the said part the garage mechanic should be able to assess the difference in my case only one of the rings in the cam shaft was damaged and the rest were fine so obviously its not wear and tear but how someone can conclude that is interesting to say the least