Timer Belt broken straight after service

Johnny2323

Wonder if someone with car and/or garage knowhow can help me.

I recently took our car (a daewoo tacuma, rubbish car) into our local garage for a service. the car was, I admit, long overdue a service - it had scraped through MOT twice so I had ignored doing services due to lack of money. Anyway service ended up costing a lot more than I expected - was £220 plus soon afterwards spent an extra £120 getting new pipe and rocker cover cos of serious engine leak.

Then few days after service was driving along and timer belt broke. AA came out said would cost at least £300 to fix possibly £1000 if damage is bad.

So now I have a car I have just spent £350 on that's basically dead. Looking for advice on what i should do - is timer belt something garage should have spotted or just one of those things? And if I want to get rid of it what's best way to get most possible cash (it also has three practically brand new tyres).

Any help gratefully received.

fivetide

How old is it? What miles on it? If it was well over the interval and you didn't get it changed I can't see how it is the garage's fault at all I'm afraid.

Johnny2323

2001. Advisory is 60,000 miles. We'd done about 90 and never had it serviced. I guess it is my fault.

Any advice on how to maximise value of dead car? Will need to be towed.

Retrogamer

The timing belt failing sounds like the result of missing services, as you've mentioned you're guilty of doing.

This is one of many reasons why missing services can be a false economy.

If you wanted the garage to change the belt, the price would have been significantly higher again no doubt. Usually the belt, tentioner and water pump are replaced at the same time and it can be difficult and time consuming on some models

Retrogamer

With dead car, either find some forums where people are keen to find spare parts of that car then sell all the parts you can and scrap what's left.

Failing that, probably just a case of scrapping it or selling it as spares or repairs, but i don't think either of those would fetch over £200

Johnny2323

Yup serious lesson learned about missed services. I think I naively thought all the time it was passing MOTs we were OK.

Is there a dead car equivalent of webuyanycar I wonder?

vaio

Johnny2323 wrote: »

......Is there a dead car equivalent of webuyanycar I wonder?

https://www.cartakeback.com will probably give you £100+

Ebay with an honest description will get you more but it's more hassle too

---lee---

Johnny2323 wrote: »

soon afterwards spent an extra £120 getting new pipe and rocker cover cos of serious engine leak.

You don't say what the leak was. I don't know this engine design but it's possible for timing belts to be contaminated by oil (or other substances) which will cause them to slip, wear and break.

Retrogamer

---lee--- wrote: »

You don't say what the leak was. I don't know this engine design but it's possible for timing belts to be contaminated by oil (or other substances) which will cause them to slip, wear and break.

Seeing as the timing belt was due at 60k miles and it's done 90k now, i don't think it's likely it failed due to oil contamination

Johnny2323

---lee--- wrote: »

You don't say what the leak was. I don't know this engine design but it's possible for timing belts to be contaminated by oil (or other substances) which will cause them to slip, wear and break.

You'll have to forgive my extreme mechanical ignorance here - leak was inside engine and was leaking on to spark plugs which was causing misfiring. Cooler pipe attached to the engine had rotted away and broken.

I can't stop the nagging feeling that the garage should have checked the timer belt as part of the service but also I am guilty of not having service sooner.

cajef

Johnny2323 wrote: »

I can't stop the nagging feeling that the garage should have checked the timer belt as part of the service but also I am guilty of not having service sooner.

Nope, timing belt is not a service item it is up to you to have it changed at the recommended interval, as it has done 90K and should have been changed at 60K it is hardly the garages fault.